John Cleese and Daughter Camilla to Make 'Fawlty Towers' Return After 40-Year Hiatus

After a wait of more than 40 years, legendary comedy series Fawlty Towers is set to make a triumphant return – and this time, father and daughter duo John and Camilla Cleese will be at the helm.

The two-series show, which originally aired on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979, followed the lives of Torquay hotelier Basil and his wife Sybil as they tried to keep their business and marriage afloat. Now, in a move that has delighted fans of the show, John Cleese has confirmed that he is returning to write and star, with his daughter Camilla set to join him.

The new series will explore how Basil, the cynical and sarcastic hotelier, navigates the modern world, while father and daughter team up to run a boutique hotel. Castle Rock Entertainment announced the news on Tuesday, with Cleese himself saying that he and Camilla were "looking forward enormously to expanding" the concept into a series.

Director Matthew George, who will also act as executive producer, said that meeting Cleese and his daughter was one of the "great thrills" of his life, adding that he had watched the first two seasons so many times that he had lost count. Rob Reiner, who will also executive produce, described the Fawlty Towers star as a "comedy legend".

Fawlty Towers was named the greatest British sitcom of all time by a panel of television experts for Radio Times magazine in 2019, and it appears that the new series is set to continue the legacy. As fans of the show eagerly await the return of Basil Fawlty, one thing is for sure: with John and Camilla Cleese at the helm, it promises to be a comedy classic.