Top highlights from the life and career of Prunella Scales
The Fawlty Towers star passed away on Monday (27.10.25) and in celebration of the actress, here is a breakdown of the highlights from her life and career.
Top highlights from the life and career of Prunella Scales
The Fawlty Towers star passed away on Monday (27.10.25) and in celebration of the actress, here is a breakdown of the highlights from her life and career.
Born in Surrey in 1932, Prunella Scales was destined for the stage. The daughter of an actress, she trained at the Old Vic Theatre School, beginning her career in repertory theatre before moving to television in the 1950s. Her early classical grounding would give her performances the precision and timing that later defined her comedy.
In the early 1960s, Scales starred opposite Richard Briers in Marriage Lines, one of Britain’s first sitcoms about newlyweds. The BBC hit made her a familiar face in living rooms across the country and established her gift for turning ordinary situations into brilliant comedy.
In 1975, Scales took on the role that made her a legend: Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers. Playing opposite John Cleese, her mix of acid wit and exasperated authority became television gold. Though the series ran for only 12 episodes, Sybil remains one of the most iconic female characters in British comedy history.
Scales refused to be typecast. In 1991 she portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution, earning a BAFTA nomination for her nuanced performance. She also appeared in Howards End (1992) and numerous stage productions, showing she could command both laughter and quiet emotional power.
Scales married fellow actor Timothy West in 1963, and together they became one of Britain’s most beloved theatrical couples. Their marriage lasted more than 60 years and produced two sons, Sam and Joseph West, who both followed in their parents’ footsteps. West once said of his wife: “She has a lightness of spirit and a seriousness of purpose - that’s a rare and beautiful combination.”
Prunella Scales leaves behind one of the most distinguished careers in British acting. From biting satire to tender travelogues, she gave audiences laughter, truth and humanity. As The Guardian wrote today: “She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died - still taking joy in the work that made her beloved by millions.”
