John Cleese said the BBC has become "cowardly about offence" and criticised its comedy commissioning process in a wide‑ranging interview that renewed his long‑running public complaints about the broadcaster's direction.
The 85‑year‑old actor and writer told Radio Times that he recently met with BBC Comedy executives about potential projects but found them uninterested in his ideas and ill‑equipped to make comedy. Cleese said one executive had to leave a meeting early and called another "one of the most stupid men he's ever met." He questioned when the BBC last produced a genuinely memorable comedy, naming The Office as the last major contribution, and said, "The people in charge now have no idea at all. The writers deserve better than this. The British people deserve better than this." Cleese added that a "huge slice of comedy is put straight into the fridge because executives don't want to get phone calls at dinner," and accused the corporation of being "too influenced by the passion and nastiness of the extremely woke." The BBC declined to comment when contacted by the Daily Mail.
Cleese has repeatedly criticised current commissioning practices, telling audiences at this month's Slapstick comedy festival in Bristol that scripts now "have to go through a f***ing committee who have no idea what they are doing." He said the process had been replaced by bureaucracy that stifles risk and humour, and announced plans to write a book about the craft of comedy. Cleese, who co‑wrote Fawlty Towers with Connie Booth, said he does not expect to bring new work to the BBC and is instead assembling scripts for a sequel to a 2016 stage adaptation of Fawlty Towers. He has said the planned stage project draws on original episodes including "The Psychiatrist" and "The Kipper and the Corpse," and noted a West End revival last year that he said received positive notices.
In a separate development in British entertainment, television presenter and musician Myleene Klass shared an emotional Instagram video as she prepared to take her eldest daughter, Ava, to university. Klass, 47, broke down while recounting how an optician's casual question about her children prompted tears because Ava is due to leave home for three years.
In the clip Klass said she "burst into tears" at the optician after explaining she has three children and that her 18‑year‑old would soon be at university. She told followers she was trying not to cry in front of Ava and described the farewell as "bitter sweet," adding: "Mums, how do you do this? How do you say goodbye to your first love." Klass said she was proud of Ava's A‑level results and recent achievements in music, and reassured critics who use the term "nepo baby" that her daughters had earned their places through auditions and long hours of practice.
Klass said Ava had studied at the Royal Academy of Music and achieved high marks in English A‑levels, and that both daughters work at weekends to learn the value of earning their own money. She also referenced raising Ava and her younger daughter, Hero, largely as a single mother after splitting from their father, Graham Quinn, in 2013. Klass has previously said the break‑up followed an incident involving Quinn and a third party; she discussed that episode on Paul Brunson's podcast earlier this year.
Klass is also mother to son Apollo, six, with her fiancé Simon Motson. She has maintained a public profile as a classical musician and broadcaster and has spoken in recent months about balancing work with parenting and preparing for her children's transitions to adulthood.
Both stories underscore ongoing conversations within British culture about the media industry and family life. Cleese's comments feed into a broader debate about commissioning, editorial standards and the role of public broadcasters, while Klass's account highlights the emotional and logistical practicalities parents face when an older child leaves home for higher education.
Cleese's remarks were published in Radio Times and have been echoed in other interviews and public appearances this month. Klass posted the Instagram video to her social channels and has spoken about her children's musical training and academic results in interviews and on social media.