John Cleese deciding to reboot classic British comedy ‘Fawlty Towers’ after forty odd years off the air has been big news this week, even though most people with a brain realise that it probably wouldn’t actually be that funny in the current climate and should probably be left well alone in order not to have its legacy tarnished.
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83 year old Cleese is determined to push through with it though, but he’s revealed that he won’t be taking the show to its original broadcasting partner the BBC as it’s too woke and too scared of offending people. Cleese was talking to GB News’ Dan Wooton (of course) when he said the following:
No, because I wouldn’t get the freedom. was terribly lucky, Dan. I was working for the BBC in the late 60s, 70s and the beginning of the 80s.
That was the best time because the BBC was run by people with real personality who loved the medium and they were operating out of confidence, which was okay because there wasn’t so much competition.
Then John Birt came in and said if the BBC didn’t match the viewing figures that the commercial channels were getting they’d get their license revoked.
So then they started going for the biggest audiences and they tended to go for the lowest common denominator while always denying they were doing that.
If you look at a paper now from 1985 and looked at the TV shows available that evening and compare what they are now – basically in Britain we’ve gone from what was a middle-class culture with all its failings to a tabloid culture, and that is why there is so much of this screaming at people.
I want to deal with subjects that get people upset but I want to get sensible people with a sense of humour who will listen to each other and who will trade arguments instead of simply making speeches.
Wow – that’s almost exactly what I thought he would say about a subject like this. I’m not sure where that leave the ‘Fawlty Towers’ reboot now but I’m sure Cleese will be able to find some network out there to finance it. Whether anyone is actually going to watch it is another issue though. I can’t really see a comedy written by an 83 year old really resonating with the public that much these days, can you? Especially when he’s desperately chasing the old glory of something that made him a comedy legend over 40 years ago.
Give it up and lie down already old man. Or go back to shouting at clouds or something. Sad.
For more of the same, check out John Cleese apologising to white English men for making fun of them. Such an old bore.
