Meet the man from Monty Python whose latest cunning plan is to put Basil Fawlty up where he belongs: on the Australian stage.

If a poll were ever commissioned with the aim of determining which classic 1970s comedy character the general public would most like to see resurrected, luckless in life Basil Fawlty would surely find himself a winner at last – leapfrogging the likes of Frank Spencer, Alf Garnett and Wolfie Smith into an easy first place. Ever since the second series of Fawlty Towers ended in 1979, hope has burnt eternal that one day Basil might reopen his eponymous hotel. And when John Cleese wasn’t being asked about the possibility of a Monty Python reunion, you would likely find him on some 1980s chat show or other fielding questions about a Basil reboot.

He had remained resolute. No more Fawlty Towers. Hasn’t the poor chap suffered enough? Cleese was prone to quip and, besides, his co-writer, ex-wife and the actress who portrayed Polly, Connie Booth, has for the past 20 years been working as a therapist in North London, while the physical stamina required to play Basil is very much a young man’s game. Twelve episodes, that’s...