‘Fawlty Towers’ tops TV put-downs poll

Quips from Fawlty Towers, The Mrs Merton Show and Blackadder have topped a poll to find the top 25 TV put-downs.

Basil Fawlty's rant to wife Sybil when she complained of having a difficult morning took the top spot in the survey by The Radio Times.

He demanded: "Oh dear, what happened? Did you get entangled in the eiderdown again? Not enough cream in your éclair? Hmm? Or did you have to talk to all your friends for so long that you didn't have time to perm your ears?"

Second place went to Mrs Merton's famous question to magician Paul Daniels's wife Debbie McGee: "So, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?"

Fans also loved Edmund Blackadder's quip to Lord Percy in the show’s second series: "The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr Brain has long since departed."

The poll, which was inspired by one-liners from Ashes To Ashes cop DCI Gene Hunt, also featured put-downs from Roseanne, Absolutely Fabulous and The Royle Family.