The series is set in Fawlty Towers, a fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay on the “English Riviera”. The plots centre on the tense, rude and put-upon owner Basil Fawlty, his bossy wife Sybil. There is also the sensible chambermaid Polly who often is the peacemaker and voice of reason. A hapless and English-challenged Spanish waiter Manuel shows their attempts to run the hotel amidst farcical situations and an array of demanding and eccentric guests and tradespeople.