Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales dies aged 93

Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales has died aged 93, her family have confirmed.

Scales was best known for playing hotel manager Sybil Fawlty, the long-suffering and domineering wife of Basil - played by John Cleese - in the classic British sitcom.

The actress died "peacefully at home in London yesterday", her sons Samuel and Joseph said.

They added that she was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died. Cleese paid tribute, describing Scales as "a really wonderful comic actress". He said: "Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect."

The actress had been diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013.

"Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday. She was 93," her sons told the PA News agency.

"Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home."

Her husband, fellow actor Timothy West, died in November last year.

She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The statement added: "We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love."

This year marked 50 years since the classic comedy Fawlty Towers first appeared on our screens.

In the sitcom, the aspirational and stylish Sybil - with her permed hair and sharp skirt suits - ruled the roost over her bumbling and often hapless husband Basil as they both attempted to run a Torquay hotel.

Often, when he was on the verge of a crisis, she would arrive and step in to either clear up his mess or benefit from his misfortune.

He referred to her by a number of negative nicknames including "the dragon" and "my little piranha fish", but only behind her back as he was terrified of her.

In one episode, titled The Psychiatrist, Basil finally lost his patience and snapped at his wife, declaring: "Shut up, I'm fed up."

"Oh, you've done it now," responded Sybil.

Speaking of her character, Scales once said: "I feel very grateful for Sybil. Fawlty Towers was very hard to make, but it was very stimulating."

But in an interview with the Independent last year, she said she "loves it when people don't" ask her about the show as she found the topic "boring".