Dorset hoteliers buy the original ‘Fawlty Towers'

Experienced hoteliers from Dorset have bought the renowned Hotel Gleneagles in Torquay, Devon, which inspired the TV comedy Fawlty Towers.

Comedian John Cleese stayed at the hotel in 1971 and described its owner of the time, Donald Sinclair, as "the most wonderfully rude man I have ever met".

The three-star hotel sits on the hillside overlooking Anstey's Cove and Redgate Beach and is a 15-minute walk from the town centre, the marina and the harbour.

Along with 41 en-suite bedrooms with sun balconies, a 100-seat restaurant and a cabaret room/bar, the hotel offers a heated outdoor pool, a poolside sun terrace, a Jacuzzi and a solarium.

It is the second time the Exeter office of Christie + Co has sold the hotel in just over a year.

The property agent achieved a sale close to the guide price of £1.65m on behalf of Mr and Mrs Patel from Bristol.