A Fawlty Towers reboot has been confirmed and writer John Cleese is writing new episodes alongside his daughter Camilla Cleese.

Despite it being almost 50 years since the sitcom first appeared on our screens, John, 84, has said the humour and style of the show will remain the same.

The original show, written by Cleese and Connie Booth, ran on BBC Two for two series in 1975 and 1979.

It followed the unfortunate exploits of highly-strung Torquay hotelier Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, and his wife Sybil, portrayed by Prunella Scales, as they tried to keep their hotel and marriage afloat.

Wandsworth Times: ahead of the opening of Fawlty Towers The Play, John Cleese attended a Q&A session with the media and posed with the castahead of the opening of Fawlty Towers The Play, John Cleese attended a Q&A session with the media and posed with the cast (Image: Ian West/PA Wire)

John Cleese and daughter Camilla would “never” update Fawlty Towers

John Cleese told the Radio Times plus other press: “We'd never try to update Fawlty Towers”.

The actor added: “People probably won't understand it at the beginning if they’re young, but they'll pick it up.”

Speaking to The Sun in 2023, Camilla made a similar comment about the reboot, saying: “There will be jokes that will be a little bit edgy but we’re not out to get anyone, we don't dislike any people.

“That's not the basis of it. People are a little sensitive nowadays, to put it lightly.”

John is also aware how different things are now compared to when the show was first aired. At a past press event, he said “there’s been too much change”, referring to the world of TV.

However, Cleese has since explained some of the original dialogue used within the two-hour play adaptation, which merges three popular episodes into an overarching storyline, has been edited to remove “racial slurs” due to changing perceptions within society.

“I think there was a scene where Major (Gowen) used a couple of words you can’t use now, racial slurs they would come under, so we took that out”, he told journalists on Thursday, May 2.

“You see, there is always a problem with comedy that you deal with the literal-minded.”

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In 2019, the show was named the greatest British sitcom of all time by a panel of television experts for Radio Times magazine.

When will Fawlty Tower fans get to see the reboot with new episodes?

The date for the release of the reboot episodes hasn’t been confirmed yet.

However, fans can still get their Fawlty Towers fix this month as the stage play prepares to open.