Photo: John Cleese/Torbay.gov.uk

If our new normal of social distancing still has you confused as to what actually constitutes a ‘safe social distance’, consider this from one, John Cleese, with the ultimate in visual explanations for those thick of mind, courtesy of the Torbay Council.

Going forward if I see you too close to one another I shall lay down in-between. Social distance! @Torbay_Council pic.twitter.com/rzU8mNhFdr

— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) August 4, 2020

The back and forth on Twitter between John and the Torbay Council has to be the reason Twitter was created.

Brilliantly, Cleese began by tweeting : “Going forward if I see you too close to one another I shall lay down in-between. Social distance!” Then, as if channeling the hapless hotelier, he added “2 metres = 1 Basil Fawlty” for those individuals who would, most likely, fall into the ‘riff-raff’ category of clientele that he would hope to avoid staying at Fawlty Towers.

The Torbay Council responded with: “Thanks we’ve been working hard to spread the message here in Torbay.” And, then, it added in a series of tweets using poor Manuel as the target of their frustration: “But for some, the guidance was a little confusing.” What followed was the graphic above so that even Manuel could understand without taking a spoon to the forehead.

This isn’t the first time John has had a character from his past used to promote social distancing. It seems as though, earlier this Summer, the North Somerset Council had a similar notion and called upon the Minister of Silly Walks to visually explain what this seemingly simple concept is for those that still didn’t get it.

Photo: North Somerset Council

The signs have appeared in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset which is under the control of the North Somerset Council. Weston-super-Mare just happens to be the town where one John Cleese was born.

So, whether it’s Torbay and Basil Fawlty or Weston-super-Mare and the Minister of Silly Walks, you should be able to figure out the 2 metres distancing at this point…unless your name is Manuel and you’re from Barcelona.