John Cleese to Star in ‘Fawlty Towers’ Revival

Yet another classic series is getting a long-awaited revival. (We have to be running out of shows to revive, right? At this point what is even left? There’s Profit and Capitol Critters, and I think that is it?)

This time it is the legendary British sitcom Fawlty Towers that is coming back. Original series co-creator and star John Cleese will headline the show, opposite his real-life daughter, Camilla Cleese. In the updated series, Cleese’s Basil Fawlty will apparently team with his daughter to run a new hotel.

Here was Cleese’s statement on the new.

What I like about Matt [George, the new Fawlty Towers’ producer] is that, unlike many producers, he really ‘gets’ the creative process. When we first met, he offered an excellent first idea, and then Matt, my daughter Camilla, and I had one of the best creative sessions I can remember. By dessert we had an overall concept so good that, a few days later, it won the approval of Rob and Michele Reiner. Camilla and I look forward enormously to expanding it into a series.

(Of the new show, Reiner — whose Castle Rock Entertainment company is backing the revival — said “John Cleese is a comedy legend. Just the idea of working with him makes me laugh.”)

The original Fawlty Towers is widely considered one of the greatest British TV comedies in history, and starred Cleese opposite his wife at the time, Connie Booth, who also co-created and co-wrote the show with him. Cleese based the character of Basil Fawlty on a hotel owner he had encountered in his travels with Monty Python. (The owner, Donald Sinclair, even has his own Wikipedia page.)

Despite its popularity and longevity, Fawlty Towers only lasted for two seasons of 12 total episodes in the 1970s — at least until now. More than 40 years after its original conclusion, it will finally get new installments.

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