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One of the Most Famous Episodes in British TV History | Fawlty Towers S1 E6 Americans React

Greg and Lisa React

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🎬 Americans React to Finished Fawlty Towers S1E6 Germans

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE
"The Germans" is the sixth and final episode of the first season of Fawlty Towers, released on October 24, 1975. It features Basil Fawlty dealing with a chaotic fire drill, a concussion, and a group of German tourists.
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We’re Greg and Lisa, an American couple living in Spain, reacting to British and Irish television as we learn more about UK humor and culture.

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This video is for entertainment and commentary purposes only. All footage is used under Fair Use (17 U.S.C. § 107). If you're the original content owner and wish to discuss usage, please contact gregandlisads@gmail.com.
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20 Comments

@gregandlisareact Creator 2 months ago Pinned

Wow! This episode was a doozy and we loved it. Thank you for taking the time to watch our reaction to such a delicate topic. We enjoyed giving our opinion. We hoped you enjoyed the reaction. ❤ Greg and Lisa

@eric-j001 2 months ago

This episode is popular in Germany. In fact John Cleese recounts a visit to Germany, where people when recognising him, would call out " Don't mention the war ! "

@deanrutland9047 2 months ago

Bear in mind that this is only 30 years after the end of the War. If the Major is 75, he’d have been 39 when the Second World War broke out and 14 the First World War started. His whole childhood and much of his working life would have been characterised by fighting against the Germans. And presumably he was in the military and actively involved in fighting.

@MrStephenLodge 2 months ago

Those two words are and were bad words back then, the joke is he is an old man that has not caught up with modern times.

@alundavies1016 2 months ago (edited)

The actor playing Manuel (Andrew Sachs) was born in Germany, moving to England as a 7-8yo to escape the Nazis in the 30s as his father was Jewish. He was part of the crew that dubbed the series into German for that market, as Manuel, speaking German, with a Spanish accent! He spoke German fluently.

@CanadianSam999 2 months ago

The Major is upset that the woman didn't know the difference between East and West Indians. He uses the two derogatory terms in a matter-of-fact way. However, when the Germans are mentioned, he goes into a hate filled rant, using a derogatory word for them (as does Basil later). The Major would have likely served in the war against the Germans, and would know of the many Indians (East and West) who fought alongside the British Commonwealth Forces against Germany, Italy, and Japan.

@stevecurrie6856 2 months ago

10:00 "I took her to see India... at The Oval". He means he took her to a cricket match.

@MegaSpideyman 2 months ago

"You started it!"
"No, we didn't!"
"Yes, you did, you invaded Poland!"

@charlesfrancis6894 2 months ago

I believe the use of the N word and the W word was to emphasize the majors mind was in another period and not having all his faculties which was the essential notion of the character.

@emmanuelmartin1238 2 months ago

Remember the Major would have remembered WW1 and seen action in WW2, which would have clearly informed his view of Germans from just 30 years before.

@callumbruce4154 2 months ago

The single most important thing to understand about UK comedy, is the joke is almost always on the person speaking. The use of old fashioned language, even for the 1970s, is supposed to demonstrate how out of touch the Major is.

@michamendalka9902 2 months ago

I from Poland and i love this episode greetings from Poland

@StevenChromebookGeneral 2 months ago

The Major is superb.

@JackWard66 2 months ago

The whole use of the "N" word would have been shocking back in the seventies in England. But the joke is on the Major because everyone would have thought he was a dottering old fool for being racist. It would have been a shock factor. Just like Basil being shocked about the black doctor. It would have been unusual at the time in England, but knowing John Cleese the point of the racist jokes was to make fun of the people saying those things. To demonstrate how foolish the older generation was.

@markosporn8315 2 months ago

Dynamics between Prunella and John is pure gold 👌

@LouPole-f8g 2 months ago

Yes, both of those words were forbidden and were considered totally offensive back then, the joke is that the major was an old military man who had an offensive word for every ethnic group and was actually offended that the woman used the wrong offensive word rather than him being offended at the words in and of themselves. Not only was he a bigot, but his categories of bigoted words were important to him !

@raphaelperry8159 2 months ago

"Don't mention the war" is right up there with "four candles" if you want to make a British person laugh. Either of those phrases usually gets a little chuckle.

@stephenkelly1887 2 months ago (edited)

Andrew Sachs (Manuel) was actually badly injured during the filming of this episode. He had chemical burns from the kitchen fire scene. The BBC actually had to pay him compensation.

@mizofan 2 months ago

The 2 words the major uses are seen as negative and unacceptable in UK, not on TV now, but this was indicative of the Major's way of thinking. He took the young woman not to India but to see India playing a cricket match at The Oval ground in London.