An professor claims that Fawlty Towers and Dad’s Army were among the iconic British comedies that set the wheels in motion for the UK to quit the EU.
Iconic programming from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s are credited for fostering the “identification and political culture” that culminated in 52% of the people voting for Brexit in the 2016 vote.
Professor Gavin Schaffer mentioned that programmes such as ‘Allo!’Allo included themes and characters centred on Euroscepticism that “never ventured too far from suspicions established in WWII.”
‘What lurks in the shadows is a nation deeply ill at ease with its European neighbours and itself,’ he added to The Guardian.
Schaffer pointed to a moment in an episode of Fawlty Towers that reflected Euroskepticism and aired shortly after the UK decided to join the European Union in 1975.
In it, Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) informs his German guests, “I didn’t vote for it, quite honestly.” But now that we’re here, I’m dead set on making it work.’
The study comes after John, 83, revealed he was working on a screenplay for a potential new series of the beloved sitcom with his daughter Camilla Cleese.
The revival will follow Basil Fawlty as he discovers he has a hidden daughter and struggles to cope with the current, ever-changing world.
John portrayed Basil Fawlty in both seasons of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which aired in 1975 and 1979.
However, some viewers are divided about the return, with many afraid that it would not be as ‘funny’ as the original.
One person tweeted: ‘Why and how has anyone thought a reboot of Fawlty Towers is a good idea? It’s absolute perfection and doesn’t need a modern-day rehash. Car crash waiting to happen.’
Broadcaster Piers Morgan also weighed in on the news, tweeting: ‘No no no. This is a terrible idea…’
Fawlty Towers is streaming on Prime Video.
