New documentary ‘John Cleese Packs It In’ coming to Cambridge cinemas
A special John Cleese documentary is coming to cinemas across the UK on 13 November - including Everyman Cambridge and Arts Picturehouse Cambridge.
Legendary British comedian John Cleese, one of the minds behind celebrated works such as Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, is inviting audiences to take a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road as an 85-year-old touring comedian, as he visits 16 European cities and performs 23 shows across six weeks.
In John Cleese Packs It In, join Cleese, a graduate of Downing College, Cambridge, as he embarks on what may be his final European tour.
This 90-minute feature documentary, which will be screened in more than 350 cinemas across the UK, captures an unfiltered Cleese as he battles various ailments, encounters chaotic travel, and grapples with his own stubborn refusal to stop.
Over the course of six weeks, the film captures Cleese reflecting on his career, which began in 1963, as well as life, fame, and growing older in the public eye.
Unique and intimate in its access to Cleese, John Cleese Packs It In explores legacy, laughter and bowing out.
Commenting on the film, John Cleese said: “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.”
From starting out with the Cambridge Footlights, to co-founding Monty Python and co-creating Fawlty Towers, to writing and starring in the Oscar-nominated A Fish Called Wanda, his wry, black humour has made him a global comedy icon.
As well as starring in the Harry Potter, James Bond and Shrek franchises, Cleese’s film credits include Rat Race, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Silverado.
He has received two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award and has been nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
John Cleese Packs It In will be showing In UK Cinemas From Thursday, 13 November 2025. Tickets are available from johncleeseincinemas.com.