Main content

5. John Cleese on Fawlty Towers

John Cleese shares the inside story of a sitcom masterpiece with TV veterans Peter Fincham and Jon Plowman. From 2021.

Comedy legend John Cleese discusses his ±«Óătv TV sitcom masterpiece, Fawlty Towers.

He's sharing the inside story with TV veterans Peter Fincham and Jon Plowman.

John traces the beginnings of Basil Fawlty all the way back to his work on Monty Python (“nice though the abattoir is…”), and talks about the real hotelier who inspired the character.

He tells us about the writing and casting of the show, and discusses some of the challenges of bringing a character like Fawlty to the screen.

And John talks about the doomed American effort to remake Fawlty , but with one tiny change – the leading character Basil was written out!

Producer: Owen Braben

Made for ±«Óătv Radio 4 Extra by Expectation Productions, and first broadcast in October 2021.

Available now

1 hour

Broadcasts

  • Wed 20 Oct 2021 11:30
  • Thu 21 Oct 2021 22:30
  • Thu 24 Aug 2023 21:00
  • Thu 24 Aug 2023 23:30

Hello Bolly: What’s So Funny About Absolutely Fabulous?

Hello Bolly: What’s So Funny About Absolutely Fabulous?

Uncovering some of the show’s secret with creator and star Jennifer Saunders.

Hysterical Clericals: What’s So Funny About The Vicar of Dibley?

Hysterical Clericals: What’s So Funny About The Vicar of Dibley?

Exploring the show's magic formula with actor Dawn French and creator Richard Curtis.

The Office at 20 – 10 things we learned from Ricky Gervais

The Office at 20 – 10 things we learned from Ricky Gervais

Ricky reveals some remarkable facts, secrets and behind-the-scenes gossip about the show.