Use the difficulty

Details have been changed to preserve anonymity.

When Sir Michael Caine was a young actor he was on set playing a part that required him to open a door, on doing so he found that a chair had inadvertently left in the way. He complained bitterly that the scene was ruined and it would have to be redone.

The director forcibly informed him that in future he should learn to “use the difficulty.” If you are playing a villain throw the chair to one side; if it’s a comedy fall over the chair. In other words, make the problem work to your advantage. This had a profound effect on Michael Caine and he has retained this philosophy both in his work and private life.

Basil Fawlty is the main character in a British television comedy series called Fawlty Towers, a fictional hotel in England.

The Phone Call

The lady did sound genuinely distressed. The accent sounded German but surely this was a prank.

“You must help me please, Basil has much bitings of ze guests”
“Who is Basil?” I asked.
“He is my dog. ”
“And who is he biting?”
*My guests. ”
” Guests?”
” I have a hotel.”

In my mind’s eye I had an image of Basil Fawlty on his hands and knees crawling around biting the legs of his guests and as regular viewers of the series would know that would not be necessarily be something strange, however, as I still wasn’t sure if this wasn’t a wind up I suggested that if she would give me a name and telephone number and I would ring her straight back. A quick check with directory enquiries confirmed that the hotel did exist and the telephone number was genuine.

The hotel in question wasn’t in Cornwall and a visit would entail a whole day. The proprietor was a Mrs Bauer. A visit was arranged Mrs Bauer turned out to be a charming but formidable lady.

It appeared that she had recently taken over the running of the hotel from a family member who had returned to Germany to nurse a sick relative and had no experience of dogs.

Basil, the dog

Basil was a delightful Flat-coated Retriever who relieved his boredom by taking the guests by the hand and leading them to his toy pile in the garden and he would indicate that they should throw a toy for him to retrieve. Obviously, his previous owner was a fan of the tv series and had a sense of humour.

For those who have no knowledge of the breed, it looks similar to a Golden Retriever except that the coat is usually black although some are liver coloured. In the 19th century, it was a very popular breed of dog amongst gamekeepers in England. Sadly it’s popularity has waned but I remain a great fan.

Now before we go any further we need to establish a very important fact.

Gun dogs, ie Retrievers, Labradors, and Springer Spaniels etc have what is called a soft mouth and are naturally adept at retrieving items without leaving a mark on the object, in fact, a highly experienced gundog can carry a raw egg in its mouth without it breaking. This skill allows them to retrieve game without damaging the bird. It is not uncommon for these dogs to take a humans hand in their mouth without hurting and lead them where the dog wants them to go. Basil was a master of the art!!

It transpired that the previous owner kept Basil in his private quarters and only selected guests who knew the dog well we’re allowed to play with him but unfortunately because he was now not restrained in any way Basil thought that all his birthdays and Christmas had all arrived in one. Freed from his usual confinement he realised that he had an endless supply of people who might play with him so he roamed the hotel corridors in search of unsuspecting guests who would be willing to play. Of course, some people were delighted at this unexpected turn of events but others were quite annoyed to be assailed by a large dog and some were just frightened. Regular guests were happy to take part in Basil’s games and thought that it added to the charm of the hotel, however, others were definitely not! Can you imagine being in a hotel and as you leave your room standing outside is a large dog taking you by the hand and leading you into the garden to play. I would love it but unfortunately, not everybody shares my enthusiasm for such antics.

No easy solution

Naturally, the solution was to restrict access to the hotel grounds for Basil but Mrs Bauer wasn’t happy with this idea, in fact, I am sure that she thought more of Basil than the financial viability of the hotel.

I explained that this was a problem that required compromise, the safety and wellbeing of the guests was paramount but Mrs Bauer was obviously besotted with Basil and didn’t want to restrict his movements.

While Mrs Bauer departed to go back to running the hotel I was left to ponder how I was going resolve this problem.

The status quo would result in the hotel being in trouble on various fronts. Guests might sue, health and safety would be an issue, the licence was at risk but I got the impression none of this was on Mrs Bauers mind. Her priority was Basil.

Having exhausted my repertoire of reasons why he had to be confined and getting nowhere I was reduced to standing in the hotel grounds throwing a ball for Basil.

Now I freely admit I am not the sharpest knife in the draw and can sometimes be a little slow off the mark but suddenly it came to me. Instead of it being a negative let’s turn it into a positive, “Use the difficulty.”

Basil, the celebrity

Due to the design of the property, it was obvious that the construction of a chain-link fence of just over three yards and a gate would still give the guests access to Basil but wouldn’t give Bazil the opportunity to ambush unsuspecting guests. In fact, Mrs Bauer could use it as an added attraction for the hotel. Dog lovers could obtain a key from reception and spend a set time with Basil. Set times would be mandatory so as not to overtire him.

Mrs Bauer was not wildly enthusiastic with the idea but before I had departed she was on the phone to a local builder trying to arrange a suitable date to get the work done.

Despite her initial lack of enthusiasm for the idea Mrs Bauer finally accepted that it was a solution that allowed Basil a degree of freedom, kept the guests entertained and didn’t put the hotel licence at risk.

I am delighted to say that for many years Basil entertained the hotel guests and became something of a local celebrity.

That night I raised a glass to…..Michael Caine