London, UK – Prunella Scales, one of Britain’s most cherished actors and an enduring face of television and stage comedy, has died aged 93.
The star, best known for her sharp wit and unforgettable portrayal of Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, passed away peacefully at her home in London on Monday, her sons confirmed.
“Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home,” her sons Samuel and Joseph West said in a statement. “She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died. Her last days were comfortable, contented, and surrounded by love.”
Scales had been living with Alzheimer’s disease since her diagnosis in 2013. Her husband of 61 years, actor Timothy West, died in November 2024.
A Storied Career in Theatre and Television
Born in Surrey in 1932, Scales’ acting journey began at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where her natural flair and comic precision set her apart early on. After early stage work and a handful of film appearances in the 1950s, she found fame opposite Richard Briers in the BBC sitcom The Marriage Lines during the early 1960s.
Her most iconic role came a decade later as the sharp-tongued Sybil in Fawlty Towers (1975–1979), the John Cleese and Connie Booth–penned comedy often hailed as one of the greatest British sitcoms ever made. Scales’ portrayal of Sybil—equal parts domineering, quick-witted, and human—remains one of television’s defining comedic performances.
“Prunella Scales was a queen of comedy,” said theatre critic Michael Billington, “but she also brought an intelligence and timing that made her equally powerful in classical drama.”
Her versatility shone beyond comedy. Scales earned a BAFTA nomination in 1992 for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s A Question of Attribution, and later became a familiar face to millions as “Dotty,” the no-nonsense shopper in Tesco’s long-running ad campaign.
Later Life and Lasting Legacy
In her later years, Scales charmed a new generation alongside her husband in Channel 4’s Great Canal Journeys (2014–2019), a tender travel series that documented the couple’s enduring love and grace as they navigated both waterways and memory loss.
Fans and colleagues alike have flooded social media with tributes, celebrating Scales not just as an actor, but as a woman who embodied warmth, wit, and dignity on and off screen.
Prunella Scales is survived by her sons, stepdaughter, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
As Fawlty Towers co-creator John Cleese once said, “There was only one Sybil—and there will never be another.”
