John Cleese snubs BBC over Fawlty Towers remake because the corporation is too ‘woke’ to handle the sitcom’s near-the-knuckle gags
- The actor said he is not doing it with the BBC because he ‘won’t get the freedom’
- He said BBC has become too dominated by those frightened of offending others
John Cleese will not let the BBC screen a remake of Fawlty Towers as he thinks the organisation has become too ‘woke’.
The actor, who played grumpy hotelier Basil Fawlty in the BBC2 show, said last night: ‘I’m not doing it with the BBC because I won’t get the freedom.’
The 83-year-old added: ‘I was terribly lucky because I was working for the BBC in the late 60s, 70s, beginning of the 80s and that was the best time because the BBC was run by people with real personality… But I believe it’s become far too dominated by people who are frightened of offending people.’
He told GB News’ Dan Wootton: ‘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 rather than simply making speeches.’
John Cleese said last night: ‘I’m not doing it with the BBC because I won’t get the freedom’
Cleese said: ‘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 rather than simply making speeches’
The Monty Python star is yet to say which channel will show the remake.
Details are secret but it is safe to assume it will avoid very ‘un-woke’ scenarios of the original show, which ran from 1975 and 1979. One episode, The Germans, featured Basil leaving a German guest in tears with repeated mentions of the war.
In another the character Major Gowen, played by Ballard Berkeley, repeatedly used the N-word about the West Indies cricket team. It was temporarily pulled by streaming service UKTV.
Cleese said at the time: ‘We were not supporting [the Major’s] views, we were making fun of them.’
The plot for the long-awaited reboot is being kept tightly under wraps, but it will, of course, see the return of the inept hotel manager Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese
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