Costume
mid 1970s (made)
This waiter costume with characteristic bow tie was worn by German-born Andrew Sachs (1930-2016) as Spanish Manuel on the BBC sitcom series Fawlty Towers (1975-1979). Manuel was a constantly-confused waiter whose limited English skills led to many of the show’s comedic moments. Written by and starring John Cleese and Connie Booth, Fawlty Towers follows the fiascos of reluctant hotel manager Basil Fawlty, his strong-willed wife Sybil, confused waiter Manuel and maid Polly. The show became one of the most iconic and celebrated British comedy shows, winning three BAFTAs and two nominations including one for Sachs’ performance.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 4 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Cotton, synthetic material for trousers. |
| Brief description | Waiter's costume consisting of a white jacket, black trousers and black bow tie worn by Andrew Sachs as Manuel in Fawlty Towers, 1975 to 1979 |
| Physical description | The white jacket has a formal lapel, comes to the waist and has six buttons on both front panels. The jacket closes with two linked buttons. The trousers are formal black trousers with a satin ribbon on the side seams and are held up by suspenders. The bow tie is made of a plain fixed bow and strap to tie around the neck. |
| Credit line | Given by Kate Sachs |
| Object history | The costume was held by Andrew Sachs until his death, at which point his daughter Kate donated it to the Museum. |
| Summary | This waiter costume with characteristic bow tie was worn by German-born Andrew Sachs (1930-2016) as Spanish Manuel on the BBC sitcom series Fawlty Towers (1975-1979). Manuel was a constantly-confused waiter whose limited English skills led to many of the show’s comedic moments. Written by and starring John Cleese and Connie Booth, Fawlty Towers follows the fiascos of reluctant hotel manager Basil Fawlty, his strong-willed wife Sybil, confused waiter Manuel and maid Polly. The show became one of the most iconic and celebrated British comedy shows, winning three BAFTAs and two nominations including one for Sachs’ performance. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.604:1 to 4-2019 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | September 6, 2019 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
