Fawlty Towers, widely regarded as the finest sitcom ever produced, boasts a flawless 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, its star, John Cleese, known for his portrayal of the cantankerous hotel owner Basil Fawlty, has had a less than humorous personal life.
He bitterly notes that his former wife, Alyce Eichelberger, emerged from their divorce considerably wealthier than him, despite her living in a third-floor council flat in London with two sons from a previous marriage when they met in 1990.
The Monty Python legend, now 85, expressed his frustration, complaining: "What I find so unfair is that if we both died today, her children would get much more than mine."
"On the other hand," he wryly added, "think what I'd have had to pay her if she had contributed anything to the relationship like children. Or a conversation!"
John's ex-wife was represented by renowned divorce specialist Fiona Shackleton, who has previously secured favourable settlements for high-profile clients such as His Majesty the King and Sir Paul McCartney. The divorce proceedings were carried out under California law, which typically leans towards the wife.
Julia Whittle, head of international at Punter Southall Financial Management, explained to Financial News: "Under Californian law Eichelberger is entitled to one half of Cleese's earnings during the marriage. She is also entitled to spousal support which is why the couple is arguing over their marital standard of living."
Julia adds that John's first two divorces were "relatively simple, amicable and more importantly cheap."
In court, Eichelberger claimed Cleese was a "world-renowned celebrity" and, during their 16-year marriage, she had become accustomed to "being entertained by royalty and dignitaries in castles."
The final divorce settlement in 2008 left Eichelberger with approximately £15 million in cash and assets, plus an additional 600,000 per annum for seven years.
Film director Michael Winner, a close friend of John's for many years, told The Telegraph: "It is an extraordinary world which means John is left with much less than his former wife even though he is the star who did all the work.
"The settlement defies human belief. John is extremely cross about it and I don't blame him. The settlement comes after two years of harrowing legal argument."
John has experienced more than one divorce. He married Connie Booth, with whom he created Fawlty Towers, but they separated part-way through the filming of its second - and final - series.
He then married actress Barbara Trentham, and, although they divorced after nine years together, John says he remains on good terms with his first two wives.
The comedian has been happily married to jewellery designer Jennifer Wade, who is 31 years his junior, since 2012.
John attributes his tumultuous romantic history to his upbringing, revealing that despite a good relationship with his father, he faced challenges with his mother.
Speaking to Candis, he elaborated: "I developed an ingrained habit of walking on eggshells when dealing with her. If you start life like that, you're likely to make bad choices with women when you're an adult."
