Lesson Plan : Fawlty Towers

I’m sure, dear reader, that you already know that I’ve got a temporary new job and when I say temporary I really mean it and it’s not that I’m not happy teaching teenagers (some of them are great to teach), it’s that SOME teenagers spoil all the fun. On second thoughts, I think I probably shouldn’t have written about my feelings so early in the course because I might end up feeling completely fulfilled teaching people who don’t want to learn  and you already know how the saying goes” People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” ( in Spanish… no se puede escupir para arriba… in case you haven’t guessed. Anyway, I’ve never been politically correct.

So, this change of career has brought about some other changes in my life and though I can hardly call myself a couch potato, the truth is that I watch more TV now than I used to. Even though, I cannot bring myself to swallow just anything on TV (and I’m sure you all know the kind of programmes I’m talking about) there are some sitcoms I enjoy.

Some time ago I told you about one of my favourites, The IT Crowd(post here and listening exercise here) and today I want to tell you about Fawlty Towers, probably the best-known ,most-loved, funniest British sitcoms ever produced in Great Britain (BBC 70’s) . The setting is a fictional hotel named Fawlty Towers and the main characters are the irascible Basil Fawlty, owner of the hotel, his domineering wife Sybil and Manuel and the funny Spanish waiter form Barcelona.
With only 12 episodes produced, Fawlty Towers has become a classic and though every episode is worth watching,  Communication Problems is probably one of my favourites.

I have chosen this 1 minute video for my elementary students to practise

I’m …… (English). I speak …… (English)
How are you? I’m fine , thank you

Now, if you want to do a listening comprehension about this video , click here

4 thoughts on “Lesson Plan : Fawlty Towers

  1. She will Cris. She’s one of my advanced students this year, I always tell them about your blog and this time they have followed my advice.
    CU.

  2. Thanks for making me laugh like crazy this morning watching Manuel´s efforts to understand the incredibly complicated language those people talk there in the UK. This shows once more that learning does not to be necessarily boring and you can do it with a smile. Thanks again.

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