British sitcom Fawlty Towers is well-known for only ever producing 12 episodes and has gone on to be one of the best comedy series of all-time in numerous polls. Now, over 40 years after the last episode was made, writer and star John Cleese is reviving the show with the help of his daughter Camilla.
Rob Reiner will be executive producer on the new episodes along with Matthew George, Michele Reiner and Derrick Rossi, while Cleese will be writing and reprising his role as Basil Fawlty in the show. The report goes on to add that Cleese’s daughter Camilla will also appear in the show with him. While there are not many details yet available about the project, the new show will find the constantly put-upon Basil Fawlty in the modern world, discovering a daughter he didn’t know he had and opening a boutique hotel with her. Speaking about the project, Cleese said:
“What I like about Matt is that, unlike many producers, he really ‘gets’ the creative process. When we first met, he offered an excellent first idea, and then Matt, my daughter Camilla, and I had one of the best creative sessions I can remember. By dessert we had an overall concept so good that, a few days later, it won the approval of Rob and Michele Reiner. Camilla and I look forward enormously to expanding it into a series.”
Is It Possible for A Fawlty Towers Revival to Capture The Same Magic For A Modern Audience?
The legacy of Fawlty Towers is one that seemed to have been set in stone forever, with the the iconic status of hotelier Basil Fawlty, who always had visions of his little hotel on the south coast of England being something grander than it ever was, never to be tampered with. Along with his wife Sybil, maid Polly and Spanish waiter Manuel, Basil ran his hotel in a manic panic that often saw him only just managing to avoid having a full breakdown.
Although the series was remade as the U.S. sitcom Payne in 1999, the complete failure of that show suggests that there are many pitfalls in bringing a classic comedy into the modern world. The return of Cleese as star and writer on the new series means that the show is probably in as good hands as it possibly could be, but that still doesn’t mean that doesn’t run the risk of ruining the legacy of the original show, which holds its place as one of the greatest British sitcoms ever made.
However, if the series manages to avoid the problems that have plagued many revivals and remakes of older comedies, then it could turn out to be the continuation of Basil Fawlty’s story that no one saw coming. Producers Rob Reiner and Matthew George have no hesitation in believing the new series will live up to expectations, with Reiner commenting that Cleese’s “comedy legend” status is enough to make him laugh, which George added:
“Meeting John and Camilla was one of the great thrills of my life. I’m obsessed with Fawlty Towers and the legendary characters he created. I’ve watched the first two seasons so many times I have lost count. I dreamed of one day being involved in a continuation of the story. Now it’s come true.”
Expect more news on the series as it becomes available. In the meantime, the original two seasons of Fawlty Towers can currently be found on various streaming platforms.