John Cleese has revealed he planned the entire plot for a Fawlty Towers movie.

The British actor and comedian denied he was ever in talks to make a film spin-off of the cult TV show, but said he dreamed one up just for fun.

John Cleese dreamed up the plot for a Fawlty Towers film

Cleese said: “I thought what would be really funny was if Basil and Sybil got on a plane and went to visit Manuel who has set up his own place – Basil would be terribly funny if a plane was hijacked.”


He continued: “He would become so furious, and would probably overcome the hijack. He would be a total hero, and then of course they’d have to bring the plane back to Heathrow, which would make him even more angry, and he would then hijack the plane and force the pilot to fly to Spain and be arrested on arrival and forced to spend the entire holiday in a Spanish jail.



“I don’t think I ever mentioned it to Connie (co-writer Connie Booth) but it amused me.”

Cleese believes Fawlty Towers would not get made now as modern producers wouldn’t be willing to take a risk on what went on to become a hit.

He said: “We were so lucky to be working in television when we did. There wasn’t the fear. The moment people get anxious, they want figures to tell them whether to do things.

“What works wonderfully is when people who know what they’re doing are allowed to trust their gut – that’s when you get interesting television.”

:: Fawlty Exclusive: Basil’s Best Bits is on digital and satellite TV channel GOLD on Sunday May 17.