I'm so sorry, he's from Barcelona

Comedy, they say, is very much of its time.  What was funny twenty years ago is not so funny now as trends and fashions in humour change.

There are very few comedy series that can say they've stood the test of time and remain hilariously funny today.

I wrote a while back of my love for Dad's Army, a programme that ran for nine series from the late 60's to mid 70's.  It was funny then and still makes me laugh today. 

Fawlty Towers, written by John Cleese and Connie Booth in contrast ran for just twelve episodes over two series in the late 1970's.  Its genius lies not just in its humour but also the fact that it left us wanting, no clamouring for more.  That they didn't appease us means that the episodes they did make remain timeless.

Such was their quality that even watching them now and knowing pretty well every single line in every single episode doesn't stop belly-aching laughter.  Yes some of the lines may not be seen as being politically correct today, and have been removed from modern re-runs, but the programme was and still is an absolute masterpiece of a half-hour situation comedy.

Such was its reach, there are now dedicated Fawlty Towers experiences, where you can pay for the privilege to go to a hotel for an evening just to get insulted by the owner as famous scenes are re-enacted.

Some comedy programmes from that era make me cringe now, I can watch them without raising so much as a smile.  But Fawlty Towers is up there with the greatest TV programmes ever aired.  It is a precious, timeless jewel.