Donald William Sinclair (10 July 1909 – 5 September 1981)[1][3] was the co-proprietor of the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, Devon, England.

This was owing to Sinclair's allegedly stuffy, snobbish and eccentric treatment of his guests, including Cleese and other members of the Monty Python cast.

On 13 May 1941, Salopian was escorting a convoy in the North Atlantic, 400 miles south of Greenland, when she was attacked by the U-boat U-98 in heavy fog.

On the morning of 12 November, at Bougie, French Algeria, Karanja was hit in the engine room by at least two bombs from a German Junkers Ju 88 bomber and caught fire before sinking.

She was a policeman's daughter from Ellon, Aberdeenshire, who worked as a fashion consultant and designer at a Glasgow department store.

[5] After the war ended, while her husband was still serving at sea, Beatrice opened a hotel in Torquay called Greenacres.

[12] Donald Sinclair died at his home, Compass South, in Ilsham Marine Drive in Torquay, on 5 September 1981, at the age of 72.

[1] According to The Spectator, his death, from a heart attack and stroke, resulted from an event in August when "some workmen he'd upset painted his patio furniture and car gunmetal grey during the night.

[12] In May 1970, the cast of Monty Python's Flying Circus met the Sinclairs while staying at the Gleneagles Hotel; they were filming in nearby Paignton.

[18] Sinclair's actions included criticising American Terry Gilliam's table etiquette and taking Eric Idle's briefcase out to the back of the hotel car park, because he thought it contained a bomb.

[11] The publication in 2006 of Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years, written by Michael Palin, supported Cleese's assessment of the Sinclairs.

[24] Rosemary Harrison, a waitress at the Gleneagles under Sinclair, stated: Fawlty Towers was terribly funny.