Don't Expect Fawlty Towers!

Comedy great John Cleese teams up with Alison Steadman for his first BBC1 sitcom in nearly 40 years…

- Emma Bullimore

NEW COMEDY

Hold the Sunset

SUNDAY / BBC1 / 7.30PM

When you’re responsible for co-writing one of the most revered sitcoms of all time, it might seem easier to quit while you’re ahead. And for a long time it seemed Fawlty Towers star John Cleese would never return to British telly, even vowing never to work for the BBC again. Luckily, a brand new sitcom, Hold the Sunset, turned his head and changed everything.

Monty Python legend John plays Phil, a widower rekindling a romance with his first love, and neighbour, Edith, played by Gavin & Stacey’s Alison Steadman. The pair are very fond of each other, and Phil wants to get married, sell their houses and move to sunny Spain to live the good life. Edith is more cautious about taking the leap, but just as she starts coming round to the idea there’s a knock on the door…

It’s her adult son, Roger (Jason Watkins) – he’s walked out on his wife and children, and expects to move back in with mum. He’s even brought a pile of laundry for her to sort out… So where does that leave Edith and Phil? And what other obstacles are about to be thrown in their way?

Here John, 78, and Alison, 71, tell TV Times what’s in store…