John Cleese defends free speech passionately, despite not being a conservative.

John Cleese: The Unrelenting Rebel of Comedy

At 83 years old, John Cleese is as funny and feisty as ever, defending his work against the woke revolution and skewering uptight scolds. His voice is strong and unrelenting against cancel culture, making him a rare breed in today’s world.

A Comedy Career That Stretches Decades

While many fans know him best for his work in Monty Python, Cleese’s comedy career began early and stretches from iconic movies like “A Fish Called Wanda” to legendary sitcoms like “Fawlty Towers.” His college days at Clifton College and Cambridge University’s Footlights Club comedy troupe led him to a writing gig for BBC radio, which was a wise move. It was there that he met future Python colleague Graham Chapman.

Cleese eventually joined Chapman and other cutups to form Monty Python, an anarchic group of comics willing to try almost anything to make audiences howl. The TV troupe’s “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” debuted on October 5, 1969, on the BBC. The show, smart and silly in outrageous doses, later reached American viewers via PBS stations, furthering the group’s global reach.

• Skits like the “Ministry of Silly Walks” to the iconic “Dead Parrot” captured the show’s manic, unpredictable glee.
• The show lasted four seasons (three with Cleese), but the British star’s career was far from over.
• He eventually created “Fawlty Towers,” a hilarious sitcom featuring Cleese as a frazzled innkeeper.

The series lasted just 12 episodes (six in 1975, another six in 1979), but it became a comic institution. Cleese returned over and again to his Python mates, their work graduating to the big screen with impressive results. Their cinematic debut, 1975’s “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” stands as their masterwork, but subsequent projects like “Life of Brian” (1979) and “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life” (1983) have their moments, too.

A Rebel in 2023

Cleese is no conservative, but he believes in comedy and the very Western notion that free speech matters. That makes him a rebel in 2023 and a man who hasn’t lost his principles over 50+ years in the comedy trenches. He’s using his free speech brand to power new projects, including a show about free speech alongside fellow free speech warrior Andrew Doyle and a reboot of “Fawlty Towers.”

John Cleese is a legend in the world of comedy, and his unrelenting spirit and dedication to free speech make him a true rebel in today’s world.

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