Sad news as the passing of Andrew Sachs on Friday, the man who played Manuel on Fawlty Towers. Que? Unfortunately the news is true, as he died aged 86 after suffering dementia.
Of course he had a long career in all forms of acting, but it was his stellar work as the bumbling waiter from Barcelona that he will be best remembered for. And loved for here at The Gurgler.
And it’s not a bad thing to be remembered for if it is your only mainstream thing.
Manuel is in our opinion the greatest Sitcom TV character of all time.
A lot nay disagree, but some would have them in their top 10. An achievement in itself coming from a show that had just 12 episodes. 6 per season in 1975 and 1979.
Some in the US thought so, as Andrew Sachs turned down a reported $US10 Million deal to reprise his role as Manuel in a US Sitcom spinoff in the 1990’s. A good move as most comedies remade in the US miss the mark.
But was Manuel the greatest Sitcom character of all time? We say yes but others may argue. But here’s a list of other great Sitcom characters according to us.
OTHER CANDIDATES FOR BEST SITCOM CHARACTERS
KRAMER from SEINFELD
NUDGE from HEY DAD
RANDY MARSH from SOUTH PARK
DAVID BRENT from THE OFFICE
BLAKEY from ON THE BUSES
FRANK BARONE from EVERYBOY LOVES RAYMOND
ARNOLD from DIFF’RENT STROKES
AL BUNDY from MARRIED WITH CHILDREN
Our vote is still for Andrew Sachs and Manuel. But you can vote below if you feel the need. Arguments can be made for others on our list and many more. As far as we are concerned there’s only one. Too many fond memories of childhood (and adulthood) of watching Fawlty Towers and repeating some of the great lines.
So, we pay tribute to Andrew Sachs for his long career, and especially for his sterling work as Manuel.
TOP FOUR MANUEL MOMENTS
As selected by us – here’s our favourite pieces of Manuel from Fawlty Towers. We’ll let Andrew Sachs do the talking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkl5PvDnqZM
VOTE FOR BEST SITCOM CHARACTER FROM OUR LIST
