Having threatened to sue an Australian theatre company for a 'shameless rip-off' of his award-winning comedy show, John Cleese has been forced to take out a similar injunction against his own creative output over the last forty years. Likewise the entire 'Monty Python' team have been accused of repeatedly plagiarizing the same hackneyed theme of a cross-dressing grumpy northerner 'with a deceased pet'.
A lawyer acting for the writer said: 'Mr. Cleese needs to protect the legacy of Mr. Cleese; which is why he has issued Mr. Cleese with a cease and desist notice. Mr. Cleese cannot expect to be subsidized by Mr. Cleese. One is a beloved comedy genius and the other is the star of a 'Specsaver's advert'.
Ironically Cleese (in a 2015 interview) advised young artists to 'steal' from others but clearly he meant 'steal from someone less litigious'. Having sullied the memory of 'Fawlty Towers', Cleese is also guilty of frequently imitating the same failed marriage; making many alimony payments but giving himself no royalties. As one critic said: 'Having seen his last show, at least there's nothing worth stealing'.
This entry was posted on April 7, 2016 by Wrenfoe in UK Arts and tagged Cleese, Comedy News, Fawlty Towers, Flib News, Monty Python, Satire.