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** He works so hard to set up a fire drill and gets into a spat about it (you have to see the whole conversation to understand), where Manuel is supposed to yell "Fire!" and then they all calmly walk out. Then Manuel screws it all up by starting not one, but two ''real'' fires in the kitchen. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Basil then calmly ushers Manuel back into the burning kitchen as he tries to explain that it's just a drill]].

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** He works so hard to set up a fire drill and gets into a spat about it (you have to see the whole conversation to understand), where Manuel is supposed to yell "Fire!" and then they all calmly walk out. Then Manuel screws it all up by starting not one, but two ''real'' fires in the kitchen. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Basil then calmly ushers Manuel back into the burning kitchen as he tries to explain that it's just a drill]].



* {{Tsundere}}: Nice to guests, hostile to her husband ([[CrowningMomentOfAwesome and Irish builders]]).

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* {{Tsundere}}: Nice to guests, hostile to her husband ([[CrowningMomentOfAwesome ([[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome and Irish builders]]).



* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first episode, he wasn't nearly the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} he became later in the series. Only from the second episode onward--in which, for instance, upon hearing that "the dining room door seems to have disappeared" he takes the statement literally and reassures Basil that it will surely turn up somewhere, because after all "these things happen, you know"--does his status as a member of the trope really begin to emerge. By the end of the first season he has ''really'' wandered off into his own little world, [[CrowningMomentOfFunny thinking that the moose head is talking to him, and therefore must have been made in Japan]].

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* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first episode, he wasn't nearly the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} he became later in the series. Only from the second episode onward--in which, for instance, upon hearing that "the dining room door seems to have disappeared" he takes the statement literally and reassures Basil that it will surely turn up somewhere, because after all "these things happen, you know"--does his status as a member of the trope really begin to emerge. By the end of the first season he has ''really'' wandered off into his own little world, [[CrowningMomentOfFunny [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments thinking that the moose head is talking to him, and therefore must have been made in Japan]].

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* BadBoss

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* BadBossBadBoss: He is incredibly verbally abusive and demeaning to his employees, and even gets physically violent with Manuel.



* TheChewToy

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* TheChewToyTheChewToy: Fate really likes to dump on Basil Fawlty. Unusually for this trope, Basil tends to set ''himself'' up for the trouble he gets into, thanks to his compulsive lying, miserliness, penchant for crazy schemes despite being nowhere near as clever as he thinks he is, and other numerous character faults.
* CuttingCorners: One of Basil's more notable vices is his obsession with doing things as cheaply as possible; for this reason, he continually is willing to employ notorious CrookedContractor Mr. O'Reily despite the man's ineptitude -- indeed, the only reason that Manuel ''has'' a job in Fawlty Towers is that Basil has decided the low wages he can pay Manuel due to his immigrant status compensates for the fact Manuel's pathetic grasp of English makes him a completely unreliable worker. He persists in this behavior despite the fact he is repeatedly hit over the head with the fact that [[YouGetWhatYouPayFor low price for low quality is not a good trade]].



* HairTriggerTemper

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* HairTriggerTemperHairTriggerTemper: It doesn't take much provocation in the slightest to set Basil off on anything from a sarcastic quip to an angry tirade, depending on how personally he takes it.



* PsychopathicManChild
* SexlessMarriage

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* PsychopathicManChild
PsychopathicManChild: He can throw extremely child-like tantrums or get caught up in silliest schemes, but his mad-eyed viciousness at whoever he feels has slighted him can honestly be kind of scary.
* SexlessMarriage SexlessMarriage: Given how little Basil and Sybil actively like each other, it's made pretty obvious that their marriage involves absolutely nothing sexual at all.



* BeehiveHairdo: Which Basil referes to as a "rat's maze" during a row.

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* BeehiveHairdo: Which Basil referes refers to as a "rat's maze" during a row.



