Fawlty Towers: John Cleese reveals major character 'killed off' in reboot

Virgin Radio

16 May 2023, 08:41

John Cleese has revealed some plot details for the Fawlty Towers Reboot and announces a major character will be killed off.

The Monty Python star announced he would be reviving the iconic series and his character Basil Fawlty back in February, with When Harry Met Sally director Rob Reiner at the helm. According to Cleese the new series will be set in Caribbean and we will be saying goodbye to a very special character from the off.

Speaking to The Sun, he revealed: “The new one starts with Sybil’s death and Basil’s daughter getting a text message from her father saying, ‘Sybil did’.

“She texts back, ‘Sybil did what?’. Basil is about to deliver the eulogy and says what an absolute wonderful woman Sybil was.

“And then the camera pans around and you see that behind his back he has his fingers crossed.”

Cleese previously revealed he would be writing the reboot with his daughter, Camilla, who will also star in the show.

He added: "Sybil dies and Basil goes to see his daughter because it was all part of a naughty affair that he once had with a guest at the hotel.

“My daughter will probably be a hotelier who’s running this small hotel.

“It’s going to be a sort of slightly posh boutique hotel in the Caribbean with a multicultural staff because that’s the world of hotels.

“And there’ll be no one in except Basil.”

Prunella Scales starred as Basil’s wife Sybil in the BBC sitcom in the 70s but announced her retirement from acting in 2020 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Andrew Sachs, who played Spanish waiter Manuel, will also be absent from the reboot. He sadly passed away in 2016 at the age of 86.

In celebration of the return of Fawlty Towers, we had a look at the top 10 funniest moments from the original series.