John Cleese

With its superstar cast and older target audience, you might expect this sitcom to be smoothly executed. Instead, it is wilfully erratic, veering between wacky oddness and gentle, joke-free patter. Series two opens with grumpy Phil (John Cleese) making a hash of selling his house.

Hold The Sunset makes Mrs Brown look like a masterpiece

Retiree romcom Hold The Sunset (BBC One) returned for a second series but I rather wish it had sailed off into its titular twilight. Instead, almost in the words of The Honeycombs' best-known song, it came right back and I just can't bear it.

John Cleese's irascible headteacher is flattened by time's winged chariot in Christopher Morahan's slight, but achingly funny, comedy, scripted by Michael Frayn. Heading for a conference in Norwich, Brian boards the wrong train and is soon deep in a travel nightmare horribly familiar to rail users everywhere.

John Cleese criticised for London comments

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has criticised John Cleese after the Fawlty Towers legend said the capital was "not really an English city any more".

The former Monty Python star tweeted: "Virtually all my friends from abroad have confirmed my observation. So there must be some truth in it..."

John Cleese reflects on his career

From Monty Python to A Fish Called Wanda, actor and funnyman John Cleese has kept us laughing for half a century but his career path was not initially leading toward comedy. He was on a path toward being a lawyer advising the Bank of England. Jon Erlichman speaks with Cleese in Toronto where he is performing as part of a North American tour.

Monty Python's Life of Brian review

Despite its absurdity and button-pushing bad taste, this mock epic stands up four decades on as a stirring paean to tolerance.

John Cleese confirms death of John Quarmby

John Cleese, 79, said John Quarmby, who played the unimpressed health inspector in sitcom Fawlty Towers, had died at the age of 89.