
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.