Prunella Scales
Biography
Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales CBE (née Illingworth; born 22 June 1932) is 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.
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
91
Gender
Female
Birthday
1932-06-22 (92 years old)
Place of Birth
Sutton Abinger, Surrey, England, UK
Acting
2025
Fawlty Towers: A Very British Comedy as Not available2014
Great Canal Journeys as Self2014
Sub Rosa as Madame2014
50 Years of BBC Two Comedy as Self2013
The Phone Call as Joan2012
Run For Your Wife as Woman in Pub2011
Horrid Henry: The Movie as Great Aunt Greta2009
Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened as Self / Sybil Fawlty2007
The Shell Seekers as Dolly Keeling2007
What the Pythons Did Next... as Self2006
Mr. Loveday's Little Outing as Lady Moping2005
Fawlty Towers Revisited as Herself2004
Agatha Christie's Marple as Mrs Mackenzie2003
The Royal as Red Admiral2002
Dickens as Not available2002
A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg as Grace2001
Station Jim as Queen Victoria2000
The Ghost of Greville Lodge as Not available1999
Loose Women as Self1999
Mad Cows as Dr. Minny Stinkler1999
An Ideal Husband as Lady Markby1998
Stiff Upper Lips as Aunt Agnes1997
Midsomer Murders as Eleanor Bunsall1997
Keeping Mum as Marjorie1997
An Audience with Alf Garnett as Not available1996
Silent Witness as Anne Parker1996
Dennis the Menace and Gnasher as Mrs. Duffel1996
Dalziel & Pascoe as Not available1996
Emma as Miss Bates1996
Breaking the Code as Sara Turing1996
Lord of Misrule as Shirley1995
Look at the State We're In! as Storyteller1995
The World of Lee Evans as Mother1995
Signs and Wonders as Elizabeth Palmore1995
An Awfully Big Adventure as Rose1994
The Rector's Wife as Marjorie Richardson1994
Wolf as Maude Waggins1994
Second Best as Margery1994
Fair Game as Marjorie1992
Howards End as Aunt Juley1992
Freddie as F.R.O.7. as Queen (voice)1992
My Friend Walter as Aunt Ellie1991
A Question of Attribution as H.M.Q.1990
The Tale of Little Pig Robinson as Fleecy Flock1990
Dirty Beasts as Narrator1990
Revolting Rhymes as Narrator1989
A Chorus of Disapproval as Hannah Ap Llewellyn1989
Bosses From Hell as Not available1989
Communicators From Hell as Not available1989
Beyond The Pale as Milly1988
Thompson as Not available1988
After Henry as Not available1988
Consuming Passions as Ethel1988
Natural Causes as Celia Bryce1987
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne as Moira O'Neill1987
When We Are Married as Annie Parker1987
What the Butler Saw as Mrs Prentice1986
Casualty as Jocelyn Anderson1986
Unnatural Causes as Judith1986
Home Cooking as Judith1985
Mapp & Lucia as Not available1985
Theatre Night as Mrs. Prentice1985
Absurd Person Singular as Marion Brewster-Wright1984
Slimming Down as Mrs. Shrigley1983
The Wicked Lady as Lady Kingsclere1982
The Merry Wives of Windsor as Mistress Page1982
Outside Edge as Miriam1981
Bergerac as Gloria Gibbins1981
Never the Twain as Susan Peel1978
The BBC Television Shakespeare as Mistress Page1978
An Audience with... as Self1978
The Boys from Brazil as Mrs. Harrington1978
The Hound of the Baskervilles as Glynis1978
Doris and Doreen as Doris Rutter1977
Target as Not available1977
The Achurch Letters as Florence Farr1976
Lucky Feller as Not available1976
The Littlest Horse Thieves as Mrs. Sandman1975
Fawlty Towers as Sybil Fawlty1975
The Apple Cart as Queen Jemima1974
Playhouse as Florence Farr1973
Seven of One as Not available1965
Thirty-Minute Theatre as Marie1965
BBC Play of the Month as Queen Jemima1962
Waltz of the Toreadors as Estella Fitzjohn1961
Marriage Lines as Not available1958
Room at the Top as Council Office Worker (uncredited)1954
Hobson's Choice as Vicky Hobson1954
What Every Woman Wants as Mary1953
Laxdale Hall as Morag McLeod1952
Pride and Prejudice as Lydia Bennet