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
Kipper (medieval tournament) Kipper (medieval tournament) In medieval tournaments a kipper was a person employed by a knight, usually a vassal of the knight such as a slave, serf, or peasant. Kippers might also be fighters of non-knightly status, who therefore did not fight on horseback. The function of the kipper was to follow his knight in combat and retrieve armour or arms from fallen adversaries. If the adversary was not completely subdued and ready to surrender these, the kipper would bang on the armour-clad opponent with various blunt non-lethal instruments, like heavy sticks or clubs, to knock him unconscious for the purpose