John Cleese’s Dermatologist Quoted His Iconic ‘Monty Python’ Line to Him
John Cleese got an operation and a show during a trip to the doctor’s office.
The Fawlty Towers star shared an unexpected fan interaction, recalling the moment his dermatologist invoked Monty Python and the Holy Grail after removing a small patch of pre-cancerous skin from his arm.
“He sliced it off and sewed it up, very mild,” Cleese explained during an interview with Florida radio station, WOKV. Instead of bandaging the actor up and sending him back to his usual routine of decrying the state of British comedy and beefing with his former co-stars, the doctor couldn’t help but broach the Black Knight on his way out.
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“He said, ‘Tis only a scratch,’” Cleese remembered.
Surprisingly, the notoriously curmudgeonly comic wasn’t annoyed by this interaction. “It’s lovely when things that you’ve said kind of become public property,” Cleese explained, noting he hears “‘Tis only a scratch” more than any of his other lines while engaging with fans. “It’s a very great compliment.”
The actor, who is currently promoting his ongoing tour, Not Dead Yet: John Cleese and the Holy Grail at 50, shared that he also enjoys interacting with fans from the stage. “It’s great to see an audience rocking with laughter,” he said, noting that he experienced this during recent performances of his Fawlty Towers-inspired stage show in London.
“I love getting there and just watching an audience laughing together, and I tell you something, it’s good for us,” he continued. “When we laugh, particularly when we laugh with other people, it lifts our spirits.”
Considering all of Cleese’s recent statements about his former castmates and TV broadcasters, we’re just happy he’s still able to look on the bright side of something.
