still on the trail of the thirteenth

hello there

well, a bit of a "throwback" to a post i did five or so years ago. perhaps more of an update, look you see. the idea, or notion, that a thirteenth episode of Fawlty Towers secretly exists is one that has always fascinated me, even if only on an "on and off" kind of way. oh yeah, the original post, looking at some of the best theories around it, is found by clicking here. 

a recent "find", or rather something i have stumbled upon, has given me reason to write more on the subject. no, there is nothing "new" as in new new here; undoubtedly many are aware of this one. i, however, was not, and so there is every chance others didn't know this existed. well, others that are as interested in the whole notion as i am. 

oooh, some might say (you know what some might say), a familiar yet unfamiliar image of Basil Fawlty at reception, with the telltale timecode in the corner. with the latter suggesting an unfinished, unreleased and thus unaired bit of footage. of the three, unaired is technically correct. this isn't from an episode of Fawlty Towers as such, but rather the unaired (yet somehow made it out) pilot episode for Not The Nine O'Clock News. which, if you are unaware of it, was a brilliant comedy show. 

someone somewhere posted a link to the episode on that there you tube thing. i thank who(m)ever that was very much indeed. let me pass on that link right here. from what i can work out, or ascertain, it was an intention (or idea) to have the new comedy show (Not The Nine O'Clock News) broadcast either before or after Fawlty Towers. so, in a bit of surreal, unexpected fourth wall breaking kind of move, and this would have been not the norm in the 70s, they had the pilot episode "bookended" with the Fawlty Towers credits and a couple of scenes. 

in the footage, which i would rather encourage you to watch than just read here, Basil can be seen apparently talking to someone in control of the BBC, flat refusing to do another episode. during this he makes reference to the strike action which was disrupting shows at the time. going back to my original piece, and looking at the various plot details of the "thirteenth" episode most commonly shared, this would tie in (a bit) with the idea of the one called The Blackout. 

perhaps some people saw this unaired pilot and, over the course of time, had memories clouded, leaving them absolutely convinced that they saw a tape of a secret Fawlty Towers episode. once more, going back to my earlier (rather than future) post on the subject, most who claimed to have knowledge of the thirteenth were linked with claims that "someone that worked for the BBC smuggled a video out". certainly someone smuggled a video out of this Not The Nine O'Clock News, for i doubt very much that the BBC themselves uploaded it to the internet. 

for a further theory, for all anyone knows it is possible that some variations or messing about in character turned up on one of the BBC VT Christmas tapes. what's that, exactly? a kind of open, yet dirty, secret. you can find a decent documentary on the subject here. effectively, and in short, both the video tape (VT) departments of the BBC and the regional ITV stations made 'Christmas tapes', exclusively for those in the industry, to be shown at end of year parties. whilst featuring outtakes and mock news reports, they invariably featured nudity (accidental, deliberate and sometimes, it is said, dubiously obtained) and obscenity. getting your hands on those tapes, particularly the early ones (late 70s or pre-84) might be more exciting and explosive than a thirteenth episode of Fawlty Towers. my presumption (or assumption) is that they are all long since destroyed, for by all accounts a lot of footage would destroy entire careers, reputations and legacies. 

ultimately, and with regret, all of this kind of strengthens my view that, really, there is no such thing at all as a thirteenth episode of Fawlty Towers. really hope i am wrong, though. were it to exist, then surely it must do in a way that The Day The Clown Cried did (or does), where the only complete copy of it was on a tape Jerry Lewis had firmly locked away. on that note, or as an aside, apparently that notorious (infamous) film will be screened, in 2025. yet, also, no. at least that film is known to exist, or its existence is confirmed. for John Cleese to have done similar, to have the only copy locked away, and absolutely no one ever confirming it actually exists, well, that would be some story. 

to clarify, i in no way present myself as an "expert" on this subject, nor do i profess to have any firm knowledge. just a simple, curious fan intrigued by this wonderful myth. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!