'I was surprised': John Cleese's failed to tell ex Connie Booth about 'Fawlty Towers' reboot who later learned about it in papers
SOMERSET, ENGLAND: John Cleese is set to make his return as the famous Basil Fawlty in the iconic British hit sitcom 'Fawlty Towers'. However, his ex-wife Connie Booth claimed that the actor failed to inform her of the hit show's revival, and she found out about it after reading about it in the papers.
Booth, 82, co-created the show with Cleese, 83, and played the role of Polly, Basil Fawlty's chambermaid, in the sitcom. She has since revealed that learning about the new reboot surprised her. The couple got married in 1968 and separated ten years later. For the reboot, Cleese partnered with director Bob Reiner and Cleese's daughter Camilla, whom he had with his second wife Barbara Trentham.
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'I'd have appreciated learning about the project from John'
"I'd have appreciated learning about the project from John rather than reading about it in the papers," Booth told The Times of the reboot. "Because a previous American reboot of 'Fawlty Towers' had failed some years ago, I was surprised that another was being planned. I was even more surprised to read that John intends to write and to perform in it together with his daughter Camilla," she added. Despite being surprised, Booth went on to say that she wished Cleese and his daughter well.
Camilla Cleese said that the reboot is not set out to "get anyone." Speaking to The Sun about the rebooted series, Camilla teased what the show would be like and said, "There will be jokes that will be a little bit edgy but we’re not out to get anyone, we don’t dislike any people. That’s not the basis of it. People are a little sensitive nowadays, to put it lightly." "If anything we’re making fun of the show’s characters and their idiosyncrasies," she added.
Cleese warned against anticipating the show any time soon and suggested that it would take up to three years to produce. The show, according to John Cleese, will take place on a Caribbean island with Basil Fawlty and his daughter running a hotel overseas. Cleese also said the show would not air on the BBC, which showed the original series. He said, "I’m not doing it with the BBC because I won't get the freedom. I was terribly lucky before, because I was working for the BBC in the late 60s, 70s, and the beginning of the 80s."
