With his towering height, ungainly limbs and uniquely physical brand of slapstick comedy he entertained millions through his pioneering work on Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
But John Cleese admits the famous flexibility that helped him bring so many of those madcap sketches to life has now eluded him as he advances through old age.
The veteran entertainer, 86, revealed a long list of health ailments in scenes from his forthcoming documentary feature, John Cleese Packs It In, released on November 13.
The film shows Cleese performing in front of sold-out crowds as he’s transported to and from various venues by his intimate touring team, who cater for his every need – including his cheese addiction.
The funnyman named the show Last Chance to See Me Before I Die, one of various nods to his old age and his many health ailments, which he listed off in full to shock fans while discussing his feelings on getting older.
‘Getting old is much nicer than young people think. I mean for a start you don’t have the energy to get upset so people get the impression you’re getting nicer,’ said Cleese, who famously created legendary Python sketch The Ministry Of Silly Walks.
John Cleese admits the famous flexibility that helped him bring so many of his madcap Monty Python sketches to life has now eluded him as he advances through old age
More than five decades on from its appearance on television in 1969, Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks sketch, co-created by Cleese, still prompts a laugh
‘I’ve had both of my hips replaced, my right knee, I’ve had three hair transplants, I don’t have a single tooth of my own in my mouth – all came out of an oven’
‘I had a pacemaker installed a few months ago, I have two artificial lenses in my eyes and I’m considering a penis enlargement.’
During one particularly gruesome scene in the movie, which will be screened at 500 cinemas across the country, Cleese opens up about botched operation on his big toe which has made it uncomfortable for him to walk.
Indeed, during a trip to the zoo on his European tour, Cleese had to be pushed around in a wheelchair.
The Monty Python star took photos of his weepy toe during various stages of his treatment, which are displayed in a lengthy sequence which he joked will put viewers off their movie snacks.
He explained: ‘I’ve got the most photographed big toe in the world. I had an operation to remove a bone spur six years ago and it hasn’t healed since.
‘So if you’ve just had a mouthful of popcorn look away now.’
Cleese is currently married to his fourth wife Jennifer Wade, 52, who makes several cameos in the hilarious 80 minute movie, where the star lets cameras follow his every move 24/7 and includes many touching personal moments that fans haven’t previously seen.
Cleese was reunited with Monty Python stars Terry Gilliam (left) and Sir Michael Palin (right) during a screening for his new film John Cleese Packs It In on Tuesday
The screening took place just eight days after the death of Cleese’s former Fawlty Towers co-star Prunella Scales at the age of 93
He lauds the former model’s sense of humour and reveals how they passed each other in the street, locked eyes before chatting, and have been together ever since.
The new feature follows Cleese as he visits 16 cities across five countries in just six weeks.
Attending a screening in London on Tuesday, he joked: ‘For the first time, audiences will see a different side to me – not just the dashing, devil-may-care, devastatingly handsome bon viveur, but also the decrepit, addled, nasty old geriatric that my PR team work day and night to hide from the public.
‘You will see with your own eyes what it’s really like for a moribund 85 year old to struggle through a 23-city European tour, desperately trying to squeeze a few laughs from audiences who are clearly disappointed that they’ve wasted their hard-earned cash on over-priced tickets.
‘This hatchet job is not just shocking, it’s also hilarious, as audiences everywhere laugh, not with me, but at me.’
Cleese is currently married to his fourth wife Jennifer Wade (pictured) who makes several cameos in the hilarious 80 minute movie
Eric Idle (top) is embroiled in a dispute with his former Monty Python co-stars over the comedy troupe’s dwindling fortunes
Cleese was reunited with Monty Python stars Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin during Tuesday’s screening, but there was no Eric Idle following a dispute with his former co-stars over the comedy troupe’s dwindling fortunes.
Idle – who was among the six original stars from the hit comedy sketch series – revealed he was still working after only receiving £2,000 per series from the BBC show.
The comedian has blamed mismanagement of Monty Python’s funds for his financial downfall – and has taken shots at his co-star Gilliam, now successful filmmaker in his own right.
The screening took place just eight days after the death of Cleese’s former Fawlty Towers co-star Prunella Scales at the age of 93.
The actress starred as Sybil Fawlty, the acid-tongued wife of Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese.
He said in a statement: ‘How very sad. Pru was a really wonderful comic actress. I’ve recently been watching a number of clips of Fawlty Towers whilst researching a book. Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect.’
He added: ‘She was a very sweet lady, who spent a lot of her life apologising. I used to tease her about it. I was very, very fond of her.”
