The Kipper and the Corpse The Kipper and the Corpse "The Kipper and the Corpse" is the fourth episode of the second series of the British sitcom "Fawlty Towers". It first aired at 9.00pm on 12 March 1979 on BBC2. Distinguishing it from other episodes is its heavy use of black comedy. During the early 1970s, John Cleese met a young hotelier called Andrew Leeman. They went on holiday together to the Aegean with their girlfriends between the first and second series of "Fawlty Towers", a time when Cleese was looking for ideas for plots. During the holiday, Leeman told him how when he was
Miss Tibbs and Miss Gatsby of the series, though are uncredited in "A Touch of Class" (the pilot). They seldom have main roles in the plot, usually being background characters adding to the atmosphere. Miss Tibbs plays a larger role in the episode "The Kipper and the Corpse", the only time she is seen away from Miss Gatsby, where she is repeatedly startled by a guest's corpse, which Basil, Manuel and Polly are desperately trying to keep hidden from guests until the undertaker arrives. Her unfortunate encounters with the deceased include being knocked unconscious by Polly, being locked in a cupboard with Leeman and fainting