Half a century after Fawlty Towers first appeared on television screens, John Cleese is still slightly bemused by its enduring popularity.
The comedy legend, who co-created the sitcom with Connie Booth, admits he was confident that Fawlty Towers – The Play would find an audience when it opened in London’s West End in 2024. What he did not anticipate was the scale of its success.
“To be honest, I was more confident about it than almost anything I’ve ever done,” he says. “I remember reading the finished script and thinking it was really funny.”
That confidence has been rewarded. Following two sold-out West End seasons, the production is now touring the UK and Ireland, bringing Basil Fawlty, Manuel, Polly and Mrs Richards to audiences far beyond London.
For Cleese, the appeal is simple: people love farce.
“The English do love farce,” he says, citing everyone from Ben Travers to Brian Rix and Ray Cooney. “Farce is universal.”
It is also remarkably timeless. While only 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers were ever made, the series remains deeply embedded in British culture. Cleese recalls hearing about a family who play a game in which they try to slip famous quotes from the sitcom into everyday conversations without the others noticing.
“How great a compliment is that?” he says. “If anyone says, ‘Don’t mention the war’, everyone knows its origin.”
The stage adaptation combines three classic episodes — The Hotel Inspector, The Germans and Communication Problems — into a single theatrical experience, complete with a new finale written by Cleese himself.
The response from audiences has been overwhelming.
When the production first opened at London’s Apollo Theatre, Cleese remembers watching the audience react to Basil’s increasingly desperate attempts to maintain order.
“They were literally rocking with laughter,” he says.
At 86, retirement appears nowhere on the horizon. Alongside celebrating the 50th anniversary of Fawlty Towers with his new book, Fawlty Towers: Fawlts And All – My Favourite Moments, Cleese has been developing several new projects.
These include a potential television revival of Fawlty Towers, co-created with his daughter Camilla, a stage musical adaptation of A Fish Called Wanda, and a new film project currently in development.
Yet despite his ongoing creative work, Cleese remains convinced that comedy’s greatest value lies in its ability to help people through difficult moments.
“I don’t need that sort of validation,” he says when discussing honours and awards. “It’s enough for me to know that I’ve helped people through difficult times by making them laugh.
“They come home, turn on an episode of Fawlty Towers and the world doesn’t seem quite so bleak. That’s my reward.”
In an age often characterised by division and uncertainty, Cleese believes laughter remains one of the most valuable things we can share.
“I think we need much more laughter in the world,” he says. “I’m not advocating mean teasing. Just good old-fashioned laughter.
“There’s nothing to beat it.”
John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers – The Play runs at New Theatre Oxford from Tuesday 14 July to Saturday 18 July.
The post Stage Watch: ‘I think we need much more laughter in the world’ says John Cleese appeared first on The Oxford Magazine.
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