Overview
- Scales died on 27 October, with her sons saying she had watched Fawlty Towers the day before.
- John Cleese paid tribute, praising her comic precision and sharing photos as he called her one of his best departed comedy friends.
- Best known as Sybil Fawlty, she built a nearly 70-year career that also included Mapp & Lucia and After Henry, plus a BAFTA-nominated turn in A Question of Attribution.
- Diagnosed with vascular dementia, she later stepped back from acting but remained at home as her condition progressed.
- Married to fellow actor Timothy West for 61 years, she co-presented 10 series of Great Canal Journeys from 2014 to 2019; West died in November 2024.