Fawlty Towers star suffering from mild Alzheimer’s

It has been revealed that Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales is suffering from dementia after her actor husband Timothy West revealed the news this week.

People with serious cases of dementia usually stay in specialist care homes in Oxfordshire and other parts of the UK, but Prunella Scales – best known for being the wife of Basil Fawlty in the famous sitcom – is suffering from a mild form of Alzheimer’s.

The revelation came to light when Ms Scales’ husband Timothy West, who has recently joined Eastenders as character Stan Carter, movingly discussed the struggle of his wife’s dementia in a TV documentary Grand Canal Journeys.

He says in the documentary, “She can’t remember things very well but you don’t have to remember things on the canal.”

Ms Scales, however, is adamant that she will not let dementia stop her from performing on stage.

She adds, “I always say I want to die on the eighth curtain call.

“Eight will mean the show’s been rather a success. I just hope I’m somewhere near the middle and have been reasonably good in the part.”

Image Credit: John Thaxter (Wikimedia)