John Cleese says Fawlty Towers reboot won’t be on BBC and won’t be Anti-Woke Nightmare

John Cleese has spoken of his surprising revival FawltyTowers will not return to his original home at the BBC because the British broadcaster would not give him enough editorial freedom.

The 83-year-old British comedy icon said the revived series, which is in the works at Rob Reiner’s Castle Rock Entertainment, will find a new home as he writes scripts with his daughter Camilla Cleese.

When asked if he wanted to work for the BBC, he said: “No, because then you don’t get the freedom.”

He told GB News, the UK’s right-wing news channel, that the series will take main character Basil Fawlty and transport him from his Torquay hotel to the Caribbean.

Set 40 years after season two, Cleese said a “little old hotel” on a Caribbean island would be the perfect setting for a modern-day Fawlty.

“If you take it to the Caribbean, it becomes very multiracial. People in the hospitality industry come from all over the world, so you can bring a lot of different people together. The characteristic of FawltyTowers was the pressure cooker atmosphere created in the hotel.”

GB news presenter Dan Wootton read a headline to Cleese The protectorWho said that FawltyTowers a reboot would be “a nightmare versus awakening”.

Cleese replied: “Obviously you know better than I what’s behind this. Maybe you should write me an episode that you find acceptable. Maybe not very funny, but I’m sure some of your readers will be very happy about it.”

He added: “The idea that it was all about Wakery didn’t really occur to me.”

Although it only lasted for two seasons and ended in 1979, FawltyTowers is number 1 on numerous best British comedy of all time lists.

Written by Cleese and Connie Booth, the show followed hapless hotel manager Fawlty and a cast of characters including Spanish waiter Manuel (Andrew Sachs), Cleese’s bossy wife Sybil (Prunella Scales) and her maid Polly (Booth).