* HairTriggerTemper

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* HairTriggerTemperHairTriggerTemper: Much like her husband, she is easily provoked, constantly snapping off rude comments and quickly rising to actual clench-fisted rages.



* SexlessMarriage

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* SexlessMarriage SexlessMarriage: Given how little Basil and Sybil actively like each other, it's made pretty obvious that their marriage involves absolutely nothing sexual at all.



* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}

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* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}{{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Even given that his grasp on English is far from adequate and so he is constantly misunderstanding the English his companions speak, Manuel is prone to extremely strange ideas and behaviors.



* PhraseCatcher: "He's from Barcelona."

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* PhraseCatcher: "He's from Barcelona."Barcelona", which is the excuse Basil invariably trots out to "explain" Manuel's latest cock-up due to his pathetic grasp of English.



* ButtMonkey: While Manuel suffers the worst direct abuse from Basil, Polly, being more reliable, is always first to be PressGanged into some degrading and ill devised scheme to cover up his incompetence.
* DeadpanSnarker

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* ButtMonkey: While Manuel suffers the worst direct abuse from Basil, Polly, being more reliable, is always first to be PressGanged into some degrading and ill devised ill-devised scheme to cover up his incompetence.
* DeadpanSnarkerDeadpanSnarker: Given that she is well aware that she seems to be the only person in the hotel who has her head screwed on right, she is prone to making cutting remarks about the absurdity and stupidity that surrounds her.



* OnlySaneMan / OnlySaneEmployee

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* OnlySaneMan / OnlySaneEmployee
OnlySaneEmployee: Polly is pretty much the only person in the entire hotel staff who has all of her marbles, completely lacking in both the craziness of the Fawltys and Manuel's ineptitude.
* OnlySaneMan: Because she's the only sensible person around, Polly's contribution to the comedy is trying vainly to defuse the inevitable chaos when Basil gets one of his cockamamie ideas.



* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}

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* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}{{Cloudcuckoolander}}: The Major is quite the batty old man; by the end of the first season, he can genuinely believe that a stuffed moose head is talking to him.

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-->'''Creator/JohnCleese'''

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-->'''Creator/JohnCleese'''[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/FawltyTowers.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:153: TranquilFury summed up in one image.]]
-->'''Played by''': Creator/JohnCleese



-->'''Prunella Scales'''

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-->'''Prunella Scales'''-->'''Played by''': Prunella Scales



-->'''Andrew Sachs'''

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-->'''Andrew Sachs'''-->'''Played by''': Andrew Sachs



-->'''Connie Booth'''

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-->'''Connie Booth'''-->'''Played by''': Connie Booth



-->'''Ballard Berkeley'''

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-->'''Ballard Berkeley'''-->'''Played by''': Ballard Berkeley



-->'''Brian Hall'''

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-->'''Brian Hall'''-->'''Played by''': Brian Hall

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!!Creator/JohnCleese

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!!Creator/JohnCleese-->'''Creator/JohnCleese'''
* AccidentalPervert: He became this in "The Psychiatrist", in which his efforts to prove that one of his guests broke the rules by sneaking his girlfriend into a room lead him into one NotWhatItLooksLike after another.
** Also happens in "The Wedding Party" when Basil keeps getting caught by the guests in NotWhatItLooksLike situations [[HoYay with Manuel]].
* TheAllegedCar: His Austin 1100 Countryman. When it refuses to start, he proceeds to scream at his car before giving it a "damn good thrashing" with a tree branch.
* BadBoss
* BerserkButton: Whenever anyone suggests that he's incapable of running a hotel, his behavior goes from rude to insanely vindictive.



* CassandraTruth: His tendency to lie about anything at all that might get him in trouble (see BlatantLies above) causes most people to not believe him when he ''is'' telling the truth. Of note, he tries to explain to his wife that he wasn't peeping on a a female guest, but rather trying to bust another guest for sneaking someone in. His wife's reaction?
--> "You've been out in the hall all night and that's the ''best'' you could come up with?"



