Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales has died aged 93 on Monday after an incredible acting career spanning almost 70 years.
The actor was best known for her role as Sybil in Fawlty Towers, who was the long-suffering wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese).
It was a love affair of hers as the TV star was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died, according to her sons Samuel and Joseph West. Fawlty Towers was first on our screens 50 years ago.
Scales was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013. Her husband of 61 years, Timothy West, died aged 90 in November 2024.
Their sons, Samuel and Joseph West, said in a statement to the PA news agency: “Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday [Monday].”
Read more: Prunella Scales’ 8 roles that showed she was more than Sybil Fawlty
In 2019, West revealed his wife Scales wanted to die at home. He told The Times: “Pru loves the house and especially the garden. She wants to stay here until the end. If I go first, the services that we don’t use at the moment will probably look after her, but on my own, I don’t think I’d want to stay.”
Tributes to Prunella Scales
Timothy West and Prunella Scales were married for 61 years. (Getty)
The family broke the news of Scales’ death with the words, “She was 93. Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died.
“Pru was married to Timothy West for 61 years. He died in November 2024. She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Prunella Scales was best known for her role as Sybil in Fawlty Towers. (Getty)
“We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love.”
Her Fawlty Towers on-screen husband John Cleese praised her as “a really wonderful comic actress”. He added: “Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect.”
Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect
John Cleese
Downing Street has also paid tribute to the actor.
Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said: “Clearly Prunella Scales was part of a golden era for British comedy, someone whose talent was beamed into people’s homes over many years and gave many people a huge amount of enjoyment. The Prime Minister, of course, passes all his condolences to her family.”
Additionally, among the tributes, Gyles Brandreth said: “This is a snap I took last year of Prunella Scales with Queen Camilla at Lamb House in Rye — we were celebrating Mapp & Lucia in which Pru had starred. What a wonderful actress: what a funny, intelligent, interesting, gifted human being. Blessed with a wonderful marriage to Tim.”
Director of comedy at the BBC, Jon Petrie, has paid tribute, saying: “All of us at BBC Comedy are so sorry to hear of Prunella Scales’ passing.
“She was a national treasure whose brilliance as Sybil Fawlty lit up screens and still makes us laugh today. We send our love and condolences to her family and friends.”
Actor Prunella Scales stands inside a 1,000-year-old oak in Windsor Great Park. (Getty)
Corinne Mills, interim chief executive officer for Alzheimer’s Society added: “We are deeply saddened by the news that Prunella Scales — a true British icon — has died. Prunella was an inspiration not just for her achievements on screen, but because she spoke so openly about living with dementia, shining an important light on the UK’s biggest killer.
“We are profoundly grateful for the awareness she helped to raise and send our heartfelt condolences to her loved ones. Alzheimer’s Society is here for anyone affected by dementia — visit alzheimers.org.uk or phone our Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456.”
A spokesperson for BAFTA paid tribute saying: “We’re saddened to hear that actress Prunella Scales has died, aged 93. Much-loved for portraying Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, Scales had a long-standing career and was nominated for a BAFTA in 1992 for playing Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s A Question Of Attribution.”
Sybil in Fawlty Towers and her incredible 70-year career
John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Connie Booth and Andrew Sachs in Fawlty Towers. (BBC)
It’s the comedy series Fawlty Towers that Scales will always be remembered for. She played the part of Sybil for two series in 1975 and 1979.
Born in Surrey in 1932, she started her career as an assistant stage manager for the Bristol Old Vic theatre.
Her first major career breakthrough came in the early 1960s, when she starred in the sitcom Marriage Lines alongside Richard Briers. It would lead to roles on shows including After Henry, Smelling of Roses, and Ladies of Letters.
Another notable moment in her career saw Scales take on the role of Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s A Question of Attribution. This special moment gained her a Bafta nomination.
Prunella Scales and Timothy West on Great Canal Journeys. (Alamy/Channel 4)
In addition to acting, Scales and her husband, West, filmed a travel show, Great Canal Journeys, which featured them embarking on adventures in various canals throughout Europe and Britain. Their last journey was filmed for the show in 2019.
Their Channel 4 show made people want to go on canal holidays. “We didn’t start out thinking it was going to be an especially exciting performance for people to watch,” West once told BBC Breakfast. “We were good at it.”
Inside Prunella and Timothy’s marriage
Actor Timothy West with his wife, actress Prunella Scales in 1979. (Getty Images)
The couple died 11 months apart after six decades of marriage.
They were married in 1963 in a low-key affair at Chelsea Registry Office. Scales shunned a traditional white wedding dress in favour of a tailored coat matched with a furry hat, black gloves and heels.
Prunella Scales and Timothy West at the now King Charles and Queen Camilla’s wedding. (Getty)
It’s not exactly known when the actors first met and fell in love, but it’s understood their paths crossed around the time when she took on her first big role in Marriage Lines.
Having celebrated their Diamond wedding anniversary, West revealed the secret to their long-lasting marriage was writing love letters and doing crosswords together.
Once appearing on Loose Women, he said: “Pru and I had a lot of time off… We love writing letters about something that the other person might have missed or not quite understood. We would make each other laugh and make each other find out about things.”
They have two sons who survive them, Samuel and Jonathan. Additionally, they are survived by Scales’ stepdaughter, Julie, from West’s first marriage.