All smiles as John Cleese introduces the cast of new show Fawlty Towers: Live

JOHN CLEESE looked pleased to meet the cast of his show Fawlty Towers: Live ahead of this month’s world premiere.

Cleese, 76, who is adapting the classic comedy for the stage, had revealed he rejected actors who behaved too much like Basil Fawlty, the hapless hotelier he played in the original.

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But he beamed while meeting the actors, including new Basil, Stephen Hall, for the first time ahead of the Roslyn Packer Theatre launch in Sydney on August 20.

The historic first stage show will draw from three classic Beeb episodes — Basil The Rat, Communication Problems and The Germans — that Cleese and ex-wife Connie Booth, 72, wrote and starred in.

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While the move Down Under is far removed from rainy Torquay, Cleese said he did not want the stage show to be a simple repeat of the cult sitcom.

The cast is entirely made up of Aussie locals, including Blazey Best, who plays Sybil; Syd Brisbane, who takes on the role of Manuel; and Aimee Horne as Polly.