John Cleese to explore cancel culture and ‘woke’ generation in new Channel 4 series: ‘There’s so much I really don’t understand’

The comedian will look at the ‘woke’ generation’s approach to comedy (Picture: James Morgan/Getty Images)

John Cleese is set to explore cancel culture in a new series for Channel 4.

The comedian and writer, who is best known for comedy classics Fawlty Towers and Monty Python, will ‘set forth into the minefield of cancel culture to explore why a new “woke” generation is trying to rewrite the rules on what can and can’t be said’.

John Cleese: Cancel Me will see the comedian ask whether it is possible to make good comedy without someone taking offence. 

He will meet some famous faces who have found themselves on the receiving end of cancel culture, as well as the people who are doing the cancelling.

It comes after a controversial episode of classic comedy Fawlty Towers aired on the BBC earlier this year after previously being removed from UKTV due to racist content, with viewers divided on its return to screens.

Last year the 1975 episode, titled The Germans, was hit with a content warning after being removed from BBC-owned UKTV and reviewed amid the Black Lives Matter protests, after racist slurs used by Major Gowen were previously taken out in 2013. It was a move that Cleese blasted at the time.

Cleese hit out after an episode of Fawlty Towers was hit with an offensive content warning (Picture: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Addressing his new series, he said: ‘I’m delighted to have a chance to find out, on camera, about all the aspects of so-called Political Correctness.

‘There’s so much I really don’t understand, like: how the impeccable idea of “Let’s all be kind to people” has been developed in some cases ad absurdum.’

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He added: ‘I want to bring the various reasonings right out in the open so that people can be clearer in their minds what they agree with, what they don’t agree with, and what they still can’t make their mind up about.’

Cleese rose to fame in the 1970s as a co-founder of the surrealist comedy group Monty Python, alongside Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Sir Michael Palin.

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