Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales has died aged 93, her family have confirmed.

Scales was best known for playing hotel manager Sybil Fawlty, the bossy wife of Basil, in the classic British sitcom.

The actress died “peacefully at home in London yesterday”, her sons Samuel and Joseph said.

They added that she was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died. She had been diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013.

“Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday. She was 93,” her sons told the PA News agency.

“Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home.”

Her husband, fellow actor Timothy West, died in November last year.

She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The statement added: “We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love.”

This year marked 50 years since the classic comedy Fawlty Towers first appeared on screens.

She also went on to receive a Bafta nomination for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s 1991 televised play, A Question of Attribution.