Following Prunella Scales’ passing at the age of 93, the BBC has made plans to honor her. Her family’s emotional statement confirmed her passing.
The BBC will now air an episode of the series on BBC One at 8pm tonight (Tuesday, October 28) as a show of respect. The broadcaster confirmed that The Builders is the second episode of the first season’s second season. It was first broadcast on the BBC on September 26, 1975.
Scales played the clumsy hotelier Basil Fawlty’s wife Sybil in the beloved BBC comedy series, which she starred in. According to a statement from her sons Samuel and Joseph to the PA news agency, the actress passed away “peacefully at home in London yesterday” and had been watching Fawlty Towers the day before her passing.
She continued to live at home, the statement further added: “Despite her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she. Pru and Timothy West were 61 years apart. In November of this year, 2024, he passed away.
She is also survived by four great-grandchildren, seven grandchildren, and two stepdaughters. At the end of Pru’s life, we would like to thank everyone who assisted her with such wonderful care, ensuring that she spent her final days peacefully, happy, and surrounded by love.
The BBC’s comedy director, Jon Petrie, expressed his condolences, saying, “We at BBC Comedy are so sorry to learn of Prunella Scales’ passing. She was a national treasure whose brilliance as Sybil Fawlty captivated audiences today and continues to make us laugh. Her family and friends are in our thoughts and we send our love and condolences.
Co-star John Cleese also expressed his sadness in a statement, “How very sad. Pra was a fantastic comic actress. While researching for a book, I recently watched a few clips of Fawlty Towers. She was flawless scene after scene.
He also said, “She was a very sweet lady who dedicated her life to making amends.” I used to make fun of it. I had a lot of fond memories of her.
In 1976, Fawlty Towers won the Bafta for best scripted comedy, and the film celebrated 50 years since the comedy show first aired on television. In the Fawlty Towers stage production, Mia Austen, the performer who plays Sybil, described it as “a privilege” to take on the role Scales made famous.
West End venues will honor her memory by dimming their lights for two minutes at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 30. Scales was accomplished on stage as well. According to Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman, “Clearly Prunella Scales was part of a golden era of British comedy, someone whose talent was beamed into people’s homes over many years and gave many people a huge amount of enjoyment,” Downing Street extended its sympathies to Scales’ relatives. Of course, the Prime Minister expresses her family all of his condolences.
A diagnosis of vascular dementia was made for Scales in 2013. In 1973, Scales and Ronnie Barker co-starred in the BBC television program Seven Of One, which also featured her as Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s A Question of Attribution.
Her husband, Timothy West, passed away in November of this year, and she has appeared on television shows like Coronation Street and EastEnders, as well as Brass and Not Going Out. The pair shared a tenth episode of Channel 4’s Great Canal Journeys, in which they traveled across the country and other parts of the world, where they discovered various waterways. They also opened up about Scales’ condition.
Their show’s final leg was broadcast in June 2019. West and his wife were first spotted exhibiting symptoms of her condition while she was performing on stage at the Greenwich Theatre in 2001 in a joint interview that they gave to BBC Breakfast in 2023.
Scales made a significant career breakthrough with her role in the Marriage Lines, a 1960s sitcom that also aired in numerous BBC Radio 4 comedies.
Her varied work included roles in After Henry, Long Day’s Journey Into Night on stage in the West End in 1991, and West’s portrayal of the widow Sarah.
She also appeared in motion pictures like Sir Jonathan Pryce and the 1987 film Consuming Passions, both of which had Dame Vanessa Redgrave and Sir Jonathan Pryce as actors. The Alzheimer’s Society’s acting chief executive, Corinne Mills, expressed her sadness over Prunella Scales’ passing, saying, “We are deeply saddened by the news that Prunella Scales – a true British icon – has passed.
“Prunella shined a powerful light on the biggest killer in the UK, shining an important light on her achievements on screen as well as her inspiring acting abilities.”
We extend our sincere condolences to her loved ones and are deeply grateful for the awareness she helped raise.
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