 In fact, Sachs's original language was German; he emigrated to Britain as a child.The character's nationality was switched to Italian (and the name to Paolo) for the Spanish dub of the show, while in Catalonia and France, Manuel is a Mexican.The first episode of "Fawlty Towers" was recorded as a pilot on 24 December 1974, the rest of the series being recorded later in 1975.