The Psychiatrist  (26^th February 1979)

Basil’s on a mission to expose an non-paying female guest smuggled into a bedroom by a young man on a promise. Unfortunately his frantic quest proves frustratingly futile, and a psychiatrist staying at the hotel witnesses the entire process……..

The Psychiatrist is a wonderfully funny episode, and is yet another whose basis for humour is derived from the simple misunderstandings between people and how the misinterpretation of information can lead to thought patterns going off at a ridiculous tangent. It’s also a classic example of Basil’s fawning attitude towards those whom he deems as being in a class above his own, and more importantly in this episode, those who are more educated that he is. I feel rather sorry for Basil in this episode; for once it’s him who’s right and everyone else that’s blinded to the truth, and he just ends up being classified as a head case. This is another episode with elements of high farce; it’s crammed with people hiding in cupboards and wardrobes, and the surreptitious smuggling of people in and out of bedrooms, and even a bit of slapstick with Basil falling off a ladder!

It’s amusing to witness Basil’s first encounter with the two Dr. Abbots, as at this point he’s unaware of their qualifications and simply gives them a merely civil ‘Good morning’. As soon as he realises that they’re doctors, his ingratiating side comes to the fore and he instantly becomes his usual grovelling self towards those who he believes will augment his own standing in life merely by his being in their presence, to the point where he elbows Manuel out of the way so he can carry the doctors’ luggage up to their room himself.

At the other end of the spectrum, Basil also demonstrates his disdain towards a guest who he feels is somewhat lower down the evolutionary ladder than himself. The fact that Mr Johnson seems to be instantly liked by everyone else purely because of his physical appearance annoys Basil intensely, and this only makes him more determined to expose the young man’s supposed cultural weaknesses, all, as usual, to no avail.

The young and sexually attractive (for the 1970’s at least!) Mr Johnson makes a big impression on Sybil (who obviously gets no such thrills from her husband), and this is yet another reason for Basil to be insanely jealous. The fact that Mr Johnson has also smuggled a female companion into his room for the night is the last straw as far as Basil is concerned, and it’s this which causes him to embark on a frenzied mission to expose the young man. Basil’s fear of sex is exposed later on in the episode when he assumes that Doctor Abbot the psychiatrist is blatantly quizzing him on the subject in front of everyone in the dining room.

The above-mentioned misunderstanding is the key to this episode. It’s a classic example of the way that Basil flits from one end of the spectrum to the other according to his opinion of someone (something which is ably pointed out by Sybil in the episode). When Basil eventually learns that one of his guest doctors is a psychiatrist, his attitude immediately changes and he scurries off into the kitchen like a scalded cat. It’s this ‘up-and-down’ behaviour towards people which really shows Basil’s true character; where he sees himself as superior he’ll demonstrate it to his best advantage (as far as he’s concerned, anyway), and when he senses that he may appear inferior to someone, he’ll immediately try a bit of social climbing in order to integrate himself into their world.

My favourite moment in this episode is when Dr. Abbott (Mr.) is inquiring as to how Basil and Sybil manage to get away for holidays during their busy lives at the hotel, but of course Basil thinks he’s enquiring about how often they get their leg over. After Dr. Abbott has asked, "How often do you manage it?" he adds, "My wife couldn’t see how you could manage it at all!" It’s the way he drawls the ‘all’ that really makes me laugh – of course it’s a totally innocent question/statement as far as he’s concerned, but when you consider it in the context of how we’re supposed to think of it, it really is excruciatingly funny. Elsewhere in the episode, Basil is being his usual acidic self, much to our enjoyment, of course. His comment to the telephone operator of, "How can it be engaged? My wife isn’t talking to it?" when enquiring as to why he can’t get through to the speaking clock is wonderful, as is his attitude toward Mr Johnson, particularly when he advises the young guest that France is an ideal place to find French food, and the swim will sharpen his appetite……

Everyone puts in a great performance in The Psychiatrist, particularly John Cleese and Prunella Scales who are really at each other’s throats throughout the episode. Cleese plays the scheming Basil delectably, and as I mentioned in the overview above, he really makes me feel sorry for him.

All four of the female guest cast members in The Psychiatrist have appeared in Doctor Who; one in each Doctor’s era from Pertwee to Colin Baker. Luan Peters (Raylene Miles, the Australian guest) played Sheila in Frontier in Space, Imogen Bickford-Smith (Mr Johnson’s girlfriend) played Tala in Underworld, Elspet Gray (Dr. [Mrs] Abbott) played Chancellor Thalia in Arc of Infinity, and Aimee Delamain (Mr Johnson’s mother) played the Doña ("You are Engleeeeeesh!") Arana in The Two Doctors.

"Just checking the walls..."

Sherlock Fawlty Investigates

Wrong window, Basil