The New York Knicks have Spike Lee, the Los Angeles Lakers may have Jack Nicholson, even Everton FC can count Dame Judi Dench among their ‘avid-Blue’ fan base. Now, the NBA’s Utah Jazz can count on none other than John Cleese, one of the original founding members of the Monty Python troupe, to be one of their most ardent fans. Even though he has never seen a game live, Cleese has remained a Jazz fan for more than two decades.
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Easily the funniest comedy of all-time, the 12 episodes (yes, there were only 12) of Fawlty Towers are nothing short of comedy perfection comprised of brilliant line after brilliant line and unmatched to this day, some 45+ years after its premiere in 1975. Not only is it a masterclass of comedy writing and performance, the series […]
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Posted January 30, 2021 -
With a TOH to John Cleese, we remember Michael Gwynn who momentarily fulfilled Basil’s wishes of improving the class of guest that stayed at Fawlty Towers. Gwynn was one of a long line of talented actors who paid a visit to Fawlty Towers over the course of the 12 episodes (yes, there were only 12). Gwynn passed away on 29 January 1976 at the age of 59.
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Posted December 24, 2020 -
Much like watching It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, Tuna Christmas or, as evidenced by a recent admission, Die Hard, one of my annual Christmas traditions is to listen to John Cleese’s adaptation of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas from podcast No. 28. Never mind that there have been endless readings over the years by the likes […]
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Posted September 20, 2020 -
On Saturday, as Planet Earth quietly celebrated the 45th anniversary of Fawlty Towers, series co-creator/co-writer John Cleese posed a question on Twitter to which the ability to come up with an answer is next to impossible, if not impossible. Easily the funniest comedy of all-time, the 12 episodes (yes, there were only 12) are wall-to-wall […]
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Posted September 4, 2020 -
For those of you that thought humor was invented in 1969 with the premiere of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, take a look at At Last the 1948 Show sometime. A product of David Frost’s production company, Paradine Productions, and starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Marty Feldman and Aimi MacDonald, the 1967 series brought to light the […]
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While we never had the good fortune to speak with Sydney for our any of our PBS specials that featured not only the stars of some of the all-time great British comedy series but also focused on the writers and creators of some of the classics of British comedy, it was through the words of John Cleese, Dame Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, Jenny Funnell, Moira Brooker, Philip Bretherton, Richard Briers, Michael Crawford, Roy Clarke, David Jason, Karl Howman, Bob Larbey and Frank Thornton that we were immediately schooled on the greatness that was Sydney Lotterby.
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Hopefully, there is a point in everyone’s career where you have such an awesome day that you can take a step back for a moment and think it really can’t get any better than this. A recent conversation with Anne Reid, the absolutely delightful star of Sanditon, Last Tango in Halifax and Hold the Sunset, provided me with one of those days I’ll never forget.
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On the heels of the removal of The Mighty Boosh, Little Britain, Come Fly with Me and The League of Gentlemen from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Britbox, comes the announcement by catch-up and streaming platform, UKTV Play, that they will immediately remove “The Germans” episode of what has long been considered the greatest television comedy series in existence, Fawlty Towers. While the remaining eleven episodes will still be available, at this point, no one knows if we’ve heard the last of the classic catchphrase line from the episode, “Don’t mention the war”.
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Posted December 31, 2019 -
Best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Rutles and collaborating with the British comedy troupe Monty Python, Neil Innes died unexpectedly on Sunday at the age of 75. Innes, who will forever be known as ‘the 7th Python’, performed piano, guitar and vocals in The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band whose hit in 1968, […]
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