John Cleese confirms he 'isn't updating' Fawlty Towers for revival
"People probably won't understand it at the beginning."
In February last year, John Cleese shocked TV fans with the news that Fawlty Towers was set to be revived, 50 years after the iconic sitcom was first broadcast.
In a surprise announcement, the Monty Python alum confirmed that he was writing new episodes in collaboration with his daughter, Camilla Cleese.
At the time, the 84-year-old suggested that the new run would see the return of Basil Fawlty as he navigates the modern world and manages a boutique hotel with his daughter – who he has just realised is his.
Now, the actor has said that he won't be changing the show's humour or style in any way for a modern viewership.
"We'd never try to update Fawlty Towers," he told RadioTimes.com and other press. "People probably won't understand it at the beginning if they’re young, but they'll pick it up."
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This news is hardly surprising and appears to be in line with what Camilla previously said about the approaching reboot, telling The Sun: "There will be jokes that will be a little bit edgy but we’re not out to get anyone, we don't dislike any people.
"That's not the basis of it. People are a little sensitive nowadays, to put it lightly."
In the past, John has made his attitudes towards so-called 'cancel culture' clear, and today – at a press event for the Fawlty Towers stage play – he speculated that "there's been too much change" in the world of TV.
However, he added that the original series was not always the hit it's considered today, recalling: "A lot of people didn't particularly like it when it started.
"I remember [an article] after the second episode said 'Long John short on jokes', but then suddenly everybody started to love it."
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When asked why he and then-wife Connie Booth only wrote 12 episodes for the original series, he said that it was down to the fact it used to take six weeks to write each episode.
"We didn't start writing dialogue for at least two weeks," he explained. "We felt after the 12 shows that we had done the best we possibly could, and if we had written another series people would have said that it wasn't as good."
There is no fixed date yet for the Fawlty Towers revival, but the Fawlty Towers stage play is getting ready to open this month – tickets can be found at Love Theatre.
Buy Fawlty Towers tickets at Love Theatre
Read more:
- BBC "happy to talk" to John Cleese about Fawlty Towers reboot
- Michael Palin says Monty Python will never reunite again: 'That was the end of it'
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