Cleese: I’ve never met a German offended by goose-stepping Fawlty
JOHN Cleese says he has never met a German who was offended by
Basil Fawlty repeatedly mentioning the Secondworldwar and goosestepping around a room.
The former Monty Python star has adapted classic BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers for thewest End stage and reassured fans that famous episode The Germans, which spawned the catchphrase, “Don’t mention the war”, will feature.
But the use of the N-word by the Major in relation to an anecdote about the West Indies cricket team in the same episode has been removed.
The Germans, which first aired in 1975, saw
Basil – after a knock on the head by a stuffed moose
– trying not to offended histeutonic guests, but ending up goose-stepping around the hotel dining room, upsetting them.
In 2000, the Bbc-owned streaming service UKTV briefly removed the episode until it faced a backlash from Cleese and fans of the 12-episode sitcom.
As the Fawltytowers stage show prepares to open next weekend, Cleese said: “Never in my entire life have I met a German who has complained about that scene. Not once.the only thing we have taken
‘Poor Basil got himself into such situations that even though he was appalling, you started to feel sorry for him’ JOHN CLEESE
out is the Major using the N-word to describe those in thewest Indies – even though at the time it was all about making fun of prejudice.”
The 84-year-old star, inset, added it would be interesting to see how the theatre audience react to the comedy half a century later.
“The reason for its success was that it was essentially about the lower middle class, of which my father was a leading member,” he said.
“So I knew a lot about the importance of reputation and keeping up appearances.
“In those days, anger was almost a forbidden emotion. People would say that someone had ‘lost their temper’ and yet you can be angry and still control your behaviour.
“Poor Basil got himself into such situations that even though he was appalling, you started to feel sorry for him and ended up thinking what a poor old sod.” However, he added: “I am not Basil and never was – but I can feel for him when I am under a lot of stress.”
Fawlty Towers, at the Apollo Theatre London, from Saturday