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Prunella Scales

Prunella Scales

Acting June 22, 1932 (93 years old) October 27, 2025 Sutton Abinger, Surrey, England, UK

Biography

Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales CBE (née Illingworth; 22 June 1932) was an English former actor, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty, wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), in the BBC comedy Fawlty Towers; for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution (Screen One, BBC 1991) by Alan Bennett (for which she was nominated for a BAFTA award); and for the documentary series Great Canal Journeys (2014–2021), in which she travels on canal barges and narrowboats with her husband, fellow actor Timothy West.

Movies 65

Howards End 7.0

Howards End

as Aunt Juley

1992
Wolf 6.1

Wolf

as Maude Waggins

1994
The Boys from Brazil 6.7

The Boys from Brazil

as Mrs. Harrington

1978
Emma 6.6

Emma

as Miss Bates

1996
Hobson's Choice 7.4

Hobson's Choice

as Vicky Hobson

1954
Room at the Top 6.9

Room at the Top

as Council Office Worker (uncredited)

1958
Horrid Henry: The Movie 5.2

Horrid Henry: The Movie

as Great Aunt Greta

2011
A Chorus of Disapproval 5.4

A Chorus of Disapproval

as Hannah Ap Llewellyn

1989
The Hound of the Baskervilles 4.4

The Hound of the Baskervilles

as Glynis

1978
Run For Your Wife 4.4

Run For Your Wife

as Woman in Pub

2012
An Awfully Big Adventure 6.5

An Awfully Big Adventure

as Rose

1995
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne 6.6

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne

as Moira O'Neill

1987
Freddie As F.R.O.7. 5.2

Freddie As F.R.O.7.

as Queen (voice)

1992
Sub Rosa 5.0

Sub Rosa

as Madame

2014
Consuming Passions 8.3

Consuming Passions

as Ethel

1988
The Shell Seekers 6.9

The Shell Seekers

as Dolly Keeling

2007
What Every Woman Wants 6.6

What Every Woman Wants

as Mary

1954
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy 6.5

The Funny Blokes of British Comedy

as Sybil Fawlty (archive footage) (uncredited)

2005
The Wicked Lady 4.9

The Wicked Lady

as Lady Kingsclere

1983
An Audience with Alf Garnett

An Audience with Alf Garnett

1997
Fair Game 5.0

Fair Game

as Marjorie

1994
Stiff Upper Lips 5.6

Stiff Upper Lips

as Aunt Agnes

1998
The Littlest Horse Thieves 6.9

The Littlest Horse Thieves

as Mrs. Sandman

1976
Breaking the Code 5.6

Breaking the Code

as Sara Turing

1996
Home Cooking

Home Cooking

as Judith

1986
The Crowded Day 5.8

The Crowded Day

as Customer

1954
Communicators From Hell

Communicators From Hell

1989
Second Best 6.7

Second Best

as Margery

1994
The Phone Call 7.3

The Phone Call

as Joan

2013
An Ideal Husband 6.5

An Ideal Husband

as Lady Markby

1999
When We Are Married 7.0

When We Are Married

as Annie Parker

1987
The Merry Wives of Windsor 8.0

The Merry Wives of Windsor

as Mistress Page

1982
Station Jim 7.5

Station Jim

as Queen Victoria

2001
50 Years of BBC Two Comedy 8.0

50 Years of BBC Two Comedy

as Self

2014
A Question of Attribution 6.8

A Question of Attribution

as H.M.Q.

1991
What the Pythons Did Next...

What the Pythons Did Next...

as Self

2007
Dirty Beasts 8.0

Dirty Beasts

as Narrator

1990
Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened 8.4

Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened

as Self / Sybil Fawlty

2009
Waltz of the Toreadors 5.0

Waltz of the Toreadors

as Estella Fitzjohn

1962
Mad Cows 4.4

Mad Cows

as Dr. Minny Stinkler

1999
What the Butler Saw 3.0

What the Butler Saw

as Mrs Prentice

1987
The Tale of Little Pig Robinson

The Tale of Little Pig Robinson

as Fleecy Flock

1990
The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends: The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Jeremy Fisher

The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends: The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Jeremy Fisher

as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (voice)

