John Cleese Reviving Fawlty Towers

Castle Rock Entertainment has partnered with Academy Award nominee John Cleese (Monty Python, A Fish Called Wanda) and his daughter Camilla Cleese for a reboot of Fawlty Towers.

Fawlty Towers originally ran in two seasons of six episodes each in 1975 and 1979. It followed the exploits of Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, as he struggled to keep his hotel and marriage afloat. The series currently airs on BBC Two and is available to stream on BritBox.

The new series, which John and Camilla will write and star in, will explore how Basil navigates the modern world. It will also explore the relationship between Basil and a daughter he has just discovered he had.

Matthew George (Wind River, A Private War); Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning actor, director and producer Rob Reiner; Michele Reiner; and Derrick Rossi are executive producing the series for Castle Rock Television.

“What I like about Matt is that, unlike many producers, he really ‘gets’ the creative process,” John said. “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.”

Rob Reiner said, “John Cleese is a comedy legend. Just the idea of working with him makes me laugh.”

“Meeting John and Camilla was one of the great thrills of my life,” George added. “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.”