Actor John Cleese revealed he wanted to make a movie version of Fawlty Towers during an appearance on U&Gold's Joe And David's Magical Sitcom Tour. Speaking via video link from a hotel room in Bangkok, the 86-year-old comedian outlined a plot for a final episode of the hit show. Fawlty Towers ran for two series and 12 episodes, and has been regularly voted the best sitcom in television history.
In Cleese's proposed film, hotelier Basil Fawlty goes on a package holiday to Spain when his plane is hijacked. Basil tackles the hijackers and becomes a hero, but when the pilot announces a turn back to Heathrow, Basil hijacks the aircraft himself. He forces the pilot to fly to the Mediterranean and spends his entire holiday in a Spanish jail.
Cleese recounted the storyline with glee. Reviewer Christopher Stevens questioned whether Cleese ever discussed the idea with co-star Prunella Scales. Stevens suggested the comedy would not work without Basil and Sybil traveling to Barcelona alongside waiter Manuel, played by Andrew Sachs.
Stevens noted that cinema versions of sitcoms rarely succeed, pointing to the 1977 film version of Are You Being Served?. In that film, the staff of Grace Brothers took a break on the "Costa Plonka" and ended up in a second Spanish Civil War. Stevens described that storyline as xenophobic enough to make the ITV sitcom Benidorm look woke.
Sitcom Locations and Studio Distractions
Joe And David's Magical Sitcom Tour stars comedians Joe Wilkinson, known from The Celebrity Traitor, and David Earl. Stevens rated the show four out of five stars, describing it as gentle, nerdy television for men looking for an excuse to be kids again.
The duo visited places associated with Fawlty Towers, starting at Studio TC1 at the old BBC Television Centre in White City, west London. Several episodes of the sitcom were filmed there in front of a live audience.
While marking out the hotel floor plan in Studio TC1, a studio hand suggested Wilkinson and Earl clear off. The crew needed to prepare for filming An Extra Slice, the spin-off show for The Great British Bake Off.
Wilkinson and Earl also traveled to Torquay to see the site of the former Gleneagles hotel, which inspired Cleese to create Fawlty Towers. They later parked a Mini on the corner of the cul-de-sac featured in the Gourmet Night episode and thrashed the car with a tree branch.
Family Legends and Roman History
The U&Gold series focused on Porridge last week and will cover The Office next week. During the broadcast, Earl shared a family legend about his father laughing at Fawlty Towers so hard that he fell off the sofa. Earl added, "Love to have seen that."
In a separate review of Channel 5's program The Romans, Rob Rinder put on a heavy woollen toga with help from Ruth Goodman. Rinder mused, "It's like a power suit really. Think of a Roman Margaret Thatcher." Stevens noted that her Ancient World counterpart was actually Boadicea.
