John Cleese Vows No BBC Comedy Work Citing 'Clueless' Leadership, Industry Decline

John Cleese, the legendary British comedian and co-creator of Fawlty Towers, has publicly criticized the BBC and the broader British comedy industry, declaring that the broadcaster has not produced anything funny since The Office. Speaking at the Slapstick Festival in Bristol, Cleese condemned the BBC's reliance on committees he described as clueless, which he believes stifles creativity and has replaced a formerly effective creative process with bureaucratic oversight. He also lamented a shift toward mandatory 'clean' comedy, suggesting that current comedy no longer plays for laughs and that censorship has contributed to the decline of British humor. Cleese has vowed never to work with the BBC again and plans to write a book to highlight the challenges of writing comedy. Despite his criticisms, he remains active in comedy, working on a sequel to the 2016 stage adaptation of Fawlty Towers and continuing his Not Dead Yet tour. Cleese’s views have sparked debate about the current state of British comedy and the role of network executives in shaping comedic content.