BEING abused by the egregious Basil Fawlty while having dinner at his rickety hotel in Torquay is a superb concept that’s so simple, it’s almost genius.

The world’s worst hotelier is transported from his 1970s prime to the modern day for a comedy show that’s highly recommended.

Okay, you don’t actually have to go to the English Riviera to be ticked-off by the snobbish Fawlty because this enormously popular unofficial tribute (hence it being called Faulty Towers) to John Cleese and his legendary television series is on a tour that sells out fast.

Your ticket gets you a three-course meal (not bad and drinks are extra) while being marvellously maltreated by his flirtatious wife Sybil, “continental cretin” Manuel and the cantankerous proprietor himself.

The laughs come thick and fast in a cabaret-style environment where the audience are an integral part of the show.

The actors mimic their alter egos to a tee and in-between staged slapstick, the players ad lib with their guests, subjecting them to a variety of petty humiliations – don’t worry it’s (mostly) harmless and inoffensive stuff.

It’s equally popular with couples and larger groups and it means you can be seated next to complete strangers – my wife and I shared a big table with some charming people from Cwmbran.

• Faulty Towers is sold out this month at the Wales Millennium Centre but returns in the spring.

Iwan Davies