I MUST admit, I did have reservations about the Garrick recreating episodes from this classic sitcom about the world's worst hotel.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the originals. In fact, that was part of the problem.

I just wondered whether the material would still pack the same punch after being flogged half to death by the Beeb over the years and, of course, without the wonderful physical comedy of John Cleese.

The former Python has become a British comedy treasure thanks to his impeccable timing and larger than life appearance and his are big shoes to fill - literally.

But I needn't have worried. Not only did Peter Birch perfectly capture the wildly eccentric Basil Fawlty but the gags still seem as fresh as the first time I heard them.

The sheer beauty of Fawlty Towers is that it appeals to such a wide audience.

Those of us who are slightly longer in the tooth will appreciate the relationship between Basil and his forever nagging wife Sybil, while the slapstick moments - of which Basil's encounter with a giant moosehead is a classic example - will have the kids in stitches.

In that sense, the selection of episodes chosen to be recreated on the Garrick stage provides just the right balance.

Inevitably there is The Germans, probably now the most famous episode, mainly thanks to a concussed Basil's hapless attempts not to mention the war.

The Kipper and the Corpse has Basil and Manuel attempting to move a dead resident from his room in order to make way for another guest and sees Graham Simmonds in fine form as the incompetent bell boy from Barcelona.

But the highlight has to be Communication Problems, when Basil attempts to deal with the particularly difficult Mrs Richards - who also happens to as deaf as a door-nail - and comes off slightly the worse for wear.

The finale is fantastic, as Basil reaches the end of his tether and the sneering Sybil (played superbly by Ruth O'Hara) enjoys every minute.

All in all, Fawlty Towers offers a night of non-stop entertainment. The jokes come thick and fast and the punchlines are all delivered with plenty of wallop.

I would defy anyone to sit through it straight-faced.