The Fawltys are going away for the day. While they are gone, they have scheduled some carpentry to be done in the lobby. They want to close off one door and add another one in a different wall. Basil hires the cut rate O’Reilly Company to do the work instead of a more expensive but more experienced and reliable Company.
With the Fawltys away Polly is in charge but there are only three people at the hotel so service will be at a minimum. Not being able to sleep well the night before, Polly decides to take a nap. She gives Manuel instructions to wake her when the construction people arrive. When O’Reilly’s men show up Manuel goes upstairs to wake Polly. Seeing her sound asleep he decides he doesn’t want to disturb her. Far from being fluent in English, communication is lost between the builders and Manuel. This results in all the work being done incorrectly.
When Basil Fawlty returns home, he finds that the dining room has been blocked off and a door has been installed in front of the stairs going to the upper hotel rooms. Basil tries desperately to get things fixed before Sybil arrives home from playing golf, but it doesn’t work. Sybil arrives at the hotel and sees all the screw-ups. All hell breaks loose.
The sign in front of the hotel for season 1 episode 2 says Fawlty Tower. The L is crooked, and the S is missing.
When the owner of the hotel that the show was based on complained, Cleese created a character with his name, Donald Sinclair, for the episode “Rat Race”.