Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales sadly died on Monday at the age of 93, with her son – All Creatures Great and Small star Samuel West – remembering their last conversation
Prunella Scales’s son, Samuel West, has opened up about his mum’s final years battling dementia, revealing that their last ‘proper conversation’ took place two years ago. Despite her health decline, she was able to have a chat with Queen Camilla last year, but Samuel noted that her ability to communicate deteriorated significantly afterwards, making it difficult for him to converse with her properly.
Prunella died on Monday at the age of 93, less than a year after the death of her husband, the iconic actor Timothy West, who was 90. She first experienced memory issues in 2001, but it wasn’t until 2012 that she was diagnosed with her specific type of vascular dementia.
The Fawlty Towers legend was able to celebrate her 90th birthday at her home in south-west London three years ago, where she delighted in reading the 6,500 birthday messages Sam had gathered for her.
In an interview conducted just a fortnight before her death, her eldest son reminisced about her 90th birthday, saying: “It was a very happy day. My brother did a beautiful poem.”
Speaking on the Rosebud podcast with Gyles Brandreth, Sam continued: “I put out a message on Twitter a few days before saying, ‘My mum’s going to be 90, anyone who wants to send her a message I’ll make sure she gets it.’”
“I received 6,500 replies, which I bound into a book. Even after removing everything but the messages, they made a 110-page book, which she flicked through and rather enjoyed – and wouldn’t remember of course now.
“But at the time it was rather beautiful. The last proper conversation I had with her was a couple of years ago, where she said to me ‘How old am I?’ And I said ‘You’re 91 mum’. And she said ‘91? F*ck.’ Beautifully enunciated, beautifully timed. It’s not quite the final conversation that we shared, but it may well prove to be the last one that held any real meaning.”
Nevertheless, Gyles disclosed that at a function he organised last year, which Queen Camilla attended, the severity of Prunella’s condition wasn’t apparent to onlookers. The gathering took place in Rye, East Sussex, at E. F. Benson’s former residence – the author behind the Mapp and Lucia tales that were later televised with Prunella featuring in the original adaptation.
Gyles recalled: “Queen Camilla came and what was interesting was that your mother seemed to recognise Queen Camilla. Certainly they kissed and had a happy chat, and if you hadn’t known… she laughed at the jokes.”
Sam revealed that while his mother required round-the-clock care and had lost her actor husband Timothy West last November, aged 90, she still managed outings and continued sleeping upstairs at home following the installation of a stairlift.
Sam elaborated: “She saw my eight-year-old sing at the same church my father’s memorial was, St James’s Piccadilly, only a couple of months ago. And the pictures I have of them together show them absolutely enjoying each other’s company.”
He continued: “She’s never really been angry or anxious, as a person with dementia. She’s quite content I think, which is fairly extraordinary because it could be a lot worse. We’re financially stable and have managed to afford medication that slows the progression of the disease for nearly 25 years.
“The hardest part is my father losing his best friend, and her sense of humour fading. They always had the ability to make each other laugh. There were two major blessings in my parents’ marriage. They worked roughly the same amount of time, they were unemployed for about the same duration.”
The beloved actress passed away ‘peacefully at home in London’, having watched Fawlty Towers the day before her death, according to a statement from her sons Samuel and Joseph.
They further stated: “Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. Pru was married to Timothy West for 61 years. He died in November 2024. She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.”
“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.”
Fawlty Towers bagged the Bafta for best scripted comedy in 1976 and this year marked 50 years since the iconic comedy show first aired. The series also featured the late Andrew Sachs in the role of the bumbling Spanish waiter Manuel, and Cleese’s then-spouse Connie Booth as the maid Polly.
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