It is a busy day at Fawlty Towers. Mrs. Alice Richards (Joan Sanderson), a hard of hearing matronly woman is checking in. Mrs. Richards is a rude and overbearing woman. She wears a hearing aid, but she doesn’t like to use it because it runs the battery down. After having communication issues with Polly, she is diverted to Manuel who compounds the issue.
In the meantime, Basil is taking care of Mr. Firkin (Johnny Shannon), a repeat customer, who gives Basil a tip on a horserace. The horse is named Dragonfly, and she is running at three o’clock at Exeter Racecourse. Basil is interested but Sybil forbids Basil to gamble. On the sly Basil sends Manuel to the betting shop to place a bet on Dragonfly. The horse wins. Manuel gives the money to Polly to give to Basil.
Mrs. Richards is in an uproar. It seems she has lost some money and wants the Fawlty’s to call the police. Sybil, having seen Polly with some money earlier thinks that perhaps someone found Mrs. Richards’ money and turned it in. Polly, trying to cover for Basil tells Sybil that the money is hers and she won it on the horse tip that Mr. Firkin gave Basil earlier. Polly becomes suspicious that it was really Basil that played the bet and is trying to hide it from her. Basil tries to enlist Major Gowen in his scheme to keep the bet from Sybil.
Amid Mrs. Richards’ deafness, Major Gowen’s senility and Manuel’s language handicap, Basil is up to his ears in communication problems.
The sign in front of Faulty Towers has a crooked L and is missing the S.
Season 2 didn’t air until four years after Season 1. By that time John Cleese and Connie Booth had divorced. Cleese and Booth were not only the main stars of the show but were the writers of it as well.
New to the series is Brian Hall, who plays Terry the Fawlty Towers’ new chef.
The character of Mrs. Richards was created by Cleese and Booth. She was based on an actual guest that a hotelier actually had when asked by Cleese and Booth who the worst guest was that she ever had to deal with.