John Cleese

John Cleese, Petruchio in BBC2's Taming Of The Shrew, has never played in Shakespeare before and hardly has the voice for it now. Instead of competing with trained actors he lowers his voice, speaks softer, whispers, murmurs and though this is odd for Petruchio, it is rather good for television.

This theory sits Fawlty Towers (BBC2) like a tea cosy over a tom cat. Here and there but hardly. Funny foreigners, awful wives? That great whoosh of laughter as Sybil Fawlty excused Manuel, the poor dago with all the phoney warmth of an electric log fire in her voice "He's from Barcelona." It was Fawlty's finest hour.

After two dull episodes, Monty Python (BBC2) was suddenly funny again, thereby ameliorating the viewing week no end. The pressure on the now Cleeseless team to be as good as ever has perhaps been a little fierce, but that's showbiz.