One of the best British comedy series of all time – Fawlty Towers – is being rebooted, with John Cleese set to return to his iconic character Basil Fawlty. Along with Only Fools and Horses, Fawlty Towers regularly tops lists of the best British sitcoms (or best TV series of any kind) of all time. It was surprisingly short-lived, with only six episodes released in 1975, and six more in 1979.
Cleese will write and star in the revival, alongside his daughter Camilla Cleese. Rob Reiner is executive producing the series for Castle Rock Television, which is developing the project. Reiner is the director of many classic movies including This is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me, and romance movies The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally.
Cleese says; “Matthew George 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.”
Rob Reiner said; “John Cleese is a comedy legend. Just the idea of working with him makes me laugh.” The series will explore the relationship between Basil and a daughter he has just discovered, as the two tempt fate and team up to run a boutique hotel.
The original series starred Prunella Scales as Sybil Fawlty, Connie Booth as Polly, and Andrew Sachs as Manuel. John Cleese is now a controversial figure on social media, frequently expressing his opinions regarding “cancel culture.” He was, of course, a member of comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus with Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Graham Chapman.
Check out our guide to the best comedy movies.