John Cleese confirms reboot of Fawlty Towers

The 83 year-old will reprise the role of Basil alongside his daughter

John Cleese has confirmed that the legendary comedy series Fawlty Towers is set to return to our screens with a fresh reboot. The  83 year-old will reprise the role of Torquay hotel owner Basil, while daughter Camilla, 39, will play the daughter he just discovered is his. Fawlty Towers aired between 1975 and 1979, with just 12 episodes ever being produced. It is regularly ranked among the funniest British sitcoms of all time. The show followed hotel operator Basil and wife Sybil, portrayed by Prunella Scales. Andrew Sachs, who died in 2016, starred as hapless Spanish waiter Manuel. Scales, 90, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2014, though her husband Timothy West insisted last year that she is "still enjoying life". Castle Rock Entertainment, which made Seinfeld and was co-founded by Spinal Tap star Rob Reiner, will produce the new series. Reiner, his wife and actress Michele Reiner, director and producer Matthew George and Derrick Rossi will serve as executive producers. Cleese told the PA news agency: “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.” Last year Cleese announced he will host a new show on GB News, a channel he described as promoting "free speech". Speaking to the BBC, he said: "The nice thing about talking to the GB News audience is that they may not be used to hearing the sorts of things I’ll be saying. "The BBC have not come to me and said would you like to have some one-hour shows and if they did I’d say not on your nelly because I wouldn’t get five minutes into the first show before I’d been cancelled or censored." Related links: 

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