Major Gowen obvious hint that the bar should be open and his drink should be served. Early in the day, Basil tends to say ""Ah, morning Major"". John Cleese has said that the Major was based on his Latin teacher from school. Major Gowen Major Gowen, usually known as the Major, is a fictional character played by Ballard Berkeley in the BBC sitcom "Fawlty Towers". Major Gowen is an old, befuddled, slightly senile, retired artillery officer permanently residing in the hotel. He appears in all 12 episodes, along with the other permanent residents Miss Gatsby and Miss Tibbs. He enjoys talking about
Miss Marple (TV series) the bestowal of an OBE award to the role, as Queen Elizabeth II was a fan of the series and Hickson's performance. All 12 episodes were shown in the United States on the PBS "Mystery!" series. "Miss Marple" was also seen in over 30 countries, including Spain, the former Soviet Union and China. "Miss Marple" was first released in DVD in the UK (Region 2) in 2000. A complete box set of all 12 stories was released in 2005 by 2 Entertain Video. In North America (Region 1), episodes were first released in 2001. In summer 2009 the Sunday edition