2x In person tickets to John Cleese | Fawlty Towers: Fawlts and All Sat 22 Nov 2025 | 6:00pm, Cambridge Union.

Oh Basil — Fawlty Towers is 50!

Fifty years ago, Fawlty Towers first hit British television screens and instantly became a classic. Regularly voted the greatest sitcom in British TV history, it has never lost its power to make audiences laugh, or to horrify them with Basil’s gloriously awkward antics.

Now, for the first time, John Cleese – writer, creator and, of course, the irascible Basil Fawlty himself – shares the stories behind the show. From scripts so carefully planned they were double the length of other sitcoms, to last-minute production dramas, casting triumphs and near-cancellations, Cleese takes us behind the scenes of this comedy masterpiece. Expect a return to such iconic moments as Basil thrashing his car, Manuel’s misadventures, Sybil’s cutting one-liners, and the unforgettable goose-stepping across the dining room.

In conversation with Alex Clark, Cleese will explore the how and the why of creating great comedy, offering both a laugh-filled trip down memory lane and fresh insights into the making of a legend.

An unmissable evening of nostalgia, hilarity and classic comedy with one of Britain’s true comic geniuses.

In conversation with Alex Clark