In the classic British sitcom Fawlty Towers, the hotel’s front sign changes in every episode, forming different versions of the name as part of a now famous running visual gag.
Here’s how it works:
📋 Sign Variations Across Episodes
There were a total of 12 episodes total in the show spread across two series of six episodes each, and the hotel sign is shown at the start of 11 of them. In one episode (“The Germans”) the opening shot is instead of a hospital, so this is the only one where no sign appears.
Across those 11 episodes, the sign is shown with a different variation of the hotel’s name each time, either because letters are missing, hanging off, or have been rearranged into anagram-like phrases.
Here are the 11 versions of the sign to have been shown:
- Fawlty Towers (normal, though the “S” is askew)
- Fawlty Tower (L askew)
- Fawty Tower (W askew)
- Fawty Toer
- Warty Towels
- Fawlty Tower (again, L askew)
- Watery Fowls
- Flay Otters
- Fatty Owls
- Flowery Twats (the only one to be a complete anagram using all letters)
- Farty Towels
🧠 So how many different signs were there?
There are 11 distinct sign versions shown on screen (one per episode with the sign), each with a unique spelling or arrangement.
This little joke became a beloved part of the show’s charm and a fun Easter egg for fans to spot. The gag still being known and remembered now an impressive 46 years after the last show aired for it’s first time.
