Prunella Scales picture

Prunella Scales

Acting

Known For

Midsomer Murders•Agatha Christie's Marple•Silent Witness•Casualty•Bergerac•BBC Play of the Month

93 Years Old

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.

Born

Sutton Abinger, Surrey, England, UK on 22nd June 1932

Died

27th October 2025

All Credits

Midsomer Murders Image

Midsomer Murders

Eleanor Bunsall

Agatha Christie's Marple Image

Agatha Christie's Marple

Mrs Mackenzie

Silent Witness Image

Silent Witness

Anne Parker

Casualty Image

Casualty

Jocelyn Anderson

Bergerac Image

Bergerac

Gloria Gibbins

BBC Play of the Month Image

BBC Play of the Month

Queen Jemima

Playhouse Image

Playhouse

Florence Farr

Dalziel & Pascoe Image

Dalziel & Pascoe

An Audience with... Image

An Audience with...

Self

Thirty-Minute Theatre Image

Thirty-Minute Theatre

Marie

Fawlty Towers Image

Fawlty Towers

Sybil Fawlty

Emma Image

Emma

Miss Bates

Loose Women Image

Loose Women

Self

Mad Cows Image

Mad Cows

Dr. Minny Stinkler

Waltz of the Toreadors Image

Waltz of the Toreadors

Estella Fitzjohn

Fair Game Image

Fair Game

Marjorie

The Crowded Day Image

The Crowded Day

Customer

The Wicked Lady Image

The Wicked Lady

Lady Kingsclere

Absurd Person Singular Image

Absurd Person Singular

Marion Brewster-Wright

Wolf Image

Wolf

Maude Waggins

Room at the Top Image

Room at the Top

Council Office Worker (uncredited)

Target Image

Target

Diana Blake

The Littlest Horse Thieves Image

The Littlest Horse Thieves

Mrs. Sandman

The Phone Call Image

The Phone Call

Joan

Station Jim

Queen Victoria

Never the Twain Image

Never the Twain

Susan Peel

The Achurch Letters Image

The Achurch Letters

Florence Farr

When We Are Married Image

When We Are Married

Annie Parker

Horrid Henry: The Movie Image

Horrid Henry: The Movie

Great Aunt Greta

Consuming Passions Image

Consuming Passions

Ethel

Lord of Misrule

Shirley

Bosses From Hell Image

Bosses From Hell

Natural Causes Image

Natural Causes

Celia Bryce

Slimming Down Image

Slimming Down

Mrs. Shrigley

Dennis the Menace and Gnasher Image

Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

Mrs. Duffel

After Henry Image

After Henry

Sarah France

Hobson's Choice Image

Hobson's Choice

Vicky Hobson

Unnatural Causes

Judith

Dirty Beasts Image

Dirty Beasts

Narrator

Second Best Image

Second Best

Margery

Howards End Image

Howards End

Aunt Juley

Doris and Doreen Image

Doris and Doreen

Doris Rutter

Home Cooking Image

Home Cooking

Judith

Great Canal Journeys Image

Great Canal Journeys

Self

Mapp & Lucia Image

Mapp & Lucia

An Ideal Husband Image

An Ideal Husband

Lady Markby

Laxdale Hall

Morag McLeod

Marriage Lines Image

Marriage Lines

The Boys from Brazil Image

The Boys from Brazil

Mrs. Harrington

Theatre Night

Mrs. Prentice

The Rector's Wife Image

The Rector's Wife

Marjorie Richardson

Look at the State We're In!

Storyteller

An Awfully Big Adventure Image

An Awfully Big Adventure

Rose

Pride and Prejudice Image

Pride and Prejudice

Lydia Bennet

Lucky Feller Image

Lucky Feller

Signs and Wonders Image

Signs and Wonders

Elizabeth Palmore

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne Image

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne

Moira O'Neill

Revolting Rhymes Image

Revolting Rhymes

Narrator

Seven of One Image

Seven of One

Marion Joyce

The Apple Cart

Queen Jemima

Thompson

Dickens Image

Dickens

Elizabeth Dickens

Beyond The Pale Image

Beyond The Pale

Milly

Breaking the Code Image

Breaking the Code

Sara Turing

The Shell Seekers Image

The Shell Seekers

Dolly Keeling

The World of Lee Evans Image

The World of Lee Evans

Mother

What Every Woman Wants Image

What Every Woman Wants

Mary

Run For Your Wife Image

Run For Your Wife

Woman in Pub

Sub Rosa Image

Sub Rosa

Madame

Keeping Mum Image

Keeping Mum

Marjorie

The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends: The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Jeremy Fisher Image

The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends: The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Jeremy Fisher

Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (voice)

My Friend Walter Image

My Friend Walter

Aunt Ellie

The Hound of the Baskervilles Image

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Glynis

The Cancellation Of Fawlty Towers Image

The Cancellation Of Fawlty Towers

Freddie As F.R.O.7. Image

Freddie As F.R.O.7.

Queen (voice)

A Chorus of Disapproval Image

A Chorus of Disapproval

Hannah Ap Llewellyn

The Royal Image

The Royal

Red Admiral

Fawlty Towers Revisited Image

Fawlty Towers Revisited

Herself

Stiff Upper Lips Image

Stiff Upper Lips

Aunt Agnes

Outside Edge Image

Outside Edge

Miriam

Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened Image

Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened

Self / Sybil Fawlty

A Question of Attribution Image

A Question of Attribution

H.M.Q.

The Merry Wives of Windsor Image

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Mistress Page

The Tale of Little Pig Robinson Image

The Tale of Little Pig Robinson

Fleecy Flock

A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg

Grace

Communicators From Hell Image

Communicators From Hell

An Audience with Alf Garnett Image

An Audience with Alf Garnett

50 Years of BBC Two Comedy Image

50 Years of BBC Two Comedy

Self

What the Pythons Did Next... Image

What the Pythons Did Next...

Self

What the Butler Saw Image

What the Butler Saw

Mrs Prentice

The Ghost of Greville Lodge Image

The Ghost of Greville Lodge

Sarah

Singles

Gail

Mr. Loveday's Little Outing Image

Mr. Loveday's Little Outing

Lady Moping

Think

Customer