John Cleese documentary coming to Clacton's Century Cinema

The film John Cleese Packs It In gives viewers an inside look at what may be the 85-year-old comic's final European tour.

The 90-minute documentary will be showing at the Century Cinema in Clacton at 7.15pm on Thursday, November 13.

It follows Cleese as he travels to 16 European cities and performs 23 shows in six weeks.

Throughout the film, Cleese discusses his career, which began in 1963, fame, and what it is like to be growing older in the public eye.

He 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."

The film is playing at more than 350 cinemas across the UK, and captures Cleese as he battels various ailments, encounters chaotic travel and grapples with his own stubborn refusal to stop.

Cleese's career spans six decades, and covers comedy, TV and cinema.

After starting out with the Cambridge Footlights, he co-founded Monty Python and co-created Fawlty Towers, later writing and starring in the Oscar-nominated A Fish Called Wanda.

As well as starring in fan-favourite roles 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 Travers of CinemaLive, distributors of the film in cinemas, said: "We're genuinely excited to be working alongside Medium Sized Fish Productions to share this incredible documentary about John Cleese in cinemas later this year.

"We can't wait for audiences to meet the man behind the comedy legend."

Tickets for the screening in Clacton are available on www.johncleeseincinemas.com.