Comic legend John Cleese has announced he is retiring from writing and performing for TV comedies. Instead, he will focus on publishing a book about the history of comedy and holding classes for would-be jokesters, reports British newspaper The Times.

Cleese, star of both Fawlty Towers and Monty Python, said that today’s TV comedy is poorly written and aimed at American teenagers. He also criticized modern performers for not being aware of the “basic principles” of comedy.

“It is very rare today to see someone with that grasp of old-fashioned comedy,” said the 66-year-old. “The last truly excellent performance I saw was Eddie Izzard. But Ricky Gervais is also a match for the great American sitcoms.”

In order to help remedy the situation, Cleese said that he’ll be a “comedy professor” and “teach young talent some rules of the game.”






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