Prunella Scales, who played Sybil Fawlty, is to reopen the hotel that inspired Fawlty Towers.

The Torquay guesthouse, which prompted John Cleese to write the classic 1970s series, has undergone a million pound makeover and conversion after councillors refused to allow it to be demolished.

Called The Gleneagles, it is now to be relaunched as a luxury hotel, with Scales unveiling a plaque. She will arrive in a red Austin 1100 to recreate a famous scene from the show.

At the time of the series Cleese called labelled the hotel's boss, Donald Sinclair "the most wonderfully rude man I have ever met", claiming his group had been told off for their table manners. But current manager Sue Pine insisted: "We are not like them."

She said the hotel was embracing its mythology, however, and had already been deluged by television tourists. She commented: "We don't mind a bit of fun. We are up for a laugh. It is quite bizarre. Every day you sit in reception and they come in by the coachload from America, Germany and Holland to see you.

"We have a big poster in reception and they all have their photo taken. We might as well take this situation and use it. The shows are always being repeated somewhere around the world. It is still being shown in several countries."