John Cleese to star opposite his daughter in reboot, 45 years on

John Cleese is reviving Basil Fawlty, 45 years after the original Fawlty Towers ended.

And this time he will be running a hotel with a daughter he has just discovered he had – to be played by his real-life daughter Camilla, below.

Both will also write the show, which is being developed by Rob Reiner’s Castle Rock Entertainment.

Announcing the show, Cleese – who has been notoriously scathing about modern TV executives – praised Castle Rock president Matthew George, who is one of the executive producers on the reboot.

Hollywood trade press report him saying: ‘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.’

Rob Reiner added: ‘John Cleese is a comedy legend. Just the idea of working with him makes me laugh.’

And George said: ‘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.’

Written by Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth, who played waitress Polly, the original only ran for two six-part seasons, in 1975 and 1979. The show regularly tops polls of the best British sitcoms ever, including a major Radio Times survey of TV experts in 2019.

Camilla, Cleese's daughter with his second wife Barbara Trentham, is a US-based stand-up and has previously appeared as part of her father’s stage show. They have also worked together on a musical stage adaptation of A Fish Called Wanda.

Published: 7 Feb 2023