Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is the critically acclaimed international immersive phenomenon that celebrates its 27th birthday, and 12th year on London's West End in 2024.
Our creator and original Sybil, Alison Pollard-Mansergh, created the show as a loving tribute to the BBC’s Fawlty Towers TV series, which debuted in Brisbane, Australia on 24 April 1997.
Since then over a million people around the world have enjoyed the antics of Basil, Sybil and Manuel, and having performed at iconic venues such as the ‘Sydney Opera House’, ‘Royal Albert Hall’ and ‘Raffles’ in Singapore, along with hundreds of theatres, hotels and event spaces... it's been a wild ride for the show with humble beginnings.
1997: Faulty Towers The Dining Experience premières on 24 April 1997 in Brisbane, Australia and Interactive Theatre Australia is born.
1998: The show grows in popularity with regular weekly performances running throughout south-east Queensland. Two performance teams created.
2007: Our 10th anniversary year and Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut.
2008: Our first UK performance is at The Hostess in Mansfield on 19 July 2008. We still appear there now! Our first appearance at Adelaide Fringe: three venues, sell-out performances and outstanding reviews. We also perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time; we’ve been returning every year since.
2009: Name change to Interactive Theatre International to reflect that we are now a global company. Ireland and The Netherlands added to tour map. We trial the show to London audiences for the first time (followed with longer trials in 2010 and 2011), and we start raising money for BBC Children in Need, and continue to do so today.
2011: Our first appearance at Perth’s first fringe festival: Fringe World Perth. This was an untried environment for them as well as us, and it was a huge success! New tours in Belgium, Bahrain, Dubai and Denmark.
2012: Our first London shows were such a huge success that in 2012 we open a year-round London West End residency, to run indefinitely.
2012 -2014: Touring around the world continues with shows in Thailand, Cyprus, South Africa, and Sweden.
2014: In 2014 we perform the first of two seasons at London's world-famous Royal Albert Hall. We also make our debut in Iceland, Malaysia and the Phillippines.
2017: World domination continues with shows in Antigua and Papua New Guinea.
2018: Fundraising starts for The Humour Foundation’s Clown Doctors initiative in Australia. This is an ongoing campaign by Faulty performers in Australia.
2019: We welcome our one millionth guest through the door at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and celebrate with bagpipes and Champagne.
2022: We celebrate 25 years of touring the world, and 10 years of performing in London's West End. We launch a new partnership with the President Hotel - our new London residency!