Leaving the world with a lifetime of laughter to enjoy forever, legendary comedy producer/director, Sydney Lotterby, dies at 93

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.

Read more

Anne Reid talks ‘Sanditon’, ‘Last Tango’ and ‘Hold the Sunset’ all the while dreaming of another opportunity to play Lady Denham!

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.

Read more

“Don’t mention the Germans episode” as iconic ‘Fawlty Towers’ episode pulled from streaming services

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”.

Read more

Neil Innes of Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band/Rutles/Monty Python fame dies at 75

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, […]

Read more

RIP: John Quarmby, Fawlty Towers’ hotel inspector, dies at 89

The Kodak moment of Quarmby’s appearance on the classic British comedy, Fawlty Towers, occurs as Manuel (Andrew Sachs) frantically searches the dining room for Basil, his pet ‘Siberian hamster’, and Polly (Connie Booth) offers the unsuspecting Mr. Carnegie a biscuit only to be confronted by the four-legged Basil hiding in the biscuit tin.

Read more

Monty Python-inspired ‘silly walk’ parade takes over central Budapest

Inspired by a sketch in the 1970s comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus, where actor John Cleese played a civil servant walking in unusual ways to the “Ministry of Silly Walks,” Benedek Petrok, a 27-year-old education assistant who organized the march, said the event provided an opportunity for people to forget about their daily problems.

Read more

John Cleese’s sunset held up for a 2nd series

Earlier this year, UK audiences welcomed back John Cleese in Hold the Sunset. While it had been 43 years since the comic genius last appeared in a BBC sitcom, his last one, Fawlty Towers, didn’t do too bad for itself given it will forever be recognized as perhaps the best sitcom of all-time. For those expecting to see […]

Read more