YouTube Transcription #13 Fawlty Towers
Basil Fawlty, played and created by John Cleese of Monty Python fame, is a hotel owner who is never nice to anybody, especially his customers – unless the hotel guest is a doctor or a nobleman. He is also very unkind to his staff. In this scene we see his waiter Manuel, from Spain. Manuel’s English isn’t very good… and the guest, Doctor Palmer, was very busy helping a sick guest, and so he is late for breakfast…
Dr Palmer: Leave it!
Manuel: No, no, I take it.
Dr: Leave it!
Manuel: No, no, is not time, please. No, no, no, please.
Dr: I’m sitting here.
Manuel: Is no lunch till twelve.
Dr: I’m still having breakfast.
Manuel: Is finish(ed). All gone, breakfast kaput.
Dr: I’m having sausages.
Manuel: Is not allowed.
Dr: Put that back. Look, I’m a doctor. I’m a doctor and I want my sausages.
Manuel: I tell you, is finish(ed). Bye bye, please, bye bye.
Dr: Now look.
Manuel: Is finish(ed).
Dr: Give those to me. Come on, come on.
Manuel: No, is not possible.
Basil Fawlty: Is everything alright?
Manuel: He won’t leave now.
Dr: I’ve been trying to sit down and he keeps moving things from my table.
Basil: I’m so sorry.
Dr: He doesn’t seem to understand that I haven’t finished breakfast.
Basil: Manuel. Manuel, let me explain… Alright? You understand? Good. I’ll be ready in just a couple of minutes.
Expressions used:
Manuel says “is” every time when “it’s” would be correct. He once said “is no” instead of the correct “it’s not”, and he never says the “ed” on “finished”.
“Kaput” means broken or stopped. It is from french but of German origin.
“Come on” means “hurry up”.
“Look” means “listen”!