* CryingWolf:
** He works so hard to set up a fire drill and gets into a spat about it (you have to see the whole conversation to understand), where Manuel is supposed to yell "Fire!" and then they all calmly walk out. Then Manuel screws it all up by starting not one, but two ''real'' fires in the kitchen. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Basil then calmly ushers Manuel back into the burning kitchen as he tries to explain that it's just a drill]].
** His compulsive lying also leads to a huge problem in both "The Anniversary" and especially "The Psychiatrist", wherein he actually is in rare situations involving maintaining a farcical-sounding position that happens to be the exact truth.



* HistoricalVillainDowngrade: He was based on a real hotel owner named Donald Sinclair. You might think his flaws were exaggerated for comedic effect, but at least one of his former employees says he was ''[[UpToEleven even worse]]'' than Basil.



* JerkassHasAPoint: He does have a point when he complains about the guests, as some of them really are [[NotSoDifferent as obnoxious and unpleasant as he is]].



* NeverMyFault: This is basically the core of his entire personality.
-->'''Basil Fawlty''': *muttering* I'm so sorry I made a mistake, I'm so sorry I made a mistake...
-->*opens door to guest's room*
-->'''Basil Fawlty''': I'm so sorry, ''my wife'' made a mistake.



* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: The standard by which all others are measured.

to:

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: The standard by which He desires to move up in social standing and attract a better class of customer to his hotel, but he's also verbally abusive to the help, only superficially nice to his guests, and his HairTriggerTemper and [[FawltyTowersPlot persistent zany schemes built on webs of lies]] keep getting him into all others kinds of trouble. Were Basil simply more honest and maybe a little cooler-headed, most of his problems would disappear, but [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk any attempts to dig beneath the surface show how petty and shallow he is]], and [[AesopAmnesia any lessons he learns are measured.
quickly forgotten]]. Creator Creator/JohnCleese has said that, were Basil a good person, ''Fawlty Towers'' would be the greatest tragedy ever made.
* VillainProtagonist: In some episodes.




!!Prunella Scales

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!!Prunella Scales-->'''Prunella Scales'''



!! Andrew Sachs
* BumblingSidekick

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!! Andrew Sachs
-->'''Andrew Sachs'''
* BumblingSidekick BumblingSidekick: He often gets dragged into whatever mad scheme someone else at the hotel has cooked up.



* FunnyForeigner

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* FunnyForeigner{{Cloudcuckoolander}}
* FunnyForeigner: He can speak In-gul-eesh! He learned it from a boo-ook!



!!Connie Booth

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!!Connie Booth-->'''Connie Booth'''



* HiddenDepths: She works as a simple domestic in Fawlty Towers, probably to help fund her college degree, but as well as being proficient in art, she is able to pick up foreign languages extremely well and [[IKnowKarate knows karate]].



!!Ballard Berkeley

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!!Ballard Berkeley-->'''Ballard Berkeley'''
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first episode, he wasn't nearly the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} he became later in the series. Only from the second episode onward--in which, for instance, upon hearing that "the dining room door seems to have disappeared" he takes the statement literally and reassures Basil that it will surely turn up somewhere, because after all "these things happen, you know"--does his status as a member of the trope really begin to emerge. By the end of the first season he has ''really'' wandered off into his own little world, [[CrowningMomentOfFunny thinking that the moose head is talking to him, and therefore must have been made in Japan]].



!!Brian Hall

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!!Brian Hall-->'''Brian Hall'''
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*PsychopathicManChild
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-->'''Basil:''' Well she'd know, wouldn't she?

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-->'''Basil:''' Well she'd know, wouldn't she?she? Her and that cat.

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* MsFanservice: Polly is '''scorchingly''' hot, and spends a portion of "The Wedding Party" in her underwear. Even when in her regular uniform, her figure is fairly... noticeable.



