Basil the Rat is the sixth and final episode of the second series of
the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers, and the twelfth and final episode of the
programme as a whole.After a routine health inspection, the inspector,
Mr. Carnegie, after an exhaustive listing of problems in the kitchen,
informs Basil and Sybil that Fawlty Towers is below standard, with the
flaws including the presence of two dead pigeons in the water tank. He
will, therefore, recommend closure to the Council if they do not
rectify the problems within 24 hours. The staff all get to work
straight away. When Basil is alerting Manuel, he notices that he is
keeping a pet rat, having been conned into thinking that it's a
Siberian hamster. Basil, afraid that the health inspector will take
issue with it, removes it. Infuriated, Manuel threatens to resign, and
it is debated what to do with it. Eventually, it is agreed that it
will be moved to a friend of Polly, but she and Manuel secretly hide
it in a shed nearby. Foolishly, Manuel lets it out to exercise, and it
escapes back into the hotel, prompting a discreet rat hunt.
Unfortunately, Basil learns of it from the Major, who had tried to
shoot it, and decides to join in the hunt after a confrontation
("Let's have a little Basil hunt, shall we? And then we can deal with
the sackings later on"). During the search, Basil applies rat poison
to a veal fillet and puts it on the floor in the kitchen.Just as
Carnegie arrives, the Major sees the rat and shoots at it. Basil
silences him (by jabbing him in the groin with the butt of the gun)
and persuades him to say his target was a starling. Manuel, while
asking about his rat, whose name is "Basil", is informed that the chef
puts a lot of basil in the ratatouille. Panicking ("He put Basil in
the ratatouille?!"), Manuel runs into the kitchen, only to be informed
by Terry that "I haven't made any bleedin' ratatouille!" In the
commotion, a tray of veal is spilled, and the poisoned cutlet is
picked up as well by an unknowing Terry. To make matters worse, every
subsequent guest asks for veal, including Mr. Carnegie, who has
decided to stay for lunch after declaring the hotel to once again be
in satisfactory condition. Unable to persuade him to try something
else, or discern which veal is safe, they resort to using a piece the
cat chewed, as it is not demonstrating signs of poisoning. Moments
later, Basil retrieves it after he walks out the back and sees the cat
choking, only to discover that the cat was, by extremely remarkable
coincidence, throwing up a fur ball when Basil had seen it. Meanwhile,
Manuel spots the rat at the table of an engaged young couple named
Quentina and Ronald, and struggles to take their order. Basil is
called over to explain Manuel's shock, and informs him that there is a
bread roll under the table, ordering Manuel to get a box. Polly takes
their order, and of course, they ask for veal. When Basil explains
that the veal is off, only for them to see Sybil serve Carnegie his
veal (which Basil claims is "veal substitute"), the couple decide to
dine elsewhere, but Polly informs Basil that the rat is in Quentina's
handbag. She catches him trying to fish it out, and he is only saved
from a "bunch of fives" from an indignant Ronald after Polly says that
there has been a bomb scare. Unfortunately, the rat bites Basil and
escapes into the dining room. Manuel catches and hides it in the
biscuit tin. When he turns around for a moment, the Major takes the
box for a biscuit. Manuel does not see this and frantically searches
for the box. Basil the Rat Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter