Basil Fawlty, television's hapless, hen-pecked, politically incorrect hotelier, is to be immortalised by a life-size statue in Torquay, where Fawlty Towers - named Britain's greatest programme by the British Film Institute - was filmed. Basil, played by John Cleese, was conceived after the Monty Python team stayed atthe Gleneagles Hotel in the Devon seaside resort in 1970. Cleese described its owner, Donald Sinclair, as "the most wonderfully rude man I have ever met". Sinclair allegedly put Eric Idle's suitcase (containing an alarm clock) behind a garden wall, believing it contained a bomb - prompting Cleese to write Fawlty Towers.
* * *
Democracy for sale in Germany: Young, attractive German protesters can be hired to picket for $280. The BBC reports more than 300 would-be protesters are marketing themselves on a German rental website displaying DVDs, cars and holiday homes. One dissident for hire lists details from her jeans to shoe size and tells potential protest organisers she is willing to be deployed up to 100km from Berlin.
* * *
A reader says anyone who receives a cheque for overpayment, even for 1c, should bank it immediately. She says: "If you don't, the company has an excuse to leave your account open and may continue to charge you the annual fee."
* * *
Spotted: Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney on his infamous Vespa - only it had changed colour. He used to ride a pistachio green scooter with matching helmet. Now it's orange, giving the impression he is literally transforming into a Jaffa - of the sweet variety.
* A picture relating to Who Wants to be a Millionaire previously carried on this story was a hoax and has been removed.
