The 86-year-old said that ‘very few people understand comedy’.

Fawlty Towers actor John Cleese has said he thinks the BBC doesn’t know how to “nurture comedy”, and that “there’s not much great comedy these days”, while reflecting on his time working with the broadcaster.

Speaking to LBC on Tuesday, the 86-year-old said he thinks “very few people understand comedy”, and reminisced about the “wonderful” collection of talent that used to be at the BBC.

He went on to say the BBC is a bureaucracy, and said: “Bureaucrats aren’t very good at humour”.

Cleese 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.”

“I think it’s because John Birt turned the BBC into a bureaucracy.

“And bureaucrats

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