Fans of the famous comedy Fawlty Towers have mixed sentiments about the show’s return after 40 years.
Castle Rock Entertainment said on Tuesday that the British comedy would be rebooted after the business signed an agreement with star John Cleese.
The programme was created by John and his ex-wife Connie Booth, with whom he was married from 1965 until 1978, a year before the show ended after two seasons on BBC2.
The return will see John’s beloved Basil cope with the reality that he had a daughter he didn’t know existed, played by his daughter Camilla Cleese, while also attempting to keep up with the current, ever-changing world.
When asked about the announcement, the 83-year-old said he enjoyed how producer Matthew George’really “gets” the creative process,’ recalling their first encounter.
While John is excited to begin work on the new project, viewers are divided about the revival, with many afraid it will 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.’
‘Uh oh. Nearly every reboot of popular 70s/80s comedy has been a letdown. And the more popular the original the bigger the letdown. Good luck with this,’ another echoed.
Broadcaster Piers Morgan also weighed in on the news, tweeting: ‘No no no. This is a terrible idea…’
Another fan, who held a different view added: ‘A lot of people on here being snarky about the #FawltyTowers reboot. But here’s an idea – maybe give one of the funniest people in history a chance? I don’t know if it will be good but Cleese has enough points on the board to deserve the opportunity.’
Speaking about working with Camilla – who is John’s second child, the daughter of his second wife Barbara Trentham – John said the duo were looking ‘forward enormously to expanding it into a series.’
Derrick and George Rossi, producers, remarked that meeting John and Camilla was one of the “biggest joys” of their lives.
‘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,’ he remarked.