John Cleese to star in new BBC sitcom Edith
- John Cleese has reportedly signed up to star in Edith, a new BBC sitcom
- The "bittersweet romantic comedy" focuses on a woman who has several men vying for her affections
- However, the show has yet to be formally commissioned and Cleese says the project is at "an early stage"
John Cleese has reportedly signed up to star in Edith, a new BBC comedy series.
It was revealed in August that the BBC were talking to the Fawlty Towers star about appearing in a new sitcom, and now The Mail On Sunday reports that Cleese will indeed take a lead role in a new series for the corporation.
Few details are known about Edith at the present time as it is only in the early stages of development, however it has been described as a bittersweet romantic comedy about a woman who has several men vying for her affections.
Cleese will play one of the men trying to woo the central character, although it has yet to be decided which actress will be taking on the starring role in the show.
The series has been written by Charles McKeown, a writer and actor perhaps best known for his collaborations with Terry Gilliam. McKeown has appeared alongside Cleese a number of times, through bit parts in various Monty Python projects and as Mr Ingrams - the guest blowing up a doll (pictured) - in The Kipper And The Corpse episode of Fawlty Towers.
John Cleese has previously expressed disillusionment with modern British television comedy. In an interview with ShortList magazine last year, he said: "There's no way I want to work in TV, especially at the BBC. I have a nasty feeling a large proportion of the commissioning editors have no idea what they're doing."
The Mail On Sunday quotes an unnamed BBC source as saying: "It's no secret there was a falling-out with John but he's an immense talent and it's great to have him back. A decisive factor for John will have been the storyline. Apparently he loved the fact that, after three divorces in real life, he will be playing a man who finally finds true love."
A BBC source was keen to stress that the show has not yet officially been commissioned, and that Cleese would not be the central star. "We are in the very early stages of development. The show has not yet been commissioned and there are key decisions to be made about casting. As the title suggests, Edith is the principal character. John is one of the leading male roles but it is very much a supporting role to Edith."
Cleese himself told The Mail on Sunday: "Things with the BBC are at an early stage, with key casting incomplete, many decisions still to be agreed, and no dates fixed at all, so there's very little to say at this point."
Further details are expected to be revealed in due course.
Last month Cleese picked up a Lifetime Achievement prize from the Rose d'Or Awards. In his acceptance speech he made a plea for executives to trust performers and writers: "When Monty Python was commissioned we didn't really know what we were going to do but we were trusted. The talent has a better record than the suits so why don't they bear that in mind?" He continued: "The trouble with executives isn't that they have no idea what they are doing but that they have no idea that they have no idea."
The Fawlty Towers co-creator has also just won another award, the BBK JA prize at Bilbao's International Festival of Literature, Art and Comedy in Spain. The organisers say: "His sharp and irreverent vision and unmistakable physical humour are part of comedy's DNA."