1994
The Ring of Truth

The Ring of Truth

as Babs Pickard

1973
Fawlty Towers Revisited 8.0

Fawlty Towers Revisited

as Herself

2005
Singles 6.0

Singles

as Gail

1983
Bosses From Hell

Bosses From Hell

1989
The Cancellation Of Fawlty Towers

The Cancellation Of Fawlty Towers

2025
Revolting Rhymes 8.0

Revolting Rhymes

as Narrator

1990
The Achurch Letters

The Achurch Letters

as Florence Farr

1977
Absurd Person Singular 8.3

Absurd Person Singular

as Marion Brewster-Wright

1985
Natural Causes 8.0

Natural Causes

as Celia Bryce

1988
Laxdale Hall 7.0

Laxdale Hall

as Morag McLeod

1953
Outside Edge 8.0

Outside Edge

as Miriam

1982
The Ghost of Greville Lodge 7.0

The Ghost of Greville Lodge

as Sarah

2000
Slimming Down

Slimming Down

as Mrs. Shrigley

1984
Mr. Loveday's Little Outing

Mr. Loveday's Little Outing

as Lady Moping

2006
My Friend Walter 7.0

My Friend Walter

as Aunt Ellie

1992
Lord of Misrule 9.0

Lord of Misrule

as Shirley

1996
The Apple Cart

The Apple Cart

as Queen Jemima

1975
Doris and Doreen 6.5

Doris and Doreen

as Doris Rutter

1978
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg

as Grace

2002
Beyond The Pale 7.0

Beyond The Pale

as Milly

1989
Think

Think

as Customer

2007
Sherwood's Travels 6.5

Sherwood's Travels

1994

TV Shows 43

Midsomer Murders 7.5

Midsomer Murders

as Eleanor Bunsall

1997
Loose Women 3.4

Loose Women

as Self

1999
Casualty 6.2

Casualty

as Jocelyn Anderson

1986
Silent Witness 7.6

Silent Witness

as Anne Parker

1996
Film '72 5.1

Film '72

as Self

1971
Agatha Christie's Marple 7.9

Agatha Christie's Marple

as Mrs Mackenzie

2004
BBC Play of the Month 5.2

BBC Play of the Month

as Queen Jemima

1965
Thirty-Minute Theatre 4.2

Thirty-Minute Theatre

as Marie

1965
Bergerac 7.0

Bergerac

as Gloria Gibbins

1981
Dalziel and Pascoe 6.4

Dalziel and Pascoe

as Edith Disney

1996
An Audience with... 5.3

An Audience with...

as Self

1978
Playhouse 7.0

Playhouse

as Florence Farr

1974
ScreenPlay 6.0

ScreenPlay

as Milly

1986
The BBC Television Shakespeare 6.0

The BBC Television Shakespeare

as Mistress Page

1978
Fawlty Towers 8.3

Fawlty Towers

as Sybil Fawlty

1975
Screen One 7.2

Screen One

as H.M.Q.

1989
Never the Twain 7.0

Never the Twain

as Susan Peel

1981
Target 7.0

Target

as Diana Blake

1977
After Henry 6.7

After Henry

as Sarah France

1988
Great Canal Journeys 8.8

Great Canal Journeys

as Self

2014
Dennis the Menace and Gnasher 6.3

Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

as Mrs. Duffel

1996
Marriage Lines 7.0

Marriage Lines

as Kate Starling

1961
Country Matters 4.6

Country Matters

as Babs Pickard

1972
Faces of Jim

Faces of Jim

as Laura Morrell

1961
Mapp & Lucia 6.2

Mapp & Lucia

as Miss Elizabeth Mapp

1985
Unnatural Causes 6.3

Unnatural Causes

as Judith

1986
Seven of One 7.3

Seven of One

as Marion Joyce

1973
Theatre Night

Theatre Night

as Mrs. Prentice

1985
The Rector's Wife 9.0

The Rector's Wife

as Marjorie Richardson

1994
Mr Big 7.0

Mr Big

as Dolly

1977
Keeping Mum

Keeping Mum

as Marjorie

1997
Thompson 5.0

Thompson

1988
Weekend Playhouse

Weekend Playhouse

as Olive Dodd

1984
Look at the State We're In!

Look at the State We're In!

as Storyteller

1995
Signs and Wonders 7.0

Signs and Wonders

as Elizabeth Palmore

1995
Pride and Prejudice 9.0

Pride and Prejudice

as Lydia Bennet

1952
Dickens 7.0

Dickens

as Elizabeth Dickens

2002
Looking for Victoria

Looking for Victoria

as Self / Victoria

2003
The World of Lee Evans 7.0

The World of Lee Evans

as Mother

1995
Pickersgill People

Pickersgill People

as Mavis Blackhead

1978
S.W.A.L.K. 0.5

S.W.A.L.K.

as Patti

1982
The Royal 7.8

The Royal

as Red Admiral

2003
Searching

Searching

as Mrs. Tilston

1995

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