Fawlty Towers prepares to revive with John Cleese and his daughter
The classic sitcom Fawlty Towers will be revived with John Cleese returning to write and star alongside his daughter Camilla Cleese.
The original show, written by Cleese and Connie Booth, ran on BBC2 for two series in 1975 and 1979.
It follows the unfortunate feats of the highly manly Torquay hotelier Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese, and his wife Sybil, played by Prunella Scales, as they attempt to maintain the hotel and his marriage.
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John Cleese (Conor McCabe/PA)
In 2019, the show was named the best British sitcom of all time by a panel of television experts by Radio Times magazine.
On Tuesday, Castle Rock Entertainment announced it had closed a deal with actor and writer John Cleese to bring the television series back.
The new series will explore how the dramatic and cynical Basil navigates the modern world.
It will also see Basil and a daughter he just found out to be his, teaming up to run a boutique hotel.
Actor Rob Reiner, his wife and actresses Michele Reiner, directors and producers Matthew George and Derrick Rossi will serve as executive producers on the series.
“What I like about Matt is that, unlike many other producers, he really ‘gets’ the creative process,” Cleese said.
“When we first met, he came up with a great idea first, then Matt, my daughter Camilla, and I had one of the most amazing creative mornings I can remember. Okay.
“For dessert, we had such a great overall idea that a few days later, the idea was approved by Rob and Michele Reiner.
“Camilla and I are very much looking forward to expanding it into a series.”
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(Castle Rock Entertainment/PA)
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Producer George said that meeting John and Camilla was one of the “great thrills” of his life, adding: “I’m obsessed with Fawlty Towers and the legendary characters he’s played with. he created.
“I watched the first two seasons so much that I couldn’t count. I dream of one day participating in the sequel to the story. Now it has come true.”
Rob Reiner said: “John Cleese is a comedy legend. Just the idea of working with him makes me laugh.”
Aside from Fawlty Towers, Cleese is best known as one of the original members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.
The team has produced a number of sketch shows and surreal films including Monty Python And The Holy Grail, Monty Python’s Life Of Brian and Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life.
The actor also revealed last year he joined GB News after being told it was a “free speech channel”.
When announcing the move on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, he said: “The BBC didn’t come up to me and say, ‘Do you want to watch some hour-long shows?’.
“And if they do, I’ll say, ‘Not on your nelly,’ because I won’t get five minutes on the first show before I get canceled or censored.
Today presenter Amol Rajan replied at the time: “Well, today we give you five minutes and I can promise you that you are still uncensored.”
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/fawlty-towers-set-for-revival-with-john-cleese-and-his-daughter-42332249.html Fawlty Towers prepares to revive with John Cleese and his daughter