Fawlty Towers: BBC Television Program

Running head: FAWLTY TOWERS: BBC TELEVISION PROGRAM 1
Fawlty Towers: BBC Television Program
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FAWLTY TOWERS: BBC TELEVISION PROGRAM 2
Introduction
Background
This report focus on the issue of safe space and cultural capabilities. Cultural capabilities
can be defined as the skills that are needed in delivering of services in a manner that is culturally
acceptable. Safe space is a place in which a person or a group of people are confident that no
harm can befall them. The difference in languages found within different cultures create a barrier
when it comes to communication. For this barrier to be avoid, then a safe space has to be
established to ensure a peaceful interaction among people.
Aim
The aim of the report is to describe a scenario where communication is a problem
between two individuals with different languages. The harm of having cultural differences is also
addressed. In addition, recommendations are given in regard to barriers in communication in
order to maintain a safe space.
Scope
The report covers a communication problem that is experienced in the video of Fawlty
Towers, 1979. The video is about Basil a manager and an English speaker tries to correct the
pronunciation of Manuel, a waiter who speaks Spanish. Basil is not able to correct Manuel and
this results to them being in an unsafe space.
Summary and observations
Summary of the video
The video is a TV program called Fawlty Towers: Basil gives Manuel A language lesson.
It was published in 2009 on June 5th. The man characters in the video are basil who is a manager

FAWLTY TOWERS: BBC TELEVISION PROGRAM 3
and his waiter, Manuel. The scene is done in a social setting where Basil the manager asks his
waiter to make the necessary arrangements in a meal that is on the trays he is carrying. Basil
speaks to him in English saying, “There is too much butter on those trays.” Manuel being a
Spanish speaker rephrases these works into Spanish a, “ono dos treys.” Manuel is thereafter not
able to understand any of the commands given by his boss because he speaks Spanish while his
boss speaks English. Basil after getting disappointed sends Manuel away while Manuel suggests
to him that he should get a monkey and train it instead.
Observations
It is observed that when basil notices there is too much butter on the trays, he asks his
waiter, Manuel to change the arrangement. However, since Manuel speaks Spanish, he corrects
Basil on some of his words, “ono dos treys”. Basil then tries to talk in Spanish to Manuel but
nothing is understandable since his Spanish is not proper. Basil then gets agitated since his
worker cannot understand his simple instructions. This scene elaborates that it is difficult for
people in different cultures with different languages to communicate (Yitmen, 2012). Basil being
of the English culture and Manuel being Spanish cannot understand each other and as a result
they get disappointed. This puts them in an unsafe space as they cannot communicate their
messages clearly.
Basil is the manager and therefore this puts him in a high position. Manuel is the waiter
who helps in serving food to the guests. The size and layout of the space is a small one as it
involves a small setting of a workplace where Basil is the manager and Manuel is a waiter who
serves the guests. In this case, Basil shows a case of cultural intelligence since he speaks Spanish
to Manuel even though he is of the English culture. However, he is not patient with Manuel with