John Cleese to Retire

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

At least he's grabbing the bull by the horns, and aiming to make the world a better place.

Comedian John Cleese to Bow Out of Performing

There'll be no more silly walks from John Cleese.

The British actor who made it big with Monty Python's Flying Circus and went on to create the unforgettable Basil Fawlty of Fawlty Towers says he is retiring from writing and performing sitcoms.

In an interview with the Times of London on Monday, Cleese, 66, said he would instead teach other people how to be funny.

Cleese says he wants to "teach young talent some rules of the game" as too much TV comedy now is poorly written and performed.

He says he'll do no more writing or performing himself because he doesn't think he can top the success of the '70s sitcom Fawlty Towers, in which he played a neurotic hotelier.

For the past few years, Cleese has lent his voice to productions such as Shrek the Third and Charlotte's Web. He also appeared in the Harry Potter series as Nearly Headless Nick and in the James Bond franchise as an assistant to "Q."

Cleese has been a giant of British comedy for the last 40 years. He first came to notice on BBC Radio's I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again.

He met Monty Python funnymen Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin while working on another satirical show, The Frost Report. Graham Chapman was a friend from his Cambridge days.

With Monty Python's Flying Circus, which ran from 1969 to 1974, he was well known for the Dead Parrot and the Ministry of Silly Walks sketches.

Fawlty Towers, co-written with then-wife Connie Booth, was his next project. He went on in the 1980s and 1990s to make several Monty Python movies and take roles in films such as A Fish Called Wanda.

In his interview with The Times, Cleese said he plans to write a history of comedy, and will teach.

"It will cover the greats of silent cinema to Ricky Gervais, who is the height of modern entertainment. The last truly excellent performance I saw was Eddie Izzard. But Ricky Gervais is also a match for the great American sitcoms," he said.

He plans to create a chapter in his book on "creating the perfect comedy-drama" for the stage. Too much television comedy is poor because it is being aimed at American teenagers, he said.

[bouche]

I think I have to get Fawlty Towers on DVD.