Fawlty Towers stage show slapped with woke trigger warning

The Fawlty Towers stage show has been slapped with a woke warning for 'adult themes and controversial topics', including the use of bad language and violence.

The Leeds Heritage Theatre issued a trigger alert for the comedy show, which previously ran on London's West End and is heading on tour across the UK.

Fans were warned to expect 'adult themes' from the stage show, and put in place an age limit for audience members to be over 14 years old to see it, even though tour bosses previously said it was not recommended for theatre-goers under five. 

The alert on the theatre website reads: 'Triggers and advisories: Violence, strong language, adult themes, controversial topics, gun shots, smoking, smoke and fire.'

The 1970s sitcom had been adapted into a stage show by show creator and star John Cleese and stage show director Caroline Jay Ranger. 

It was met with rave reviews from fans after selling out during its West End run, leading to its national tour across the UK and Ireland's major cities. 

The stage show blends the plot and the most famous moments from three of the episodes that originally aired on TV - turning them into a single narrative. 

Set in the fictional Fawlty Towers hotel, and following main character Basil Fawlty and his staff, it features narrative from episodes The Hotel Inspectors, The Germans and Communication Problems. 

It's not the first time that Fawlty Towers has fallen victim to trigger warnings, with episode The Germans reinstated with an alert in 2020 on streaming service UKTV. 

The episode was also temporarily removed from the BBC's streaming service. 

Nonetheless, Cleese, 86, has previously spoken out in favour of warnings to fans ahead of shows, while speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari. 

The actor said: 'I’m all in favour of warnings. Everyone is super sensitive at the moment and I think it’s just a mood that will pass in another couple of years.

'But the point is to warn people, because if they’ve been warned then they cannot watch it. If they haven’t been warned they can start saying you shouldn’t have.

'If you’re going to have people getting upset about things, just tell them "you might get upset about things".

'I think it’s very silly but right at the moment it’s better to throw them a small bone and to give warnings, you know, sexual content or violence, not that anyone’s ever suggested we shouldn’t watch a programme because it was so violent.'

It comes after the legendary comedian hit out at the BBC for its shortcomings in developing comedy, and lambasted the 'bureaucrats' running the corporation for 'not being very good at humour.'

Speaking to Nick Ferrari on LBC Radio, John said: 'In the case of the BBC, there isn’t the executive understanding of how to nurture comedy, which is why there’s not much great comedy these days.'

Continuing, he referenced a former director-general by adding: 'I think it’s because John Birt turned the BBC into a bureaucracy.

'And bureaucrats aren’t very good at humour - because they try to decide things in committee.'

John played chaotic hotelier Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, inspired by real-life Torquay hotel owner Donald Sinclair (1909-1981).  

It is not the first time that he has criticised BBC bosses for their approach to comedy in recent months. 

The star previously insisted fans will never again see work from him on the Beeb - which was where Fawlty Towers aired.

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Fawlty Towers legend John Cleese launches ANOTHER attack on BBC for 'failing to nurture comedy'

Speaking on stage at the Slapstick comedy festival in Bristol, John said of the broadcaster: 'If you put a script in now it has to go through a f***ing committee who have no idea what they are doing.

'There has been nothing funny since The Office. It is sad and it is because the people in charge have no idea how to make comedy happen.

'The whole process has been replaced by a bureaucratic process which does not begin to work.'

He added: 'We used to be really good at it and now we are not and that is very sad.

'There weren't committees when we started. Comedy now has to be clean. You must not play for laughs. I am going to write a book about writing comedy to make people aware how difficult it is.'

And in a brutal takedown of BBC executives, he continued: 'The people organising comedy have never been very good but at the moment, particularly at the BBC, they are clueless.

'I don't think it is a lack of talent - except among the executive classes. Those classes have no idea what they are doing.'