Topic: Fawlty Towers – The Hotel Inspectors (video) - Teacher's Notes

Aims:
- to practise and develop auditory/listening skills by exposing Ss to an authentic British TV series
- to develop Ss’ understanding of British English through additional exercises connected with the series
- to engage Ss in activities aimed at building their interest in the story presented on the video
- to build up vocabulary while and after watching the episode
- to stimulate Ss’ responses by asking them to share their reactions on the story

Level: Upper Intermediate - Advanced

Vocabulary:
phrasal verbs and other expressions that appear on the video (also available on the Handout)

Additional Materials:
Handouts I and II
Fawlty Towers video (the episode: “The Hotel Inspectors”)

Procedure:
1.follow the worksheet tasks
2.after watching and completing all the tasks a general class discussion may be conducted on features of British humour.

Timing:
preferably two 45min lessons


Worksheet Key:

BEFORE you watch
1G
2F
3E
4H
5I
6B
7D
8C
9A

WHILE you watch
1d
2h
3f
4j
5g
6b
7i
8a
9e
10c

AFTER you watch
1f
2l
3a
4b
5n
6j
7c
8i
9h
10m
11g
12e
13k
14d




FAWLTY TOWERS
The Hotel Inspectors (Handout I)

Basil: „Well, I can assure you they were perfectly fresh when they were frozen.”


With the rumour of hotel inspectors being in town, Basil must try to figure out which of his guests are the inspectors. A couple of wrong guesses and fits of madness on Basil's part lead nowhere, and he is totally unprepared when the real inspectors show up...

This video is one of a series made about a hotel in the south of England. The following episode was first broadcast on 10th October 1975. The important people in the video are:

BASIL FAWLTY:
the owner/manager of the hotel; he is incredibly class-conscious

SYBIL FAWLTY:
co-owner/manager of the hotel, Basil's wife; Sybil associates with the guests and seems to spend more time on the telephone with her friend Audrey than actually helping out in the hotel

POLLY:
waitress/receptionist/chambermaid; widely acknowledged as 'the sensible one'

MANUEL:
waiter/porter from Barcelona hired by Basil because he was cheap; Manuel is a walking disaster and his poor command of English makes him a constant source of exasperation for Basil; always keen to learn, Manuel's slavish devotion to Basil only succeeds in aggravating him further

THE MAYOR:
a permanent resident at the hotel; usually to be found in the hotel bar or asking for the morning's papers and never quite understanding what is going on; he is constantly adding his own bizarre interpretations of the situation

THE LADIES:
Miss Gatsby and Miss Tibbs, the other long-standing residents of Fawlty Towers although they appear relatively little


(Handout II)

BEFORE YOU WATCH:

I. The following words are all featured in the episode. Use all of the words to predict the story.

hotel guest
hotel inspector
fight
map
3
menu
frozen peas
BBC2
documentary
wine
waiter
bribe
meeting
hotel reception
luggage


II. These words and phrases appear in the episode. Match them with their definitions on the right.

1.light up
2.(it) matters not one wit
3.put out
4.piss off
5.mint condition
6.to exercise courtesy
7.casserole
8.time is (not) pressing (me)
9.punch line

a. the last few words of a joke or story, that make it funny or surprising
b. behaving politely
c. (no) need to rush or hurry
d. a deep covered dish used for cooking food in the oven
e. to feel upset or offended
f. it's not important
g. to make something start burning, to ignite something (cigarette)
h. an offensive expression meaning to go away
i. looking new and in perfect state


WHILE YOU WATCH:

I. Put these sentences in the right order (1-10).

1d A guest, Mr Hutchinson arrives at the hotel.

a) Mr Hutchinson takes revenge on Basil.
b) Mr Hutchinson orders a cheese salad.
c) Manuel and Basil get even with Mr Hutchinson.
d) A guest, Mr Hutchinson arrives at the hotel.
e) Basil tries to bribe Mr Walt so that he forgets all the inconveniences.
f) Sybil informs Basil there are hotel inspectors in town.
g) Basil suspects Mr Hutchinson to be one of the hotel inspectors.
h) Manuel doesn't understand Basil's order to take the guest's luggage upstairs.
i) Basil realizes Mr Walt could be the 'real' hotel inspector.
j) Mr Hutchinson wants the reserve the BBC2 channel to watch a documentary.


II. Comprehension questions to help you while watching. The video will be stopped to discuss the answers for sections A, B and C.

A
1.What does Mr Hutchinson ask Basil to do? Why?
2.What abbreviation does Basil use to indicate Post Office on the map?
3.What is the cause of misunderstanding between Basil and Manuel at the reception desk?
4.What important piece of information does Basil get from Sybil? (be specific)
B
1.What does Mr Hutchinson want and why Basil changes his mind to comply with his request?
2.Why doesn't Mr Hutchinson want a Spanish Omlette?
3.Why does Mr Walt complain about his wine?
4.Who does Basil tell to 'shut up'?
C
1.What makes Basil come to the conclusion that Mr Walt could be the hotel inspector?
2.How does Basil explain the fight with Mr Hutchinson to Mr Walt?
3.Why does Basil offer Mr Walt money?


AFTER YOU WATCH:

I. Match these phrasal verbs from the video with their definitions.

1.do away with sth
2.get sth across
3.mix sth up
4.close sth down
5.turn up
6.take someone in
7.catch on
8.come up with sth
9.come across sth/someone
10.find out sth
11.look after sth/someone
12.make out
13.make up
14.pass out

a. confuse
b. shut permanently
c. understand
d. lose consciousness
e. pretend
f. kill
g. take care of
h. find by chance
i. suggest
j. deceive or trick
k. invent
l. explain an idea
m. discover
n. arrive unexpectedly

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