it was because of his talent for directing comedy that he was chosen to handle the second series of "fawlty towers" in 1979, which already had an enormous reputation on the basis of its initial six episodes in 1975, and it won him his first bafta award. spiers subsequently provided a commentary for all the episodes he directed of "fawlty towers" when the series was released on dvd. shortly after he directed the series and the unbroadcast pilot of "not the nine o'clock news", spiers left the staff of the bbc to work as a freelance director.