Editing John Cleese (section)

=== 1970–1979: ''Fawlty Towers'' ===
From 1970 to 1973, Cleese served as [[rector of the University of St Andrews]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://foi.st-andrews.ac.uk/doc.jsp?id=295 |title=List of Rectors of University of St. Andrews |access-date=18 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050114000125/http://foi.st-andrews.ac.uk/doc.jsp?id=295 |archive-date=14 January 2005 }}</ref> His election proved a milestone for the university, revolutionising and modernising the post. For instance, the rector was traditionally entitled to appoint an "assessor", a deputy to sit in his place at important meetings in his absence. Cleese changed this into a position for a student, elected across campus by the student body, resulting in direct access and representation for the student body.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Cleese Biography |url=http://www.cardinalfang.net/biographies/cleese_biog.html |publisher=Cardinal Fang |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009130013/http://www.cardinalfang.net/biographies/cleese_biog.html |archive-date=9 October 2011 }}</ref>

Around this time, Cleese worked with comedian [[Les Dawson]] on his sketch/stand-up show ''[[Sez Les]]''. The differences between the two physically (the tall, lean Cleese and the short, stout Dawson) and socially (the public school and the Cambridge-educated Cleese vs. the working class, self-educated [[Manchester|Mancunian]] Dawson) were marked, but both worked well together from series 8 onwards until the series ended in 1976.<ref>{{cite web |author=Andy Lowe |url=http://www.bubblegun.com/features/cleese.html |title=30 Things You Genuinely Never Knew About John Cleese |website=Bubblegun.com |access-date=4 April 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422113142/http://www.bubblegun.com/features/cleese.html |archive-date=22 April 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/correspondents/2008/01/15/6271/why_well_never_know_the_real_les_dawson |title=Why we'll never know the real Les Dawson : Correspondents 2008 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide |publisher=Chortle |date=15 January 2008 |access-date=4 April 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105025011/http://chortle.co.uk/correspondents/2008/01/15/6271/why_well_never_know_the_real_les_dawson |archive-date=5 November 2011 }}</ref>

Cleese appeared on a single, "Superspike", with [[Bill Oddie]] and a group of UK athletes, billed the "Superspike Squad", to fund the latter's attendance at the [[1976 Summer Olympics]] in Montreal.<ref>Bradley's BRAD 7606, released 20 February 1976. A side: Superspike (Part 1), B side: Superspike (Part 2). {{YouTube|5z5h2mDNNwg|Superspike}}</ref>

Cleese starred in the low-budget spoof of the [[Sherlock Holmes]] detective series ''[[The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It]]'' (1977) as the grandson of the world's greatest consulting detective. In December 1977, Cleese appeared as a guest star on ''[[The Muppet Show]]''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Kermit Culture: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson's Muppets|last1=Garlen|first1=Jennifer C.|last2=Graham|first2=Anissa M.|publisher=McFarland & Company|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7864-4259-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/kermitculturecri0000unse/page/218 218]|url=https://archive.org/details/kermitculturecri0000unse/page/218}}</ref> Ranked one of the best guest stars to appear on the show, Cleese was a fan of ''The Muppet Show'' and co-wrote much of the episode.<ref name="Muppet Show">{{cite news |title=The 10 best Muppet Show guests: John Cleese |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2012/jan/22/ten-best-muppets-in-pictures |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muppetcentral.com/guides/episodes/tms/season2/47_cleese.shtml|title=John Cleese&nbsp;– Episode 47|publisher=Muppet Central|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229022312/http://www.muppetcentral.com/guides/episodes/tms/season2/47_cleese.shtml|archive-date=29 December 2008|url-status=live|access-date=20 December 2008}}</ref> In it he is "kidnapped" before the show begins, complains about the number of pigs, and gets roped into doing a closing number with [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Sweetums]], pigs, chickens and monsters.<ref name="Muppet Show"/> Cleese also made a [[cameo appearance]] in their 1981 film ''[[The Great Muppet Caper]]'' and won the ''[[TV Times]]'' award for Funniest Man on TV&nbsp;– 1978–79.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.savemeaticket.com/event/theatre/entertainment/john-cleese-tickets|title=John Cleese|publisher=Save me a ticket|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110409230952/http://www.savemeaticket.com/event/theatre/entertainment/john-cleese-tickets|archive-date=9 April 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=12 February 2011}}</ref> In 1979, he starred in a TV special, ''[[To Norway, Home of Giants]]'', produced by [[Johnny Bergh]].

