Prunella Scales
Known for Acting · 101 credits
- Born
- 1932-06-22
- Died
- 2025-10-27
- Place of birth
- Sutton Abinger, Surrey, England, UK
- Also known as
- Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales · Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth · پرونلا اسکیلز
Biography
Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales CBE (née Illingworth; 22 June 1932) was an English former actor, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty, wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), in the BBC comedy Fawlty Towers; for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution (Screen One, BBC 1991) by Alan Bennett (for which she was nominated for a BAFTA award); and for the documentary series Great Canal Journeys (2014–2021), in which she travels on canal barges and narrowboats with her husband, fellow actor Timothy West.
Known For
TV Shows (37)
Midsomer Murders
1997
as Eleanor Bunsall
Casualty
1986
as Jocelyn Anderson
Silent Witness
1996
as Anne Parker
Agatha Christie's Marple
2004
as Mrs Mackenzie
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Queen Jemima
Loose Women
1999
as Self
Bergerac
1981
as Gloria Gibbins
Playhouse
1974
as Florence Farr
An Audience with...
1978
as Self
Dalziel and Pascoe
1996
as Edith Disney
ScreenPlay
1986
as Milly
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as Marie
Fawlty Towers
1975
as Sybil Fawlty
Screen One
1989
as H.M.Q.
Never the Twain
1981
as Susan Peel
Target
1977
as Diana Blake
Great Canal Journeys
2014
as Self
Country Matters
1972
as Babs Pickard
Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
1996
as Mrs. Duffel
After Henry
1988
as Sarah France
Look at the State We're In!
1995
as Storyteller
Unnatural Causes
1986
as Judith
Theatre Night
1985
as Mrs. Prentice
Mapp & Lucia
1985
as Miss Elizabeth Mapp
Seven of One
1973
as Marion Joyce
Signs and Wonders
1995
as Elizabeth Palmore
Thompson
1988
Keeping Mum
1997
as Marjorie
Dickens
2002
as Elizabeth Dickens
Faces of Jim
1961
as Laura Morrell
Marriage Lines
1961
as Kate Starling
Pride and Prejudice
1952
as Lydia Bennet
The Rector's Wife
1994
as Marjorie Richardson
The World of Lee Evans
1995
as Mother
The Royal
2003
as Red Admiral
Lucky Feller
1976
Looking for Victoria
2003
as Self / Victoria
Movies (64)
Wolf
1994
as Maude Waggins
Howards End
1992
as Aunt Juley
Emma
1996
as Miss Bates
The Boys from Brazil
1978
as Mrs. Harrington
Horrid Henry: The Movie
2011
as Great Aunt Greta
Station Jim
2001
as Queen Victoria
Fair Game
1994
as Marjorie
Hobson's Choice
1954
as Vicky Hobson
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
2005
as Sybil Fawlty (archive footage) (uncredited)
Sub Rosa
2014
as Madame
Dirty Beasts
1990
as Narrator
The Wicked Lady
1983
as Lady Kingsclere
Communicators From Hell
1989
The Merry Wives of Windsor
1982
as Mistress Page
Room at the Top
1958
as Council Office Worker (uncredited)
Doris and Doreen
1978
as Doris Rutter
Mad Cows
1999
as Dr. Minny Stinkler
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
1987
as Moira O'Neill
Consuming Passions
1988
as Ethel
50 Years of BBC Two Comedy
2014
as Self
An Awfully Big Adventure
1995
as Rose
The Hound of the Baskervilles
1978
as Glynis
Second Best
1994
as Margery
Outside Edge
1982
as Miriam
Waltz of the Toreadors
1962
as Estella Fitzjohn
What the Pythons Did Next...
2007
as Self
A Question of Attribution
1991
as H.M.Q.
Run For Your Wife
2012
as Woman in Pub
The Littlest Horse Thieves
1976
as Mrs. Sandman
The Shell Seekers
2007
as Dolly Keeling
When We Are Married
1987
as Annie Parker
Laxdale Hall
1953
as Morag McLeod
Breaking the Code
1996
as Sara Turing
A Chorus of Disapproval
1989
as Hannah Ap Llewellyn
Stiff Upper Lips
1998
as Aunt Agnes
Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened
2009
as Self / Sybil Fawlty
An Ideal Husband
1999
as Lady Markby
Freddie As F.R.O.7.
1992
as Queen (voice)
Home Cooking
1986
as Judith
The Tale of Little Pig Robinson
1990
as Fleecy Flock
Lord of Misrule
1996
as Shirley
The Phone Call
2013
as Joan
Revolting Rhymes
1990
as Narrator
A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg
2002
as Grace
Bosses From Hell
1989
The Crowded Day
1954
as Customer
The Apple Cart
1975
as Queen Jemima
Natural Causes
1988
as Celia Bryce
What Every Woman Wants
1954
as Mary
Mr. Loveday's Little Outing
2006
as Lady Moping
Fawlty Towers Revisited
2005
as Herself
Absurd Person Singular
1985
as Marion Brewster-Wright
The Achurch Letters
1977
as Florence Farr
Beyond The Pale
1989
as Milly
The Ghost of Greville Lodge
2000
as Sarah
Slimming Down
1984
as Mrs. Shrigley
The Cancellation Of Fawlty Towers
2025
What the Butler Saw
1987
as Mrs Prentice
My Friend Walter
1992
as Aunt Ellie
The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends: The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Jeremy Fisher
1994
as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (voice)
An Audience with Alf Garnett
1997
The Ring of Truth
1973
as Babs Pickard
Singles
1983
as Gail
Think
2007
as Customer
About Prunella Scales
Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales CBE (née Illingworth; 22 June 1932) was an English former actor, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty, wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), in the BBC comedy Fawlty Towers; for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution (Screen One, BBC 1991) by Alan Bennett (for which she was nominated for a BAFTA award); and for the documentary series Great Canal Journeys (2014–2021), in which she travels on canal barges and narrowboats with her husband, fellow actor Timothy West. With 101 credits spanning from 1952 to 2025, Prunella Scales has appeared in 64 films and 37 TV shows.
Fans searching for Prunella Scales movies, Prunella Scales filmography, or the latest projects starring Prunella Scales can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Prunella Scales Movies
- Wolf (1994) — as Maude Waggins
- Howards End (1992) — as Aunt Juley
- Emma (1996) — as Miss Bates
- The Boys from Brazil (1978) — as Mrs. Harrington
- Horrid Henry: The Movie (2011) — as Great Aunt Greta
Where to Watch Prunella Scales Films
Most Prunella Scales movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Prunella Scales, check our movies catalogue and browse page.