Analysis of Cultural Capability in Fawlty Towers: A Study of Season 2, Episode 1

This study analyzes the cultural capability and cultural safety in a scene from Fawlty Towers, a British TV series. The study examines the observations made on the scene and analyzes it on the basis of cultural spaces, body language, cultural interaction, cultural awareness, and cultural difference. The study concludes that the scene depicts a culturally unsafe space and provides recommendations to improve it.

Running head: Analysis of cultural capability in episode 1, season 2 of the TV series namely Fawlty Towers
ANALYSIS OF CULTURAL CAPABILITY IN EPISODE 1,
SEASON 2 OF THE TV SERIES NAMELY FAWLTY TOWERS

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Analysis of cultural capability in episode 1, season 2 of the TV series namely Fawlty Towers
Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Background............................................................................................................................1
1.2 Aim.........................................................................................................................................2
1.3 Scope......................................................................................................................................2
2. Overview and observations..........................................................................................................2
2.1 Overview of the video scenario.............................................................................................2
2.2 Observations...........................................................................................................................3
2.2.1 Voice tone........................................................................................................................3
2.2.2 Behaviour........................................................................................................................3
2.2.3 Physical location..............................................................................................................3
2.2.4 Communication...............................................................................................................3
3. Analysis.......................................................................................................................................4
3.1 Cultural spaces.......................................................................................................................4
3.2 Body language........................................................................................................................4
3.3 Cultural interaction................................................................................................................4
3.4 Cultural awareness.................................................................................................................5
3.5 Cultural difference.................................................................................................................5
4. Recommendations........................................................................................................................5
5. Conclusion...................................................................................................................................6
Reference list...................................................................................................................................7

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Analysis of cultural capability in episode 1, season 2 of the TV series namely Fawlty Towers
1. Introduction
1.1 Background
Cultural safety is a burning issue in many fields such as workplaces, schools and
so on that mostly depends on what culture a person belongs to. A person can feel
culturally safe if that person is in an environment that respects culturally distinct people
using cultural intelligence and cultural self awareness. Moreover, a harmonious sharing
of meaning, experience and learning among people belonging from diverse cultural
outlooks can make a person feel culturally safe that is highly importance for creating a
safe cultural space of everyone.
1.2 Aim
This study will revolve around the different aspects of cultural capability and
cultural safety with special reference to the chosen scene from a popular TV series. For
that reason, this study will give an overview of the chosen example and will determine
whether the example depict a culturally safe or unsafe place. In addition, the example will
be analysed on the basis of the observations made on that example before. Lastly, some
recommendations will be suggested that can be helpful in blurring the issues effecting
cultural safety of the characters present in the example.
1.3 Scope
This study will focus on analysis of a 3 minute video clip taken from first episode
of season one of the British TV series namely the Fawlty Towers. This analysis will be
done in order to establish the point that this particular scene does not show a balanced
depiction of culturally safe space. For that reason, from body language to character
interactions, each and everything will be minutely observed.
2. Overview and observations
2.1 Overview of the video scenario
The study has revolved around a particular scene taken from first episode of
season two of the British TV series called Fawlty Towers. The chosen scene or the video

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Analysis of cultural capability in episode 1, season 2 of the TV series namely Fawlty Towers
clip has been set in a reception hall of a hotel where people are seen to be interacting with
the receptionists and with other hotel staffs (Spiers, 1979). Many characters have been
introduced in this tiny scene where three characters have been given highest amount of
dialogues. These three characters include a receptionist, a Spanish luggage boy and a lady
who is a guest in that hotel.
2.2 Observations
2.2.1 Voice tone
Voice tone of Mrs. Richards, the new guest in the hotel, is loud and rude
throughout the scene. That woman is the wife of a wealthy husband, as assumed
from her appearance and voice tone. A loud laughter has been noticed when the
Spanish boy first appeared on the scene (Spiers, 1979). It seems that they try to
make fun of Spanish boy and people of Barcelona.
2.2.2 Behaviour
Behaviour of the receptionist girl was ignorant to the woman guest while
she gives importance to the male guest standing right beside her. It seems that she
overlooks the lady. It has been noticed that the Spanish luggage boy was carrying
too much load and none has any objections regarding this including himself.
Moreover, the lady guest has been seen to show unnecessary attitude to the
receptionist.
2.2.3 Physical location
The whole scene has been shot in a very narrow area where there is very
small area to stand for the receptionists (Spiers, 1979). The whole scene and
location have been full of white people. It is noteworthy that no coloured people
are appointed or visited in this hotel. Moreover, all ladies are blond in this scene.
2.2.4 Communication
Interaction between actors is very problematic here. For example, the lady
guest talks badly with the receptionist. Even after introducing the male guest with

