John Cleese has suggested that the BBC could plug potential gaps in its TV schedule caused by the coronavirus pandemic with episodes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
The actor and comedian, 80, said the surrealist sketch series, which originally aired between 1969 and 1974, might still be funny to “old people”.
Broadcasters have begun showing repeats of classic series after the outbreak halted the production of much new content.
I'm told by my friends in the UK that the BBC is definitely running out of content
Some years ago I was involved in a programme calledMonty Python's Flying Circus, which the BBC has not repeated for nearly twenty years
Some of it might still seem funny to old people
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) June 22, 2020
Cleese said on Twitter: “I’m told by my friends in the UK that the BBC is definitely running out of content.
“Some years ago I was involved in a programme called Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which the BBC has not repeated for nearly twenty years.
“Some of it might still seem funny to old people.”
Earlier this month Cleese criticised the BBC as “cowardly and gutless” after an episode of Fawlty Towers was temporarily removed from the BBC-owned UKTV streaming platform.
The famous “don’t mention the war” episode was initially removed because it contained “racial slurs”, according to UKTV.
Cleese played misanthropic hotel owner Basil Fawlty in the 1970s sitcom.