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John Cleese has “apologised” to his fans after the Fawlty Towers star announced he was working on a remake of the classic sitcom.
The 83-year-old actor, who played hotelier Basil Fawlty, said he “had no idea that the idea of writing a new comedy with my daughter would cause so much anger and angst.”
In a Twitter post, he added: “I he really meant no harm. I naively thought it might be fun.
Cleese told his fans that he felt “terrible” for “unleashing this tidal wave of negative emotions,” before asking, “Please forgive me.”
Earlier this month, Cleese announced that Fawlty Towers, one of Britain’s most beloved sitcoms, would be returning to small screens after a four-decade absence.
However, the news of the decision to write new episodes with his daughter Camilla was met with backlash from some fans.
John Cleese played hotelier John Fawlty in the original BBC sitcom.
John Cleese tweeted his ‘apologies’ for the ‘anger and heartbreak’ caused by the revival series announcement
John Cleese photographed in March of last year
Some fans claimed that if the original series was released today, it would have been ‘canceled’, as they questioned whether the nature of the slapstick humor would be appropriate for a modern audience.
Some lovers of the iconic original, which ran for just 12 episodes, even took to social media, with some begging Cleese not to remake the show.
One person said, “The reason this is considered to be one of the best sitcoms of all time, if not the best, is that there were only 12 episodes.” 12 episodes of genius. It will be better to leave it there.
Another agreed, saying: ‘It was a classic. The characters, the way Fawlty said things, his mannerisms.
‘The way you tried [Manuel]. It was funny at a time when we could actually laugh. We now have a generation of people who are easily surprised and offended. Leave it as a classic.
A third criticized comedy remakes, insisting they never worked, saying “These reboots or remakes of British comedy shows are often terrible.”
“They lack the writing and energy of the originals, and often returning actors fail to return to the role and new characters lack any kind of substance.”
A fourth person on Twitter simply wrote: ‘Oh no. Leave perfection as it is.
He’s also previously hinted that the new episodes could be set in the Caribbean rather than Torquay, as the TV legend revealed he refused to allow the series to return to the ‘woke’ BBC.
Speaking to GB News about his revival, he also claimed that he would not be allowed the necessary ‘freedom’ with the public service broadcaster.
Speaking about Dan Wootton’s new Tonight series on GB News, he said: “When I look at old videos, now all these wonderful English actors are not with us anymore, so suddenly we think if the only character that continues is Basil, then we can come up with something amazing.
John Cleese has hinted his Fawlty Towers reboot could be set in the Caribbean rather than Torquay, as the TV legend revealed he refused to allow the series to return to the ‘woke’ BBC
The actor, who played grumpy hotelier Basil Fawlty on the classic sitcom, claimed he would not be allowed the necessary “freedom” with the public service broadcaster.
‘So we thought, ‘Where?’ Not in a small English town, but somewhere funnier and much more different, say a Caribbean island or something with a little bijou hotel with some rich people coming to stay.
When Fawlty Towers was originally broadcast in the 1970s, it won several Baftas, including Best Scripted Comedy, and Cleese also picked up Best Entertainment Performance.
The Monty Python star has yet to say which channel the remake will show, and while details are under wraps, it’s supposed to avoid heavily ‘woke’ scenarios from the original show.
One episode, The Germans, featured Basil leaving a German guest in tears with repeated mentions of the war.
In another, the character Major Gowen, played by Ballard Berkeley, repeatedly used the N-word about the West Indies cricket team. He was temporarily taken down by the UKTV streaming service.
The sequel will be written alongside his daughter, Camilla Cleese, as he revealed that they have been working together for around 16 years.
However, he acknowledged that there would have to be changes following the death of Andrew Sachs, who played the hapless waiter Manuel, and the Alzheimer’s diagnosis of Prunella Scales, who played his on-screen wife, Sybil.
Cleese previously announced that he will lead a new GB News program called Dinosaur Hour.
About introducing the new show, he said: ‘I’m excited. I’ve been working with a couple guys on it. And the idea of being able to create a show from scratch without anyone looking down on us is extraordinary.
‘I mean, you wouldn’t get an offer like this anywhere else on the planet. It’s extraordinary. And I’m really looking forward to it because I think there are so many clichés on regular television that it would be nice to try to avoid them.”