29 October 2023 , 15:39
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As the iconic star of comedy Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, John Cleese has also been known to be somewhat opinionated - to the point of offending those around him.
And even his close pal and fellow co-star Michael Palin, who also starred in Monty Python, famously described him as "difficult." But now the legendary comedy actor is set to launch his own discussion show called The Dinosaur Hour, which is a discussion show that's comprised of ten episodes. John, 84, will be talking to an number of well known guests, such as Stephen Fry, Caitlyn Jenner and Sir Trevor McDonald on a variety of subjects.
John Cleese set to make TV return with new GB News show (NurPhoto via Getty Images)But if history is anything to go by, it's perhaps understandable that some of his guests may be slightly wary as he's known for making caustic comments, leaving many to feel insulted. Speaking of the show, he told GB News during an interview: "I wanted the setting to be like a strange gentleman’s club. It was extraordinary. I wanted it to be like the Star Wars bar. I wanted to create something that looked different, it would make people think, ‘oh, what’s that about?'" Here we take a look at some of the actor's most shocking feuds that include his rant at the BBC, actress Miriam Margolyes and Australian TV host Waleed Aly.
Slams 'gutless' BBC
Earlier this month John Cleese launched a fresh attack on the broadcaster for being gutless after allegedly defending their decision to not label Boris Johnson as a liar. The Fawlty Towers star came across a 2019 tweet from David Schneider, who expressed his opinion about the BBC allegedly not wanting to call former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, a liar.
After the tweet resurfaced earlier this month, John took to X, formerly known as Twitter and wrote: "This demonstrates the utter gutlessness of the current BBC top brass, whose only aim in life is to hang on to jobs they could get nowhere else. What destroys people's trust in politics is lying. Not pointing it out is complicity." But this is by no means the first time the actor has taken a swipe at the BBC. He had previously accused the corporation of succumbing to wokeness and therefore ruled out a Fawlty Towers and Monty Python revival.
John Cleese to star in new series of Fawlty Towers alongside his daughter
John has said that reprising Fawlty Towers on the BBC is not an option as they would have “to deal with subjects that get people upset”. He then went on to add that he worked with the broadcaster when it was headed up "by people with real personality who loved the medium and they were operating out of confidence, which was okay because there wasn’t so much competition".
Miriam Margolyes row
Miriam Margolyes slams John Cleese for being poisonous
John Cleese is accused of ignoring Miriam when they appeared together in a sketch show in the 1960's (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)The former Harry Potter star had a few choice words for John Cleese as she recalled being treated with contempt by the star and his Monty Python co-star Graham Chapman. The trio met when she performed as part of a student sketch group called Cambridge Footlights in the early sixties and remembers being ignored by the pair.
In an interview with The Guardian to promote her book Oh Miriam!: Stories from an Extraordinary Life, she said: "I think they thought I was too full of myself because, in those days, women were literally not allowed to join the club. Graham Chapman and John Cleese were poisonous.John was a brilliant comedian in his day, but something has turned." She added: "Like milk, he’s gone sour. He’s an irrelevance."
Live TV spat
John mocked the name of an Australian TV host, Waleed Aly, when he appeared on the panel show called The Project. The presenter attempted to talk to the legendary star about his hit series Fawlty Towers but was quickly shut down by the British actor. John told him: "I don’t want to talk about Fawlty Towers. You can talk about Fawlty Towers."
He then turned his chair around, refusing to engage with the panel. Deciding to humiliate the presenter, John then said: "What kind of name is Waleed, anyway? Is it an anagram?"