John Cleese has said Basil Fawlty would not have recognised the England of today.
The Fawlty Towers and Dinosaur Hour star has said he wants to return to a “happier, friendlier, calmer, more ironic culture” in England.
It comes ahead of an adaptation of the BBC sitcom that opens on London’s West End next week, which Cleese said has an “incredibly talented new cast.”
The 84-year-old has adapted three episodes from the original series, “The Germans”, “The Hotel Inspectors” and “Communication Problems” for the stage play.
John Cleese said anyone determined to make good comedy ‘has got to have a bit of spine’
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He spoke about how his character, flustered B&B manager Basil Fawlty would not recognise the current state of England.
He told The Telegraph: “In many ways, I think Basil would be even more of a fish out of water in today’s world than he was in the 1970s. A lot of the so-called woke attitudes of today are about being kind and inclusive – and who is going to disagree with that?
“But Basil would find things like the proliferation of call centres maddening, and certain issues, such as trans women being allowed to compete in female sports, bewildering. I know he would, because I do, too.”
He added that, while Basil may be “old fashioned”, he said that his Basil is universal due to his often failed attempts to keep a level head and remain calm in stressful situations.
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Fawlty Towers has been criticised over a scene in “The Germans” when long-term guest Major Gowen uses racist language when referring to an England vs India cricket match. Cleese said he has rewritten the scene for the stage adaptation.
He added: “At the time, in 1979, everyone knew that it was the attitudes themselves that were the butt of the joke, but we’ve taken this bit out anyway because it’s not worth the trouble. But we haven’t changed much else and we’ve added a finale joining the three stories together.”
Cleese did have some praise for Basil, saying that there were some instances where he was ahead of his time, including his relationships with wife Sybil, played by Prunella Scales and Polly, played by Cleese’s then wife and the show’s co-writer Connie Booth.
He added: “Basil, who is simply not up to the job of running the hotel, is surrounded by two very competent women who are. Both Sybil and Polly can run rings around him. We didn’t see Polly as the attractive one, but as the voice of sanity.”
Basil in an altercation with Manuel, played by Andrew Sachs
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Cleese, who starred in The Dinosaur Hour for GB News, said that he is still working on a revival of Fawlty Towers for TV with his daughter Camilla.
He said in the revival, Basil goes out to the Caribbean where his long-lost daughter, played by Camilla, is a hotelier and needs a bit of help.
Fawlty Towers: The Play, opens on Saturday, May 4 in London’s West End at the Apollo Theatre.
