John Cleese has led tributes to his Fawlty Towers co-star John Quarmby, who died at the age of 89.
The Monty Python legend, 79, took to Twitter to tell fans about about the actor’s passing.
Sad to hear of the death of John Quarmby who played the health inspector in Basil the Rat episode. Lovely chap. I shall never forget the expression on his face when he saw the rat sitting in the biscuit tin.
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) April 5, 2019
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He wrote: “Sad to hear of the death of John Quarmby who played the health inspector in Basil the Rat episode.
“Lovely chap. I shall never forget the expression on his face when he saw the rat sitting in the biscuit tin.”
Fans on Twitter quoted the show and celebrated Quarmby’s brief but hilarious time at one of TV’s best-loved B&Bs.
One tweeted: “My nine-year-old son adores every Fawlty Towers episode but Basil the Rat is his favourite. John Quarmby’s understated performance is the icing on the cake.”
Someone else wrote: “You put Basil in the ratatouille!” Aaaaahhhh! I don’t know how any of them kept a straight face filming the series. And RIP, John Quarmby.”
Another said, with crying-laughing emojis: “RIP John Quarmby. Excellent episode, and the look on his face… the way his jaw slowly drops… But wasn’t it a Siberian hamster?”
John was best known for playing health inspector Mr Carnegie in beloved sitcom Fawlty Towers.
He featured in the classic series two episode Basil the Rat, which saw Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) desperately trying to rid the hotel of pests and pass the inspection – only for Mr Carnegie to come face to face with Spanish waiter Manuel’s pet rat in a biscuit tin.
Quarmby’s part in Fawlty Towers might be his most famous but he acted for over 50 years, with other roles including parts in Howards’ Way, Z-Cars, Porridge and K-9 and Company, the pilot for a proposed Doctor Who spin-off series.
His last appearance on TV was in 1999, in the kids’ series The Queen’s Nose.
Quarmby’s passing follows the death of Manuel actor Andrew Sachs.
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The funnyman died aged 86 in 2016, following a secret four-year battle with vascular dementia.
It was reported that Sachs’ wife, Melody, cared for him throughout his illness, with his final weeks spent at a care home.
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