News that John Cleese is to reboot Fawlty Towers has been met with excitement in Torquay and is creating a surge of new interest in the English Riviera. Traffic to the Fawlty Towers and Torquay page of the official English Riviera website has seen a huge spike in traffic over the last few days, as the news broke of a possible relaunch. 

The Guardian newspaper visited the town to interview residents including Peter Bland of the Somerville B&B. They quoted Carolyn Custerton, the chief executive of the English Riviera BID company, as saying 'she was delighted there was going to be a new series. “We share the Fawlty Towers story with our visitors, many of whom come to visit Torquay because of the Fawlty Towers connections. I wonder where the new hotel will be?”'  To read the full article on www.theguardian.com please click here.

Since the 1970’s, Torquay has been fondly associated with the classic British sitcom and the farcical antics of the hotel owner, Basil Fawlty.  The show was never actually filmed in Torquay, but the hotel, storylines and characters were set in the English Riviera town. 

The show's creator and star, John Cleese, was inspired by a visit to Torquay with the rest of the Monty Python team, and their encounters with an eccentric hotel proprietor.  To find out more about Fawlty Towers and Torquay visit the official English Riviera website here.