Actor John Cleese will host a comedic livestream and Q&A session from London next month. Delores Johnson / The National
Actor John Cleese will host a comedic livestream and Q&A session from London next month. Delores Johnson / The National
Actor John Cleese will host a comedic livestream and Q&A session from London next month. Delores Johnson / The National
Actor John Cleese will host a comedic livestream and Q&A session from London next month. Delores Johnson / The National

Cancel culture takes the fun out of life, says comedian John Cleese


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John Cleese does not have much time for political correctness or cancel culture, and as for the state of the world? It's completely hopeless, the former Monty Python star says.

Instead Cleese, 80, is promising "a short selection of Peruvian burial ditties" when he presents a comedic livestream and Q&A session from London next month.

Why There is No Hope is described as part lecture, part stand-up comedy. Cleese says it as an experiment in front of the small audience required by social distancing in the coronavirus era.

The British actor is perhaps best known as rude hotel owner Basil Fawlty in the 1970s British TV series Fawlty Towers and the man from the Ministry of Silly Walks in the absurdist sketch series Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Last month, Cleese called the BBC "cowardly and gutless" for temporarily removing an episode of Fawlty Towers from a streaming service owned by the broadcaster over concerns the show made fun of Germans and the Second World War.

The episode also featured a character using a racial slur.

Cancel culture "misunderstands the main purposes of life which is to have fun", Cleese tells Reuters, referring to the trend in which people are ostracised because of behaviour or remarks that are considered objectionable.

John Cleese, Connie Booth and Andrew Sachs in an episode of 'Fawlty Towers'. Shutterstock
John Cleese, Connie Booth and Andrew Sachs in an episode of 'Fawlty Towers'. Shutterstock

"Everything humorous is critical. If you have someone who is perfectly kind and intelligent and flexible and who always behaves appropriately, they're not funny. Funniness is about people who don't do that, like Trump," he says, referring to the US president.

Cleese says the problem with political correctness is that comedians "have to set the bar according to what we are told by the most touchy, most emotionally unstable and fragile and least stoic people in the country".
As for the Sunday, August 2, livestream to be held at London's Cadogan Hall, Cleese says he expects to perform for about 50 people seated at social distance.

Cleese says he is not bothered about the size of the crowd. "I played to an audience once in New Zealand where I did not get a laugh," he says.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

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“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The specs: 2019 BMW X4

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