John Cleese to feature in new documentary film about his life on tour

By Lauren Del Fabbro, PA Entertainment Reporter

Actor John Cleese will feature in a new documentary film that will show a “different side” to the comedian as he embarks on his European tour.

The 85-year old, best known for Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, will take audiences behind the scenes of his life on the road in John Cleese Packs It In.

Performing 23 shows in 16 cities across six weeks, the feature film will capture the star in what may be his final European tour.

Cleese said: “For the first time, audiences will see a different side to me – not just the dashing, devil-may-care, devastatingly handsome bon viveur, but also the decrepit, addled, nasty old geriatric that my PR team work day and night to hide from the public.

“You will see with your own eyes what it’s really like for a moribund 85-year-old to struggle through a 23-city European tour, desperately trying to squeeze a few laughs from audiences who are clearly disappointed that they’ve wasted their hard-earned cash on over-priced tickets.

“This hatchet job is not just shocking, it’s also hilarious, as audiences everywhere laugh, not with me, but at me.”

The 90-minute feature documentary will take audiences on the road with Cleese as he reflects on his career, fame, and growing older in the public eye.

Cleese’s six-decade-long career kick started after co-founding the comedy troupe Monty Python which included Sir Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and the late Graham Chapman.

The group became known for their sketch comedy series, Monty Python’s Flying Circus before moving into film with the release of Monty Python And The Holy Grail,  Life Of Brian and The Meaning Of Life.

Cleese also co-wrote the BBC Two sitcom Fawlty Towers, which ran for two series in 1975 and 1979 and followed the unfortunate exploits of highly-strung Torquay hotelier Basil Fawlty (Cleese) and his wife Sybil, played by Prunella Scales, as they tried to keep their hotel and marriage afloat.

In 2019, the show was named the greatest British sitcom of all time by a panel of television experts for the Radio Times magazine.

Five decades after the first episode was filmed, the series debuted on London’s West End after Cleese adapted two episodes for the stage.

Cleese received the Light Entertainment Performance Bafta award in 1980 for Fawlty Towers and later won the leading actor award in 1989 for his role as Archie Leach in A Fish Called Wanda.

John Cleese Packs It In will be in cinemas from November 13th.