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The BBC have revealed plans to honour Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales following her death at the age of 93. Her passing was confirmed by her family in an emotional statement. Now, as a mark of respect, the BBC will broadcast an episode of the series on BBC One at 8pm tonight (Tuesday, October 28). The Builders represents the second instalment from the inaugural series and was originally transmitted on the BBC on September 26 1975, the broadcaster confirmed. Scales was a star of the beloved BBC comedy series, where she portrayed Sybil, the long-suffering wife of the clumsy hotelier Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese. The actress died "peacefully at home in London yesterday" and had been watching Fawlty Towers the day before her death, according to a statement from her sons Samuel and Joseph to the PA news agency. They further added in their statement: "Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. Pru was married to Timothy West for 61 years. He died in November 2024. "She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love." Jon Petrie, director of comedy at the BBC, offered his respects, stating: "All of us at BBC Comedy are so sorry to hear of Prunella Scales' passing. She was a national treasure whose brilliance as Sybil Fawlty lit up screens and still makes us laugh today. We send our love and condolences to her family and friends." Co-star John Cleese also expressed his sorrow in a statement: "How very sad. Pru was a really wonderful comic actress. I've recently been watching a number of clips of Fawlty Towers whilst researching a book. Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect." He also shared: "She was a very sweet lady, who spent a lot of her life apologising. I used to tease her about it. I was very, very fond of her." Fawlty Towers claimed the Bafta for best scripted comedy in 1976 and this year celebrated 50 years since the comedy programme first graced our screens. Mia Austen, the performer portraying Sybil in the Fawlty Towers stage production, described it as "a privilege" to assume the character Scales made famous. Scales was equally accomplished on stage, and West End venues will honour her memory by dimming their lights for two minutes at 7pm on Thursday October 30. Downing Street extended its sympathies to Scales' relatives, with Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman commenting: "Clearly Prunella Scales was part of a golden era for British comedy, someone whose talent was beamed into people's homes over many years and gave many people a huge amount of enjoyment. The Prime Minister, of course, passes all his condolences to her family." Scales had received a vascular dementia diagnosis in 2013. She additionally portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett's A Question Of Attribution, a performance which secured her a Bafta nomination, and in 1973 Scales partnered with Ronnie Barker in the programme Seven Of One, also for the BBC. Her spouse Timothy West, who passed away in November 2024, appeared in television programmes including comedy drama Brass, sitcom Not Going Out and soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders. The pair collaborated on 10 series of the Channel 4 show Great Canal Journeys, which saw them journey across Britain and other regions of the globe discovering various waterways, with the duo also speaking candidly about Scales's condition. Their final voyage for the show was transmitted in June 2019. In 2023, the pair gave a joint interview to BBC Breakfast where West discussed initially spotting symptoms of his wife's condition whilst she was acting on stage at the Greenwich Theatre in 2001. Scales's major career breakthrough came with her role in the early 1960s sitcom Marriage Lines, and she also featured in numerous BBC Radio 4 comedies. Her varied work spanned from Long Day's Journey Into Night on stage in the West End in 1991, which also featured West, to portraying the widow Sarah in the gentle television and radio comedy After Henry. She also starred in films including 1987's The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne and Consuming Passions, which also featured Dame Vanessa Redgrave and Sir Jonathan Pryce. Corinne Mills, the acting chief executive at the Alzheimer's Society, expressed her sorrow over the news of Prunella Scales' passing, stating: "We are deeply saddened by the news that Prunella Scales – a true British icon – has died. "Prunella was an inspiration not just for her achievements on screen, but because she spoke so openly about living with dementia, shining an important light on the UK's biggest killer. "We are profoundly grateful for the awareness she helped to raise and send our heartfelt condolences to her loved ones." Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