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Analysis of cultural capability in episode 1, season 2 of the TV series namely Fawlty Towers
her, they do not even look at each other for greeting each other. Words like Silly
fidel have been used to show disgust for the luggage boy.
3. Analysis
3.1 Cultural spaces
In the whole video clip, it has been seen that only blonde people (women) are
there. T implies that the cultural space is occupied with only British people. On the top of
that, only blonde female character has been chosen for this scene. This, according to
Pauly et al. (2015), can fall under limited cultural space where people belonging from
one culture do not allow people of other cultures in their territory. Moreover, there is only
one character that is identified to have a Spanish origin and that person has been ridiculed
for longing from that origin throughout the scene. No character has shown cultural
intelligence while talking about the Spanish boy (Brislin, Worthley & Macnab, 2006).
For example, the receptionist said that the Spanish boy is from Barcelona and that
dialogue invokes laughter from the audience. Thus, this can be said that the characters of
this scne have no empathy for the person belonging from another culture.
3.2 Body language
Body language is very important to show whether a person is culturally capable to
make others feel culturally safe or not (Foronda, Baptiste, Reinholdt & Ousman, 2016).
In the chosen scene, it has been seen that the voice tone of the lady guest has been
unnecessarily loud. This has been highlighted when she starts talking to the receptionist
girl. This shows a sense of cultural incapability which is, according to Clarke, DeNora &
Vuoskoski (2015), a disability of a person to be empathetic with people belonging from
other cultures. For example, the woman puts the coin forcefully on table as if the
receptionist has to adjust with her tantrums just because she is a wealthy woman. This
can be said as the lady guest seems to belong from elite class while the receptionist
belongs to working class who can do anything for money.

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Analysis of cultural capability in episode 1, season 2 of the TV series namely Fawlty Towers
3.3 Cultural interaction
This scene shows an imbalanced cultural interaction whether it is when the lady
interacts with the receptionist or the other way around. Thus, it can be said that
differentiation between men and women has been shown through the character
interactions (Baker & Giles, 2013). On the other hand, it has been identified that the lady
calls the Spanish boy a silly fidel even when she is the one who cannot understand his
language. This scene does not show what Crowne (2013) calls cultural intelligence as the
lady is incapable of showing gratitude to the hotel attendants just because they seem to be
below her social status.
3.4 Cultural awareness
In most of the scenes, lack of cultural self awareness has been noticed on the part
of the lady guest (Trommsdorff, 2013). For example, the woman behaves badly with the
receptionist may be because of her social class. On the other hand, cultural self awareness
has been distorted even in own dialogues of the receptionist when she said that she can do
anything for money (Quappe & Cantatore, 2005). Moreover, the Spanish boy seems to
carry a lot of load on his back that is not supposed to be carried by one person. The lack
of awareness on the part of the owners of that luggage has been identified there.
3.5 Cultural difference
The chosen scene has been filled with people belonging from diverse social, racial
and linguistic culture. This space could be termed as a culturally safe space if each
character would have shown empathetic behaviour towards other characters (Bruhn,
2005). On the contrary, it has been noticed that the audience have been laughing on the
Spanish boy just because he does not belong to English people. In addition, his linguistic
difference has been portrayed in a way that hints the underlined dumbness in him. This is
as if he is dumb because he is not British. As mentioned earlier, the whole scene is full of
typical British characters with blonde hair and sharp noses. In opinion of Frank (2013),
cultural incapability is when individuals limit themselves from being absorbed in other
cultures either by excluding others or by leaving themselves. Thus, this can be said that

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Analysis of cultural capability in episode 1, season 2 of the TV series namely Fawlty Towers
the chosen scene shows a culturally unsafe space for many of its characters discussed
above.
4. Recommendations
This scene could have been improved from the perspective of cultural safety if the
characters would have shown a little empathy towards each other. For example, the woman guest
could have behaved well with the receptionist. The receptionist could have listened to the woman
instead of ignoring her presence while talking to the man. The receptionist could not have said
that she could do anything for money because that marks her character as being only money
minded to others. The whole space could have included coloured people, people of other racial
origins as guests (Spencer-Oatey & Franklin, 2012). Male characters could have been used for
playing the role of one of the receptionists. Moreover, laughter of the audience could have been
shown in a more empathetic way that doesn't hurt any cultures in any way. Lastly, this scene
could have become a culturally safe space if all the characters could have knowledge of other
cultures and be more supportive towards each other.
5. Conclusion
This study has focused on the aspect of cultural capability by judging the chosen video
clip on the basis of hidden cultural imbalances in that video. It has been found that the scene has
shown a culturally unsafe space through observing and analysing each characters and
interactions among them. On the basis of that, some recommendations have been given that can
be helpful for turning the chosen space into a more culturally safe space. Moreover, the study has
showed how important it is to understand different aspects of cultural capabilities like cultural
safety, cultural intelligence, cultural self awareness and more to establish a culturally safe
atmosphere for all in various situations.

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Analysis of cultural capability in episode 1, season 2 of the TV series namely Fawlty Towers
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