John Cleese Returns In New BBC Sitcom ‘Edith’ With Alison Steadman & Jason Watkins
For the first time since he brought us the groundbreaking Fawlty Towers, John Cleese is returning to a BBC sitcom, in a new show called Edith, along side Alison Steadman (Orphan Black, Gavin & Stacey) and Jason Watkins (Taboo, Trollied, W1A, Being Human) the BBC have announced.
“These are the most enjoyable scripts I’ve been sent in the last 100 years,” commented Cleese. “It will also be particularly nice to work with Alison again since we joined forces in Clockwise all that time ago.”
For Edith (Steadman), life is pretty good. She’s been a widow for some years now, but her children live locally and drop by regularly, and she enjoys daily visits from Phil (Cleese), an old boyfriend who now lives across the road.
Phil dreams of marrying Edith, and the pair of them upping sticks and moving abroad to the sunshine. But after months of turning him down, on the happy day Edith finally says “yes”, there’s a knock on the door – and there on the step, with a large suitcase, is her 50 year old son Roger (Watkins). He announces that he’s left his wife, his kids and his good job at the bank, and come home in an attempt to find his lost happiness again. And in a blink, to Edith’s dismay and Phil’s fury, all dreams are on hold.
The cast also includes Jessica Hynes (Hooten & the Lady, W1A, The Royle Family) as Roger’s abandoned wife Wendy, Anne Reid (Last Tango in Halifax, Our Zoo) as the interfering housekeeper Mrs Gale, Rosie Cavaliero (Unforgotten, Prey, Hunderby) as Roger’s money-driven sister Sandra, James Cosmo (Game of Thrones, SS-GB) as Edith’s troublesome ex-boyfriend Bob and Peter Egan (Unforgotten, Downton Abbey) as the confrontational local resident Mr Dugdale.
“If you had carte blanche on your fantasy BBC One comedy cast then you’d not be far off the Edith line-up,” added Shane Allen, Controller, Comedy Commissioning. “It’s also a huge pleasure to welcome John Cleese back to the land of BBC sitcom – his last one did alright. This is the cream of British talent giving the BBC One audience the very best comedy on television.”
No news on when Edith will air yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
