Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.co.uk
John Cleese has launched a withering attack on ‘clueless’ BBC bosses he claims ‘have no idea what they’re doing’ – and has blamed woke censorship for the death of British comedy.
The 85-year-old comedy icon co-wrote the hit sitcom Fawlty Towers with his then-wife Connie Booth, also his co-star.
Just two series aired in the 70s, but they have nonetheless gone down in British comedy history as an example of genius writing and comic timing.
But Cleese, who starred as the hapless and perpetually irritated hotel owner Basil Fawlty, has insisted fans will never again see work from him on the BBC.
Speaking on stage at the Slapstick comedy festival in Bristol, Cleese said of the broadcaster: ‘If you put a script in now it has to go through a f***ing committee who have no idea what they are doing.
‘There has been nothing funny since The Office. It is sad and it is because the people in charge have no idea how to make comedy happen.
John Cleese (pictured) has launched a withering attack on ‘clueless’ BBC bosses he claims ‘have no idea what they’re doing’ – and has blamed censorship for the death of British comedy
The 85-year-old comedy icon co-wrote the hit sitcom Fawlty Towers with his then-wife Connie Booth, also his co-star (Pictured: The creative duo in the 70s)
‘The whole process has been replaced by a bureaucratic process which does not begin to work.’
The Monty Python star lamented the decline of British comedy, saying: ‘We used to be really good at it and now we are not and that is very sad.
‘There weren’t committees when we started. Comedy now has to be clean. You must not play for laughs. I am going to write a book about writing comedy to make people aware how difficult it is.’
And in a brutal takedown of BBC executives, Cleese continued: ‘The people organising comedy have never been very good but at the moment, particularly at the BBC, they are clueless.
‘I don’t think it is a lack of talent – except among the executive classes. Those classes have no idea what they are doing.’
For avid fans of Fawlty Towers, Cleese is now working on a sequel to the hugely popular 2016 stage adaptation of the sitcom.
Bristol-born Cleese is in the process of assembling scripts for the new show, inspired by three episodes from the TV original.
Among them is The Psychiatrist – where Basil accidentally gropes a guest’s breast as he reaches for a light switch – and The Kipper And The Corpse, where the desperate hotel staff try to hide the body of a dead guest.
Just two series aired in the 70s, but they have nonetheless gone down in British comedy history as an example of genius writing and comic timing
But Cleese, who starred as the hapless and perpetually irritated hotel owner Basil Fawlty, has insisted fans will never again see work from him on the BBC
The Monty Python star lamented the decline of British comedy, saying: ‘We used to be really good at it and now we are not and that is very sad’
Fawlty Towers was revived by Cleese with a stage show in London’s West End last year, which has received glowing reviews.
Its story is pulled from three popular episodes, including The Germans, in which hotel boss Basil notoriously ends up imitating Adolf Hitler in front of horrified German guests in a major faux pas.
Basil The Rat, which sees waiter Manuel’s pet rodent escape in the hotel, will also be included in the upcoming show.
Cleese said of the new production: ‘In the West End, we took favourites such as Mrs Richards, The Germans and The Food Inspectors and put those together to make the show.
‘But it has been so successful that I said “Let’s put together three other shows.”
‘There is no reason we cannot do it again but we wouldn’t want to have it on at the same time so maybe in a year and a half’s time?’
Cleese has previously been outspoken about the conflicts between free speech and political correctness when it comes to comedy.
He previously noted: ‘What annoys me is how some people think they have invented kindness. Much of my comedy is about teasing people with affection.’
Share or comment on this article:
John Cleese launches blistering attack on ‘clueless’ BBC bosses who have ‘no idea what they’re doing’ as he blames woke censorship for killing British comedy