Prunella Scales
Known for Acting · 103 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 (39)
Midsomer Murders
1997
as Eleanor Bunsall
Casualty
1986
as Jocelyn Anderson
Silent Witness
1996
as Anne Parker
Playhouse
1974
as Florence Farr
Loose Women
1999
as Self
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Queen Jemima
Agatha Christie's Marple
2004
as Mrs Mackenzie
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as Marie
Bergerac
1981
as Gloria Gibbins
Film '72
1971
as Self
An Audience with...
1978
as Self
Dalziel and Pascoe
1996
as Edith Disney
ScreenPlay
1986
as Milly
Screen One
1989
as H.M.Q.
Never the Twain
1981
as Susan Peel
Fawlty Towers
1975
as Sybil Fawlty
Target
1977
as Diana Blake
After Henry
1988
as Sarah France
Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
1996
as Mrs. Duffel
Theatre Night
1985
as Mrs. Prentice
Marriage Lines
1961
as Kate Starling
The BBC Television Shakespeare
1978
as Mistress Page
Unnatural Causes
1986
as Judith
Country Matters
1972
as Babs Pickard
Faces of Jim
1961
as Laura Morrell
Mapp & Lucia
1985
as Miss Elizabeth Mapp
Seven of One
1973
as Marion Joyce
Thompson
1988
Great Canal Journeys
2014
as Self
Pride and Prejudice
1952
as Lydia Bennet
Weekend Playhouse
1984
as Olive Dodd
Keeping Mum
1997
as Marjorie
Signs and Wonders
1995
as Elizabeth Palmore
Dickens
2002
as Elizabeth Dickens
Look at the State We're In!
1995
as Storyteller
The World of Lee Evans
1995
as Mother
The Rector's Wife
1994
as Marjorie Richardson
The Royal
2003
as Red Admiral
Looking for Victoria
2003
as Self / Victoria
Movies (64)
Howards End
1992
as Aunt Juley
Wolf
1994
as Maude Waggins
The Boys from Brazil
1978
as Mrs. Harrington
Emma
1996
as Miss Bates
Horrid Henry: The Movie
2011
as Great Aunt Greta
Fair Game
1994
as Marjorie
Think
2007
as Customer
Sub Rosa
2014
as Madame
The Wicked Lady
1983
as Lady Kingsclere
Room at the Top
1958
as Council Office Worker (uncredited)
Natural Causes
1988
as Celia Bryce
Consuming Passions
1988
as Ethel
Hobson's Choice
1954
as Vicky Hobson
Second Best
1994
as Margery
A Chorus of Disapproval
1989
as Hannah Ap Llewellyn
The Cancellation Of Fawlty Towers
2025
Home Cooking
1986
as Judith
Freddie As F.R.O.7.
1992
as Queen (voice)
The Merry Wives of Windsor
1982
as Mistress Page
The Apple Cart
1975
as Queen Jemima
An Awfully Big Adventure
1995
as Rose
Bosses From Hell
1989
Dirty Beasts
1990
as Narrator
When We Are Married
1987
as Annie Parker
Fawlty Towers Revisited
2005
as Herself
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
2005
as Sybil Fawlty (archive footage) (uncredited)
Stiff Upper Lips
1998
as Aunt Agnes
The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends: The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Jeremy Fisher
1994
as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (voice)
My Friend Walter
1992
as Aunt Ellie
A Question of Attribution
1991
as H.M.Q.
An Ideal Husband
1999
as Lady Markby
50 Years of BBC Two Comedy
2014
as Self
Revolting Rhymes
1990
as Narrator
Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened
2009
as Self / Sybil Fawlty
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
1987
as Moira O'Neill
The Hound of the Baskervilles
1978
as Glynis
Run For Your Wife
2012
as Woman in Pub
Communicators From Hell
1989
Lord of Misrule
1996
as Shirley
The Tale of Little Pig Robinson
1990
as Fleecy Flock
Doris and Doreen
1978
as Doris Rutter
The Littlest Horse Thieves
1976
as Mrs. Sandman
The Phone Call
2013
as Joan
Breaking the Code
1996
as Sara Turing
The Crowded Day
1954
as Customer
Mr. Loveday's Little Outing
2006
as Lady Moping
The Achurch Letters
1977
as Florence Farr
What the Pythons Did Next...
2007
as Self
The Ring of Truth
1973
as Babs Pickard
Laxdale Hall
1953
as Morag McLeod
Station Jim
2001
as Queen Victoria
Absurd Person Singular
1985
as Marion Brewster-Wright
A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg
2002
as Grace
The Ghost of Greville Lodge
2000
as Sarah
The Shell Seekers
2007
as Dolly Keeling
Waltz of the Toreadors
1962
as Estella Fitzjohn
Outside Edge
1982
as Miriam
What Every Woman Wants
1954
as Mary
What the Butler Saw
1987
as Mrs Prentice
Slimming Down
1984
as Mrs. Shrigley
Mad Cows
1999
as Dr. Minny Stinkler
Singles
1983
as Gail
An Audience with Alf Garnett
1997
Beyond The Pale
1989
as Milly
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 103 credits spanning from 1952 to 2025, Prunella Scales has appeared in 64 films and 39 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
- Howards End (1992) — as Aunt Juley
- Wolf (1994) — as Maude Waggins
- The Boys from Brazil (1978) — as Mrs. Harrington
- Emma (1996) — as Miss Bates
- 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.