* MsFanservice: Polly is '''scorchingly''' hot, and spends a portion of "The Wedding Party" in her underwear. Even when in her regular uniform, her figure is fairly... noticeable.

to:

* MsFanservice: Polly is '''scorchingly''' hot, and spends a portion of "The Wedding Party" in her underwear. Even when in her regular uniform, her figure is fairly... noticeable.
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Your spelling is Fawlty! (Sorry.)


* DeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history. Almost 80% of what he says is sarcastic and rude. There is a lot of [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan snarkers]] in this comedy series, but [[UpToEleven Basil just takes it up to a whole new level.]]

to:

* DeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history. Almost 80% of what he says is sarcastic and rude. There is are a lot of [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan snarkers]] in this comedy series, but [[UpToEleven Basil just takes it up to a whole new level.]]
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* DeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history. Almost 80% of what he says is sarcastic and rude. There is a lot of [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan snarkers]] in this comedy series, but [[UpTo11 Basil just takes it up to a whole new level.]]

to:

* DeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history. Almost 80% of what he says is sarcastic and rude. There is a lot of [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan snarkers]] in this comedy series, but [[UpTo11 [[UpToEleven Basil just takes it up to a whole new level.]]
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* ButtMonkey: While Manuel suffers the worst direct abuse from Basil, Polly, being more reliable, is always first to be PressGanged into some degrading and ill devised scheme to cover up his incompetence.

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* NoAccountingForTaste: He and Sybil actively hate each other.

to:

* NoAccountingForTaste: He and Sybil actively hate each other. Her mother has no idea how they even ended up together, suggesting black magic.
-->'''Basil:''' Well she'd know, wouldn't she?
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* LargeHam
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* CatchPhrase: "Que?"

to:

* CatchPhrase: "Que?""Qué?"
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Moving to YMMV.


* JerkassWoobie: He may be a rude, self-centered elitist who abuses his employees both verbally and physically... but the people he's forced to deal with are '''''so''''' stupid, obnoxious, and demanding that it's impossible not to feel at least a little sorry for him. Especially when he makes a huge effort for his and Sybil's anniversary and she still thinks he's screwed up.
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* HenpeckedHusband
* {{Jerkass}}
** JerkassWoobie: He may be a rude, self-centered elitist who abuses his employees both verbally and physically... but the people he's forced to deal with are '''''so''''' stupid, obnoxious, and demanding that it's impossible not to feel at least a little sorry for him. Especially when he makes a huge effort for his and Sybil's anniversary and she still thinks he's screwed up.

to:

* HenpeckedHusband
HenpeckedHusband: As bad as Basil can be, it's made very clear that being married to Sybil isn't particularly fun either.
* {{Jerkass}}
**
{{Jerkass}}: One of the most iconic in British (and possibly international) comedy.
*
JerkassWoobie: He may be a rude, self-centered elitist who abuses his employees both verbally and physically... but the people he's forced to deal with are '''''so''''' stupid, obnoxious, and demanding that it's impossible not to feel at least a little sorry for him. Especially when he makes a huge effort for his and Sybil's anniversary and she still thinks he's screwed up.
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* BrilliantButLazy: Perhaps "brilliant" is too strong a word,but she's a far more competent hotelier than Basil on the rare occasions that she stops gossiping and actually does some work.

to:

* BrilliantButLazy: Perhaps "brilliant" is too strong a word,but word, but she's a far more competent hotelier than Basil on the rare occasions that she stops gossiping and actually does some work.
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* BrilliantButLazy: Perhaps "brilliant" is too strong a word,but she's a far more competent hotelier than Basil on the rare occasions that she stops gossiping and actually does some work.
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* HairTriggerTemper
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* DeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history. Almost 80% of what he says is sarcastic and rude. There is a lot of [[DeadpanSnarker DeadpanSnarker's]] in this comedy series, but [[UpTo11 Basil just takes it up to a whole new level.]]

