John Cleese has commented further on the recent controversy over UKTV removing the Fawlty Towers Germans episode from their catch-up service.

The broadcaster has said that the episode will be reinstated with "extra guidance", but the Monty Python star has tweeted this:

"I would have hoped that someone at the BBC would understand that there are two ways of making fun of human behaviour One is to attack it directly. The other is to have someone who is patently a figure of fun, speak up on behalf of that behaviour Thank of Alf Garnett...

...we laughed at Alf's reactionary views. Thus we discredited them, by laughing at him Of course, there were people - very stupid people - who said 'Thank God someone is saying these things at last' We laughed at these people too Now they're taking decisions about BBC comedy

But it's not just stupidity The BBC is now run by a mixture of marketing people and petty bureaucrats It used to have a large sprinkling of people who'd actually made programmes Not any more So BBC decisions are made by persons whose main concern is not losing their jobs..."

...That's why they're so cowardly and gutless and contemptible I rest my case."

It was UKTV that removed Fawlty Towers from its catch-up service. It is owned by BBC Studios. It is not clear whether Cleese was aware of the latest developments when he tweeted the above statement.

Picture: Gold