John Cleese’s exciting news
For the first time in almost 40 years, legendary British actor John Cleese is set to return to the sitcom world, starring in the BBC’s new comedy series Edith. It will be the Monty Python comic’s first sitcom role since his famous role as Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers.
The new series, written by Oscar-nominated screenplay writer Charles McKeown, will also star Jason Watkins, Jessica Hynes, Anne Reid, Rosie Cavaliero, James Cosmo and Peter Egan.
“If you had carte blanche on your fantasy BBC One comedy cast then you’d not be far off the Edith line-up,” Shane Allen, controller of comedy commissioning at the BBC, remarked. “It’s also a huge pleasure to welcome John Cleese back to the land of BBC sitcom – his last one did all right.”
Despite appearing in dozens of TV shows since Fawlty Towers, Edith will mark Cleese’s first starring sitcom role in nearly four decades. “These are the most enjoyable scripts I’ve been sent in the last 100 years,” the actor joked. “It will also be particularly nice to work with Alison [Steadman] again since we joined forces in Clockwise all that time ago.”
Cleese will star as Phil, the ex-boyfriend of the eponymous Edith, played by Steadman. “Phil dreams of marrying Edith […] But after months of turning him down, on the happy day Edith finally says ‘yes’, there's a knock on the door – and there on the step, with a large suitcase, is her 50-year-old son Roger (Jason Watkins),” the BBC synopsis reads. “He announces that he's left his wife, his kids and his good job at the bank, and come home in an attempt to find his lost happiness again. And in a blink, to Edith's dismay and Phil's fury, all dreams are on hold.”
No word yet on when it will air here, but we’re definitely looking forward to seeing Cleese back on our screens. Do you agree? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.