John Cleese to star in his first BBC sitcom since Fawlty Towers

The comedy legend is set to act in six-part series Edith
Comeback: John Cleese is returning to the BBC for a new sitcom
James Morgan/Getty
Ben Travis12 April 2017

John Cleese has signed up to star in a new BBC sitcom – his first since the classic Fawlty Towers.

The 77 year-old comedy legend will act alongside Gavin & Stacey’s Alison Steadman in new series Edith.

The six-episode show will star Cleese as Phil, who plans to finally marry the widowed love of his life, Edith, but finds his romance stalled by her 50 year-old son Roger.

Cleese is full of praise for the writing on the show.

“These are the most enjoyable scripts I’ve been sent in the last 100 years,” he said.

“It will also be particularly nice to work with Alison again since we joined forces in Clockwise all that time ago.”

The casting comes after Cleese previously claimed he doesn’t want to work for the BBC.

Speaking to Shortlist in November 2015, the comedian said: “There’s no way I want to work in TV, especially at the BBC. I have a nasty feeling a large proportion of the commissioning editors have no idea what they’re doing.

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“I said this the other day, and a younger comic said: ‘No, there’s one at the BBC.’ Just the one.”

Speaking about Cleese's casting, BBC comedy commissioning editor Shaun Allen said: “It’s also a huge pleasure to welcome John Cleese back to the land of BBC sitcom – his last one did all right.”

​Fawlty Towers aired twelve episodes between 1975 and 1979, and in a BFI poll in the year 2000 was named the Best British TV series of all time.

Edith is also set to star Jason Watkins and Jessica Hynes.

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