Lee Mack Urges John Cleese to Revive Fawlty Towers for 50th Anniversary

British comedian Lee Mack didn’t just admire John Cleese’s work—he wants him to make more of it. In a candid 2024 interview with Radio Times Magazine, Mack, star of BBC One’s long-running sitcom Not Going Out, publicly pleaded for a new season of Fawlty Towers, calling it "the greatest studio sitcom ever." His words landed with particular weight as the iconic series celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, with a stage adaptation set to air on U&Gold on September 19, 2024—the exact date the original first aired on BBC Two in 1974.

Why Fawlty Towers Still Matters

Mack’s admiration isn’t just nostalgic. He pointed out a paradox: while modern viewers often dismiss 1970s studio sitcoms as dated, the very shows they cite as their favorites? They’re all from that era. Fawlty Towers, Dad’s Army, Steptoe and Son—these aren’t relics. They’re benchmarks. "People say studio sitcoms feel so '70s," Mack noted. "Then they name three shows from the '70s as their top picks. That’s not coincidence. That’s genius." The original Fawlty Towers ran for just two seasons between 1975 and 1979, totaling 12 episodes. Yet its influence is massive. Even today, comedians cite Basil Fawlty’s explosive temper and Sybil’s razor-sharp put-downs as masterclasses in comic timing. The show’s brevity wasn’t a flaw—it was a feature. Every line mattered. Every glance had weight. No filler. No pandering. Just pure, uncut comedy.

The Stage Revival and Cleese’s Surprising Return

This year’s anniversary isn’t just about reruns. Fawlty Towers: The Play, which premiered in 2022 and has since enjoyed a successful West End run at London’s Apollo Theatre, is being broadcast for the first time on television. The production weaves together three classic episodes—"The Hotel Inspector," "The Germans," and "Communication Problems"—with Christopher Villiers as Basil, Tilly Blackwood as Polly, and David Benson as Manuel.

Then came the surprise: in August 2024, John Cleese showed up at the Apollo—not to perform, but to record a new introduction for the U&Gold broadcast. "We took three episodes, sortliced them, and came up with the funniest thing that’s been produced since the universe began," he reportedly said. (The quote, though mangled in transcription, carries the spirit.) It was his first public appearance tied to the show since the death of Prunella Scales, who played Sybil, earlier this year.

Why a New Season Is So Hard

The idea of new Fawlty Towers episodes isn’t new. The BBC has floated revival talks with Cleese before. But Cleese himself has been famously resistant. He once said, "You don’t go back to a perfect thing and try to improve it. You just ruin it." And he’s right. The original was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment—Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth writing with a precision that’s rarely matched. The characters were exaggerated, yes, but they were grounded in real human absurdity. Basil wasn’t just a madman—he was a man crumbling under the weight of his own pretensions.

Then there’s the matter of legacy. Andrew Sachs, who played the long-suffering Manuel, died in 2023. Scales passed in 2024. The emotional weight of continuing without them is immense. Even if Cleese wanted to return, the world around the show has changed. Modern audiences expect longer arcs, character development, emotional stakes. Fawlty Towers didn’t care about any of that. It cared about chaos.

What Lee Mack Really Wants

Mack isn’t asking for a reboot. He’s asking for a miracle. "If it’s only half as humorous as the existing episodes," he said, "it will still be twice as funny as everything else." That’s not hyperbole—it’s a lament. In an era of streaming binges and 30-episode seasons, where even the best comedies stretch thin, Fawlty Towers remains a 30-minute masterclass in compression. Mack, who’s now in his 14th season of Not Going Out, knows better than most how hard it is to sustain laughs. He’s spent nearly two decades trying to capture even a fraction of that magic.

The stage play’s success proves the appetite is still there. The U&Gold broadcast, with Cleese’s personal endorsement, could ignite a new generation of fans. But a new season? That’s a different beast. It would need Cleese’s blessing, his script, his voice. And if he says no? We’ll still have 12 episodes. And for now, that’s enough.

What’s Next?

The UK tour of Fawlty Towers: The Play kicks off later in 2024, with dates across England and Scotland. Meanwhile, Lee Mack continues filming Not Going Out Season 14 on BBC One. And somewhere, in a quiet room in the English countryside, John Cleese is probably laughing at the idea of anyone trying to outdo him.