John Cleese doesn't put up with winter

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John Cleese says people should "get out" of England during the winter because those cold months are so bleak.

The 79-year-old British actor escaped to the Caribbean for a couple of months to avoid the grey and miserable months in the UK and he admits his mood is always lifted when the sun is shining.

Appearing on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Monday morning (14.01.19), which was being hosted by Zoe Ball for the first time today, he said: "I admire anyone who is prepared to live in England in the winter but I don't see the point in it if you could possible avoid it!

"If you are in love with the grey - I used to say to one of my ex-wives, let's 'open up the curtains and let the grey in' - if you are in love with that, then by all means stay here but otherwise get out until the sun comes out, which these days seems to be about July 3."

The 'Fawlty Towers' actor will return to TV screens in the spring when he appears in the second series of 'Hold the Sunset' - a BBC sitcom in which he stars with Alison Steadman as retired neighbours Phil and Edith who are in love and want to start a new life abroad but have their plans disrupted when Edith's adult son moves back home after leaving his wife and teenage kids.

The 'Monty Python' legend was attracted to the show because he wanted to show the audience "how awful" children can be.

He said: "It's about how awful children are! Which I think anyone old will be happy to agree with!"

The beloved comedian was the first guest on Zoe's new radio programme, and explained that he had been called onto the show because he was delighted to have appeared on the very first UK breakfast TV show when it made its launched in 1983.

He said: "February the 3rd, 83, I went on the very first UK breakfast TV programme and I went on in my pyjamas because I thought it was quite funny."