The Torquay hotel that inspired the Fawlty Towers comedy series has been put up for sale by Christie and Co for over £1.5m.

The former owner of the three-star Hotel Gleneagles – the late Donald Sinclair – was John Cleese’s inspiration for the character of Basil Fawlty and was described by Cleese as “the most wonderfully rude man I’ve ever met”.

During the early seventies, John Cleese and the Monty Python team briefly stayed at the hotel while filming. Sinclair is said to have thrown Eric Idle’s briefcase out of the window, claiming that it was a bomb and, when an unsuspecting guest enquired as to the time of the next bus into town, the eccentric hotelier replied by chucking a bus timetable at their head.

The hotel has 41 en-suite bedrooms, a heated outdoor swimming pool and a solarium.

Earlier this year, Torquay council rejected proposals to demolish the hotel and build 25 luxury apartments.

According to Christie and Co’s Peter Addyman, a quick sale of the hotel is expected and there has already been large amount of interest in the property.