In case anyone is wondering what they might get Tellyspotting for Christmas (ok, I’m kidding), take note that Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide by John Cleese will be released the first week of September.

Cleese was in Dallas back in December 2019 before this ‘sheltering at home’ mandate got a grip on most of the inhabitants of Planet Earth to accept the Ernie Kovacs Award from the Dallas Video Festival. Tellyspotting had the great good fortune to be able to sit down with the comedy legend to talk about creativity, comedy and life in general.

It was the 2nd time we have been able to spend some rarified air time with Cleese over the years, the first being for our PBS special, Fawlty Towers Revisited, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of what has to be the best sitcom of all-time, Fawlty Towers.

John Cleese in PBS’ Fawlty Towers Revisited. Photo: Bill Young

Creativity is usually regarded as a mysterious, rare gift that only a few possess. John Cleese, however, begs to differ. Not only does he beg to differ, he has penned a highly-anticipated (IMHO), immensely practical and often very amusing guide demonstrating that it’s a skill that anyone can acquire.

As a founding member of the Monty Python comedy troupe, Cleese draws on his lifelong experience as a writer, sharing his insights into the nature of the creative process and offering advice on how to get your own inventive juices flowing. Cleese will provide answers to the basic creativity questions like ‘what do you need to do to get yourself in the right frame of mind’,  ‘when do you know that you’ve come up with something that might be worth pursuing’ and ‘what do you do if you think you’ve hit a brick wall’?

Not only does he explain the way your mind works as you search for inspiration, he also shows that, regardless of the task you’ve set yourself, you can learn to be better at coming up with a promising idea, refining it and knowing when you’re ready to act on it.

Photo: Penguin Random House

We can all be more creative. Thankfully, with Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide,  John Cleese shows us how. Look for it in early September 2020. A look for the Tellyspotting interview with the greatness of John Cleese this Fall.