John Cleese swears live on Chris Moyles’ morning radio show: ‘Can I say f***?’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice

John Cleese’s name is trending on Twitter after he asked if he could say “f***” live on morning radio.

The Monty Python star was being interviewed by Chris Moyles on his Radio X show on Thursday morning (10 September) when he made the slip-up.

Listeners were delighted with the blunder, with one person tweeting: “I already know that John Cleese asking if he’s allowed to say f*** on Radio X is going to be the highlight of my day!!”

“John Cleese has never progressed from being a slightly naughty undergraduate,” wrote another.

A third added: “John Cleese on Radio X asking ‘can I say f*** on the radio” and saying the word is the funniest thing I’ve heard in ages.”

Cleese was on the programme to promote his new book, Creativity, an “amusing guide” that aims to show that creativity is a skill that anyone can acquire. In it, he shares his insights into the nature of the creative process and offers advice about what to do when people feel they have hit a brick wall.

Earlier this month, Cleese caused controversy when he challenged comedians to tell him a “woke joke” and called “political correctness” the fastest way to stifle creativity.

The Fawlty Towers star told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he is concerned about “cancel culture”.

“PC stuff started out as a good idea, which is, ‘Let’s not be mean to people,’ and I’m in favour of that despite my age,” he said. “The main thing is to try to be kind. But that then becomes a sort of indulgence of the most over-sensitive people in your culture, the people who are most easily upset.”

He continued: “I don’t think we should organise a society around the sensibilities of the most easily upset people because then you have a very neurotic society.”