John Cleese joins GB News

The Monty Python star will host a series on the news and views channel next year. The new show marks John’s return to UK television after a three-year hiatus. He last appeared on British screens in the sitcom Hold the Sunset in 2019.

GB News confirmed today that actor, comedian, writer, and producer John Cleese will host a new series on the channel in 2023. The programme will feature John in conversation with his choice of guests on a wide range of areas that interest him. Mr Cleese revealed the news this morning in an interview with journalist Amol Rajan on BBC Radio 4’s Today Show.

John is best known for his work on Monty Python’s Flying Circus sketch series and comedy Fawlty Towers. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Cleese spoke about the reasons for joining the network;

“I was approached and I didn’t know who they were … And then I met one or two of the people concerned and had dinner with them, and I liked them very much. And what they said was: ‘People say it’s the rightwing channel – it’s a free speech channel.’”

The Executive Producer of his programme will be comedian and writer Andrew Doyle, who hosts Free Speech Nation on GB News. Andrew is also Executive Producer of the channel’s nightly newspaper review show, Headliners, hosted entirely by comedians.

Andrew Doyle:

“John will have complete creative freedom to have the conversations he wants to have with the people who interest him most. Like John himself, it will be far from predictable.”

When GB News launched it was branded as ‘potentially racist’ and ‘right wing’. The network however has aired views from all sides of the political spectrum and has hosts with varying political stances. Talk TV – from rightwing Rupert Murdoch oddly hasn’t had the same kind of abuse thrown at it when it launched earlier this year.