Throughout the 1970s, Cleese also produced and acted in a number of successful business training films, including ''[[Meetings, Bloody Meetings]],'' and ''[[More Bloody Meetings]]''. These were produced by his company [[Video Arts]].<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/video-arts-sells-out-in-pounds-25m-deal-1322504.html Video Arts sells in £25m deal]. ''[[The Independent]]''. 5 January 1996.</ref>

''' ''Fawlty Towers'' '''
{{Main|Fawlty Towers}}
Cleese achieved greater prominence in the United Kingdom as the neurotic hotel manager [[Basil Fawlty]] in the two series of ''Fawlty Towers'', first broadcast 1975 and 1979, which he co-wrote with his wife [[Connie Booth]]. The series won three [[BAFTA]] awards when produced, and in 2000 it topped the [[British Film Institute]]'s list of the [[100 Greatest British Television Programmes]]. In a 2001 poll conducted by [[Channel 4]] Basil Fawlty was ranked second (behind [[Homer Simpson]]) on their list of the [[100 Greatest (TV series)|100 Greatest TV Characters]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/tv_characters/results.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531160558/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/tv_characters/results.html |archive-date=31 May 2009 |title=100 Greatest TV Characters |access-date=26 May 2019 |publisher=[[Channel 4]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/ITVProgs/2001/05/05/Y22090001/ |title=100 Greatest ... (100 Greatest TV Characters (Part 1)) |publisher=[[ITN Source]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221233837/http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/ITVProgs/2001/05/05/Y22090001/ |archive-date=21 February 2015 |access-date=13 May 2019}}</ref> The series also featured [[Prunella Scales]] as Basil's acerbic wife [[Sybil Fawlty|Sybil]], [[Andrew Sachs]] as the much abused Spanish waiter [[Manuel (Fawlty Towers)|Manuel]], and Booth as waitress [[Polly Sherman|Polly]], the series' voice of sanity. Cleese based Basil Fawlty on a real person, [[Donald Sinclair (hotel owner)|Donald Sinclair]], whom he had encountered in 1970 while the Monty Python team were staying at the Gleneagles Hotel in [[Torquay]] while filming inserts for their television series.<ref name="Sinclair"/> Reportedly, Cleese was inspired by Sinclair's mantra, "I could run this hotel just fine if it weren't for the guests." He later described Sinclair as "the most wonderfully rude man I have ever met", although Sinclair's widow has said her husband was totally misrepresented in the series. During the Pythons' stay, Sinclair allegedly threw Idle's briefcase out of the hotel "in case it contained a bomb", complained about Gilliam's "American" table manners, and threw a bus timetable at another guest after he dared to ask the time of the next bus to town.<ref name="Sinclair">{{cite news |title=Fawlty hotelier was bonkers, says waitress |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1394580/Fawlty-hotelier-was-bonkers-says-waitress.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1394580/Fawlty-hotelier-was-bonkers-says-waitress.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=24 May 2019 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2006/08/10/fawlty_towers_relaunch_feature.shtml |title=Sybil back at Fawlty Towers |publisher=BBC |date=18 September 2006 |access-date=6 January 2014}}</ref>

The first series was screened from 19 September 1975 on [[BBC Two|BBC 2]], initially to poor reviews,<ref name="Malmo">{{cite news |last1=Milmo |first1=Cahal |title=Life after Polly: Connie Booth (a case of Fawlty memory syndrome) |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/life-after-polly-connie-booth-a-case-of-fawlty-memory-syndrome-450289.html |access-date=8 October 2015 |work=Independent |date=25 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502123852/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/life-after-polly-connie-booth-a-case-of-fawlty-memory-syndrome-450289.html |archive-date=2 May 2008}}</ref> but gained momentum when repeated on [[BBC One|BBC 1]] the following year. Despite this, a second series did not air until 1979, by which time Cleese's marriage to Booth had ended, but they revived their collaboration for the second series. ''Fawlty Towers'' consisted of two seasons, each of only six episodes; Cleese and Booth both maintain that this was to avoid compromising the quality of the series. The popularity of ''Fawlty Towers'' has endured, and in addition to featuring high in greatest-ever television show polls it is often rebroadcast.<ref>Mattha Busby (9 April 2019). [https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/apr/09/fawlty-towers-greatest-ever-british-sitcom "Fawlty Towers named greatest ever British TV sitcom"]. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 24 May 2019.</ref> In a 2002 poll, Basil's "[[The Germans|don't mention the war]]" comment (said to the waitress Polly about the German guests) was ranked the second funniest line in television.<ref name="line poll"/>