News about Connie Booth

From impersonating a goose-stepping Nazi in front of German guests, to thrashing his red Austin car after it failed to start, Basil Fawlty was the most gloriously haphazard of hotel owners. The star of hit sitcom Fawlty Towers might have seemed like yet another hilarious creation from the mind of John Cleese (right as Basil with Prunella Scales as Sybil). But the character was - as Cleese has previously spoken about - in fact almost entirely based on Donald Sinclair, the owner of the ramshackle Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay in the 1970s. Cleese was inspired to create Fawlty Towers after he and the other Monty Python stars stayed there in 1970 and discovered the 'wonderfully rude' owner and his wife Beatrice (left) - who Basil's wife Sybil was later based on. Fawlty Towers is now back after half a century in the form of a West End play, in which Adam Jackson-Smith portrays Basil. Fellow Python Graham Chapman described Sinclair - who appeared to despise his guests - as 'completely round the twist, off his chump, out of his tree.' Other staff at the Gleneagles - which has now closed - inspired more of the show's characters. Spanish waiter Pepe became Manuel (inset bottom) - who was portrayed by Andrew Sachs - and German-Swiss housekeeper Jetty was the basis for Polly (top inset), depicted by Cleese's then wife Connie Booth.

His curly blonde locks and chiselled jawline won him heartthrob status in the 80s during his time on Just Good Friends. But now more than 40 years later Paul Nicholas is playing a very different role as the bumbling old Major in John Cleese 's stage adaptation of his BBC hit show Fawlty Towers. The 79-year-old said: 'Well, I'm at that stage in my life where Peter Pan is no longer an option. 'I'm at the age where these kinds of roles come up - I played Colonel Pickering recently and that's not dissimilar.' His comments come as John Cleese revealed it took twenty minutes for him and his then-wife, Connie Booth, to come up with the concept for Fawlty Towers.

The 84-year-old star reportedly worth a cool £8million, but if Cleese himself is to be believed it could be a whole lot more if he was more careful with his coin. The star, who currently works for GB News presenting an opinion show called The Dinosaur Hour, has been vocal in the past about his inability to rationalise or curb his spending and confessed that he is financially illiterate.

His description of a predatory young matron at his prep school, Maidwell Hall, has sparked a great deal of sympathy. Earl Spencer's obituaries may now be eclipsed by those of his contemporaries who attended Cheam, the prep school to which Prince Philip and King Charles were later sent. Cheam, which is currently a coeducational school, is a 32,595-per-year institution. It was boys-only back in the 1970s, which explains the appeal to a French master. A former student recalls, 'He was discovered crawling out from underneath a [boy's] bed at night.' "I was looking for my torch," he said. You know what? The police were never called. He went to another school in the Home Counties and developed a beard.' The school's deputy matrons were more popular. The one, who was only 17 years old at the time, had all the boys flocking down to her bedroom, a trend that came only after the headmaster discovered a 13-year-old boy crying.' 'He said, "What are you doing?" Sir, I'm getting a good night's kiss." He was defeated,' recalls his Cheam contemporary. 'The deputy matron was shot.'

Wendy Van Der Plank, a Wizadora actress, is barely recognisable 30 years since the beloved children's TV show first appeared on televisions. The titular character's life as a trainee wizard who struggles to spell spells as she inherited her wand was chronicled in the series from 1993 to 1998. Wizardora would often break the fourth wall when she would speak to audiences and utter catchphrases including 'Oh, botheration!'and 'Time for a bit of Wizzification!'

John Cleese, a Fawlty Towers writer, has said that the reimagination will be 'hugely different' from the original. Monty Python actor 83 told GB News that there will be a slew of 'open-air' scenes that the original series 'never got'. In 1975 and 1979, John and Connie Booth's original script appeared on BBC Two for two series.

When John Cleese revealed that he was returning Fawlty Towers, his co-writer and ex-wife Connie Booth, was shocked that she had not been consulted. 'I'd have enjoyed learning about the scheme from John rather than reading about it in the papers,' Connie, 82, who played Basil Fawlty's chambermaid Polly Sherman in the classic comedy. And the actress-turned-psychotherapist cut a forlorn figure for the first time since her ex-husband Cleese, 83, revealed his plans last month.

Connie Booth, John Cleese's ex-wife, has claimed that the actor didn't inform her of the Fawlty Towers revival, which was announced last week. Connie, 82, created the show with him and performed Basil Fawlty's chambermaid Polly in the sitcom, but she has now reported how the announcement of the new series was a surprise to her. The couple married in 1968 and spent ten years together before separating.

The long-awaited reboot's details are being tightly wrapped, but it will, of course, see the return of the inept hotel manager Basil Fawlty, played by John, 83. When Fawlty Towers first appeared on televisions in 1975, the tragedy of Basil, a highly strung Torquay hotelier, shocked it.

After a string of costly divorces, the British comedy legend's decision to write new episodes of Fawlty Towers is expected to be more practical than sentimental. The ex wives of Connie Booth, Barbara Trentham, and Alyce Faye Eichelberger are among the photos below. Jennifer Wade, his current wife, is seen at the bottom of the page. Cleese has been transparent about the need to make money since his divorces, and he did a Monty Python live show (top right) and his famous Alimony Tour in 2011 (bottom right).

On Tuesday night, John Cleese and his wife Jennifer Wade were seen leaving trendy private members' bar Oswald's in London's Albemarle street. The Monty Python icon, 82, is expected to be worth £8 million, but he couldn't help but be shocked at the price when commemorating his friend's 80th birthday. The food was fine, but it was very expensive,' he said as he left.