to:

* DeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history. Almost 80% of what he says is sarcastic and rude. There is a lot of [[DeadpanSnarker DeadpanSnarker's]] deadpan snarkers]] in this comedy series, but [[UpTo11 Basil just takes it up to a whole new level.]]
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** JerkassWoobie: He's a rude, self-centered elitist who abuses his employees both verbally and physically... and yet the people he's forced to deal with are '''''so''''' stupid, obnoxious, and demanding that it's impossible not to feel at least a little sorry for him. Especially when he makes a huge effort for his and Sybil's anniversary and she still thinks he's screwed up.

to:

** JerkassWoobie: He's He may be a rude, self-centered elitist who abuses his employees both verbally and physically... and yet but the people he's forced to deal with are '''''so''''' stupid, obnoxious, and demanding that it's impossible not to feel at least a little sorry for him. Especially when he makes a huge effort for his and Sybil's anniversary and she still thinks he's screwed up.

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Changed: 24

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!!Creator/JohnCleese



!!Prunella Scales



!! Andrew Sachs



!!Connie Booth



!!Ballard Berkeley



* UndyingLoyalty: He leaps to Basil's defense when an American guest declares the hotel the worst in Great Britain...if only because "There's a place in Eastbourne."

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* UndyingLoyalty: He leaps to Basil's defense when an American guest declares the hotel the worst in Great Britain...if only because [[DamnedByFaintPraise "There's a place in Eastbourne."
"]]


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!!Brian Hall
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* OnlySaneWoman: Along with Polly, one of the most reasonable members of the staff.
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to:

* UndyingLoyalty: He leaps to Basil's defense when an American guest declares the hotel the worst in Great Britain...if only because "There's a place in Eastbourne."
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* DeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history, almost 80% of what he says is sarcastic, snarky, and rude. There is a lot of [[DeadpanSnarker DeadpanSnarker's]] in this comedy series, but [[UpTo11 Basil just takes it up to a whole new level.]]

to:

* DeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history, almost history. Almost 80% of what he says is sarcastic, snarky, sarcastic and rude. There is a lot of [[DeadpanSnarker DeadpanSnarker's]] in this comedy series, but [[UpTo11 Basil just takes it up to a whole new level.]]
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* DeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history, almost 80% of what he says is always sarcastic, snarky, and rude. [[UpTo11 This guy turns sarcasm to a whole new level.]]

to:

* DeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history, almost 80% of what he says is always sarcastic, snarky, and rude. There is a lot of [[DeadpanSnarker DeadpanSnarker's]] in this comedy series, but [[UpTo11 This guy turns sarcasm Basil just takes it up to a whole new level.]]
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* DeadpanSnarker

to:

* DeadpanSnarkerDeadpanSnarker: Probably one of the most sarcastic characters in history, almost 80% of what he says is always sarcastic, snarky, and rude. [[UpTo11 This guy turns sarcasm to a whole new level.]]
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to:

* MsFanservice: Polly is '''scorchingly''' hot, and spends a portion of "The Wedding Party" in her underwear. Even when in her regular uniform, her figure is fairly... noticeable.
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* ObfuscatingStupidity: "The Germans" implies that Manuel's English isn't actually quite as bad as he lets on, and that he pretends to speak barely any English so that Basil won't expect too much from him.

to:

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Both "The Germans" implies and "The Builders" imply that Manuel's English isn't actually quite as bad as he lets on, and that he pretends to speak barely any English so that Basil won't expect too much from him.

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This was still the seventies, and her hair was more late sixties than anything


* BeehiveHairdo: Which Basil referes to as a "rat's maze" during a row.



* EightiesHair: Which Basil referes to as a "rat's maze" during a row.
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* GratuitousSpanish: Being from Barcelona, he speaks an almost incomprehensible mixture of Spanish and English.

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