The packed audience at South Hill Park roared with laughter at this new take on the classic 70s sitcom.

Stepping into the shoes of the beloved Fawlty Towers characters and re-enacting episodes of arguably the most acclaimed British sitcom of all time takes a lot of guts but, thankfully, the cast pull it off wonderfully!

As the lights shine on a superbly constructed stage, that packs all the essential elements of the Fawlty Towers hotel into one, the audience are greeted with the high-pitched cackle of Sybil Fawlty (Lisa Renals) as she laughs along to her friends jokes.

Meanwhile, Basil (Ian Crump) stands idly by, rolling his eyes with contempt in true John Cleese fashion. Now, it has to be said since you cannot avoid comparing Ian Crump to John Cleese, he is playing the same character and cracking the same jokes after all.

Of course, living up to John Cleese's comic legacy is an impossible task to bestow on anyone and I must admit, there are moments when I found myself thinking 'John Cleese did that part better', but making a comparison between these two is like expecting the Strictly celebs to be as good as their professional partners.

Whilst these comparisons are inevitable, I cursed myself for doing so as the play should not be a competition but a celebration of the hilarious show that Fawlty Towers is!

Ian Crump holds the team together, adopting John Cleese's iconic sarcasm and winning plenty of deserved laughs from the audience.

Luke Burton as Manuel could give Andrew Sachs a run for his money - he nails the tricky accent and slumps around the stage with loveable thrill and bewilderment.

Laura Hartley admittedly has a difficult role to play, as Polly is the least exaggerated character, but she does a good job and Lisa Renals brings all Sybil's personality to the stage.

The surrounding cast also perform splendidly and special mention must be given to the young Shih-Tzu pup who whines, growls and barks at all the right moments!

For anyone who is a fan of Fawlty Towers, this play is definitely one to watch!

Amy Horsfield