UKTV’s U&GOLD has acquired the broadcast rights for Fawlty Towers: The Play (1×120’).
Recorded during the show’s run at the West End with its original cast, Fawlty Towers: The Play will air in September to mark the 50th anniversary of the classic sitcom’s first ever episode.
Fawlty Towers: The Play is written by series co-writer and star John Cleese, and brings together three of the show’s most iconic episodes – The Hotel Inspector, The Germans and Communication Problems – into a single theatrical experience. Fawlty Towers: The Play has been running in the West End since May 2024 and will tour the UK and Ireland later this year.
John Cleese says, “I’ve been overwhelmed by the wonderful response to Fawlty Towers: The Play since its debut in the West End and it’s a pleasure to hear U&Gold will be bringing it straight to everyone’s living rooms just in time for the 50th anniversary”.
Fawlty Towers: The Play is commissioned for UKTV by Mark Iddon, senior commissioning editor, and ordered for U&GOLD by Gerald Casey, director of programming, comedy and entertainment and director of commissioning, Hilary Rosen. This recording is produced by Phil McIntyre Television, and stars Adam Jackson-Smith as Basil, Anna-Jane Casey as Sybil, Hemi Yeroham as Manuel and Victoria Fox as Polly.
Gerald Casey, director of programming, comedy and entertainment, UKTV, says, “Fawlty Towers is a cornerstone of British comedy, and we’re honoured to be the first place TV audiences can watch this new stage version to mark the show’s 50th anniversary. With the legendary John Cleese at the helm, U&GOLD viewers are really in for something special.”
Mark Iddon, senior commissioning editor, UKTV, says, “Fawlty Towers has been making generations of viewers laugh for 50 years and this new stage reimagining is a wonderful way to honour the original series.”
Image credit: Hugo Glendinning
Jon Creamer
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