The seaside town where legendary BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers was set named one of the UK’s worst places to live

One of the biggest sitcoms in British history is the John Cleese fronted classic of Fawlty Towers.

Based around a poorly run and chaotic seaside hotel, with a particularly angry owner, the show brought a sizeable amount of joy and laughter to viewers.

Unfortunately though the same cannot be said for the Devonshire town where the sitcom was based, which has been named one of the worst places to live in the UK according to voters on ILiveHere.com

READ MORE: Beautiful Yorkshire village constantly named one of best places to live in UK so pretty it gets special protection

Four hours drive and three hours by train from London, Torquay on the south coast of Devon is thought of as one of the classic British seaside holiday destinations.

This is chiefly why a big show like Fawlty Towers would be set there in the first place, with the town actually known as the ‘English Riviera’.

Do you want to stay up to date with the latest news, views, features and opinion from across the city?

MyLondon’s brilliant newsletter The 12 is absolutely jam packed with all the latest to keep you keep you entertained, informed and uplifted.

You’ll get 12 stories straight to your inbox at around 12pm. It’s the perfect lunchtime read.

And what’s more – it’s FREE!

The MyLondon team tells London stories for Londoners. Our journalists cover all the news you need – from City Hall to your local streets, so you’ll never miss a moment.

Don’t skip a beat and sign up to The 12 newsletter here.

But with the classic British seaside holiday in decline ever since international flights and holidays became commonplace, Torquay is not the gem it once was.

It actually placed ninth in the list of worst places to live in the UK with complaints of crime and congested roads.

Despite this though, the English Riviera still has plenty to offer, including a 100 foot high wheel of the same name where you can get a great birds eye view of the town and the coastline.

It’s also home to the Kent Cavern, Britain’s most important stone-age site, where you can see how early cavemen lived for 40,000 years.

The town is also full of Victorian architecture from its heyday, with plenty of interesting buildings to get a glimpse of from the Victorian Pavilion to Torquay Museum.

There are numerous restaurants and hotels to eat at from fast food to fine dining.

And of course, above all, it’s sat right on the English Channel so you can spend time walking the coastline and sunning yourself on any one of the many local beaches.

To get there just head down the M3 or get yourself a train from Paddington.

Want more of the latest London news sent straight to your inbox? Sign up to our tailored newsletters here .