The award for poor choice of words for December goes to The Gruniad.....
"Sachs tried to persuade Cleese to stop short of physical violence during rehearsals and the scenes. But he still ended up being frequently hit, often with spoons. He also suffered acid burns from chemicals used to produced smoke in a memorable scene when Manuel’s white waiter’s jacket caught fire in the Fawlty Towers kitchen.
Speaking of his on-screen chemistry with Sachs, Cleese said....."