John Cleese slams UKTV decision to remove Fawlty Towers episode as 'stupid'

https://www.theage.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/john-cleese-slams-uktv-decision-to-remove-fawlty-towers-episode-as-stupid-20200612-p5523w.html

John Cleese has railed at the decision of BBC-owned streamer UKTV to remove the famous The Germans episode of Fawlty Towers from its platform, labelling people who failed to see it as a critique of racist attitudes rather than an endorsement of them as “stupid”.

“One of the things I’ve learned in the last 180 years is that people have very different senses of humour,” the writer, actor and founding member of Monty Python said from his home in Los Angeles. “Some of them understand that if you put nonsense words into the mouth of someone you want to make fun of you’re not broadcasting their views, you’re making fun of them.”

“The Major was an old fossil left over from decades before. We were not supporting his views, we were making fun of them,” said Cleese, who knew nothing of UKTV's move until this masthead contacted him. “If they can’t see that, if people are too stupid to see that, what can one say?

“Fawlty Towers has given a large number of people a great deal of happiness, why would you want to stop that,” he added “It reminds me of the definition of a Scottish Presbyterian as someone who has a nasty, sneaking feeling that someone, somewhere, is having a good time.”

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