This is also the first episode to feature Terry the Cook.

Can someone answer this: is it just me, or by the end of the episode is Basil still some £5 up on the elaborate deal? In that case, why is he complaining after the vase smashes?

Let's see here...Basil's actual money (minus 10 pounds) has been taken by the guest. Basil then receives the woman's money and the vase (which can repay the woman's ten pounds easily, but still has money for him). However, the Major blurts out that Basil got the money betting, so Sybil takes the woman's money (which she thinks is Basil's money) and uses it later to repay the vase. There is still a small amount of money left, you're correct, but Sybil has it.

Basil asking what Mrs Richards what she expects to see out the window & giving some examples is one of the best bits ever, along with Basil taking his shirt off & nutting the cash box.

Another priceless (albeit VERY politically incorrect) moment is when Basil pretends to be speaking to Mrs Richards, but is actually just moving his mouth, and then when she turns the hearing aid up he YELLS at her. A particularly neat touch is that, prior to repeating the mime, he mouths the words, "I said..."

Very funny show (especially at the beginning) but I always thought the show was on rocky footing usings guests that were less likeable than Basil.

GREAT MOMENT: John Cleese as Basil bouncing an ice cube off his arm and into a glass. A PERFECT SHOT!

What was with the homophobic dialogue in this one?

The Major: "I'm going to a memorial service."
Basil" "Tie's a bit bright isn't it, for that?"
The Major: "Oh, I didnt like the chap. He was one of *those*, know what I mean?"

And he calls Basil "Old Boy" THREE times in one conversation. He really IS senile. And a homophobe to boot. And he revealed himself to be racist and misogynist in "The Germans". Stay classy, 70's Britain!

Andre, remember the time frame in which it was produced.

Well, I wasnt there, so I dont really *remember* it. At least not personally. But I see what you're saying. A lot of what passed for comedy in the 70s, in either the U.K. or the U.S., could never be done today, that's for sure. Just like how shows from the 90s like "My So-Called Life" and "Freaks & Geeks" were too ahead of their time. We just weren't ready for them yet!

Yeesh, you should have seen Mind Your Language in the late 70s. You can find it on Youtube (though I would recommend that you don't!). British actors completely over-doing foreign accents for humour. I cringed even at the time - now I just die of embarrassment. So, yes, British comedy was a very different animal in the 70s, and some of it doesn't age well.

Actually, "old boy" doesn't mean that the speaker thinks the other person is old - or that they're a boy! It's (or rather, was - I think it's a bit of an anachronism nowadays) just a term that posh blokes like the Major used when addressing most men, probably because they couldn't be bothered to remember names.

Well, I know that there is also "old man", "old chap", and even "old bean". I dont understand that last one!

Thanks for the info, Callie. I shall probably not be checking that out. A lot of comedy from the past few decades has not aged well, and would not hold up today. For example, virtually everything the late Sam Kinison said in the late 80s to early 90s (he was killed in a car crash in 1992) would be considered really outdated today. For one thing, he was probably the most misogynist and homophobic comedian there ever was, next to Andrew Dice Clay, of course.

And as I understand it, a "wog" is a derogatory term some Brits used to describe the Indians. But for some reason, a "dago" could mean either an Italian (U.S.) or a Spaniard (U.K.) And I had to look those words up on Wikipedia. If you recall, Manuel was referred to as a "dago twit", a "dago birdbrain", and a "dago dodo" throughout the series. And Basil kept physically assaulting him as well. In a comicly exaggerated way, of course!

I think 'bean' is slang for brain, but I'm not certain.
I've got a book called "Cartoon Cavalcade" that contains a lot of old comic strips and single panel cartoons from as far back as the late 19th century and some of the slang in them leaves me scratching my head at times.

Another thing I didnt like about this episode was how much of a ball-buster Sybil was being. Like this dialogue for instance:

"If I find out that the money from the horse was yours, you know what I'll do, Basil."

Which causes Basil to shout back in frustration: "You'll have to sew 'em back on first!"

However, I love when Basil mimes to Mrs. Richards and then screams in her ear, and then takes some little scrap thingie and asks "Is this a piece of your brain?" That was funny!

I hate that Sybil decides she can prevent Basil from horse betting. How dare she interfere in someone else's life like that? The hypocritical arsehole wouldn't tolerate it happening to her.

It's possible that Basil had lost a lot of money on the horses in the past, so Sybil banned him from placing any more bets.

Considering the amount of things Basil does that makes things worse for the hotel financially it's not surprising.