Fawlty Towers’ return is a stroke of genius – and the BBC have made a big mistake

BASIL Fawlty is returning to screens and I could not be more excited.

John Cleese will be teaming up with his real-life daughter Camilla in a reboot of the 1970’s series, which will show the much-loved character running a boutique hotel whilst adjusting to the modern world as he teams up with his daughter, who he only recently connected with.

The formula already sounds hilarious – but judging by the reaction before even a second of screen-time, the idea of the show is already ruffling feathers.

This is a legendary British sitcom, with multiple BAFTAs to its name and a legacy generations, despite only lasting for two series with a total of 12 episodes.

Of course, there may have been a few controversies along the way with the removal of The Germans episode from Britbox.

But one of the world’s greatest and most acclaimed directors, Martin Scorsese branded the episode “so tasteless, it’s hilarious” as Basil impersonated one of the world’s most vicious and evil dictators.

If the series doesn’t tone down its content and instead parodies the more ridiculous areas of modern society, we could be onto a winner here.

No doubt the show will tap into many of John’s feelings in real life, and possibly the feelings of many of his generation.

The world is rapidly changing, and the plotline suggests that Basil, just like many people in this country will struggle to adjust to this modern world with it’s ever-changing language and wokeness.

The hints are all there as to what could be included in this series, which will hopefully take a satirical route.

This could be the relatability on TV that so many people have struggled to find as of late, especially since other nostalgic reboots have shifted to targeting their content at more ‘progressive’ audiences.

We’re in the middle of a nostalgia boom but I fear that audiences have been left underwhelmed with the line-up of reboots, which have proven to be disappointing at best and utterly cringeworthy at worst.

For example, the Sex And The City reboot titled, And Just Like That on HBO. It tried so desperately hard to culturally modernise itself by shoving modern technology in viewers’ faces, rather than the characters getting into the funny, yet believable situations, that first put it on the map.

Then the BBC’s Waterloo Road turned what was once a gritty school drama that handled topics like guns, gangs and teenage pregnancy, into a one-sided debate around culture wars.

The corporation is increasingly coming under fire for ageism as many of the favourite Radio 2 presenters jump ship to rival corporations. In all likelihood the BBC would never have recommissioned an old relic like Fawlty Towers.

The show was a product of its time, with the last new episode broadcast back in 1979.

Proper nostalgia at the Beeb is lacking, with the broadcaster seemingly prioritising reeling in younger audiences, at the detriment of those who used to love it the most. 7

With that in mind, it’s great to see a broadcaster like ITV or Netflix would be leading the way by making content for the older audience.

Commissioning a comedy that could parody the most ridiculous elements of our society is brave and deserves to be celebrated.

The Beeb could have made a big statement , proving it’s not actually deserting it’s older audience by resurrecting one of it’s most beloved shows. Instead, the broadcaster that wins the reported bidding war for the series has seized the opportunity.  

John previously said that bringing the series back would lead to inevitable disappointment due to the fact that just after two series, the sitcom has a reputation for being one of the most iconic British cultural institutions of all time.

He thought that the bar was set so high, audiences would be disappointed, no matter how good the content was.

But I have hope. When he got together with series creator Rob Reiner, he described their first meeting as “one of the best creative sessions I can remember.”

For someone to change a comic like John’s mind like this, the idea must jave been brilliant and to be honest, we need a laugh now more than ever.

Having traditional British humour back on screens could be the antidote to our incresingly dower and self-deprecating national attitude.

If you don’t like the sound of the new series, the answer is simple – see it for what it is. British comedy that’s not meant to be taken seriously.

Let the audience it’s actually catered to watch it, let them laugh at the satire and celebrate this return of this beautiful British cultural institution.

I’m already planning my binge-watch.