John Cleese says nervous breakdown gave him a ‘grasp on what is important’

Actor John Cleese has said he is “glad” he had a nervous breakdown following his third divorce as it gave him “a much more realistic grasp of what was important in life”.

The Monty Python star describes having “two and a half, three months of a nervous breakdown with suicidal thoughts” in his new documentary, John Cleese Packs It In.

In the 90-minute film, which sees Cleese embark on a European tour, the actor explains that he is still touring in his 80s because of the financial impact of his split from psychotherapist Alyce Faye Eichelberger in 2008.

He told the PA news agency: “It was very unpleasant waking up in the morning, because you feel very, very depressed for the first couple of hours.

“But once they got me on a mild dose of an antidepressant, then I got rid of it fairly quickly and was performing again within about three or four months.

“And I think I’m glad it happened to me, because it gave me a much more realistic grasp of what was important in life, because we can certainly get distracted.”

As part of his tour, Cleese travelled to cities including Gothenburg, Ghent and Rotterdam, where he indulged in activates such as cheese tasting.

The actor, known for his role playing Basil in Fawlty Towers, said he enjoys the “good feeling” of audience laughter while touring and added that TV and streaming “is a world so different to what I grew up in”.

“In the old days, I used to have a lot of stage fright, but when I go out now to perform, the people have bought tickets because they like me,” he told PA.

“So as I come out, there’s a lovely reception because they like the kind of humour that I do.”

Asked if he was apprehensive about bringing a camera crew into his life, he added: “This is what we have to live with now, isn’t it? And I don’t have anything particularly to hide.”

The actor also reflected on the changing comedy scene and the idea of “woke” which he said is “a whole spectrum” that is “totally sensible and admirable” at one end, and the opposite at the other end.

He said: “I feel that we’re in danger of not understanding the nature of comedy.

“What I think few people really understand is that all comedy is critical.

“If you have a very clever, kind, generous, wise, amusing person, there’s nothing to laugh at.

“We don’t laugh at people who are very likeable and friendly and kind and generous. We don’t laugh at them.

“We laugh at people who were torn apart by ridiculous, egotistical emotions like competitiveness or anger or those kind of negative emotions, as we call them, that’s what we laugh at.

“But just because we’re laughing at people doesn’t mean that it’s unkind.

“It can be unkind, and it’s very nasty when it is. When people make, not so much jokes, but pretend jokes that are intended to hurt people’s feelings and make them feel bad about themselves, it’s wrong, as simple as that. It’s wrong.”

John Cleese Packs It In will play at more than 350 UK cinemas on November 13.