Some time in the past few years, a copy of this memo came into my possession via the ex TV editor of Time Out, Alkarim Jivani (whose entry in the Urban Dictionary has to be the nicest ever).
It’s from the Comedy Script Editor of the BBC in 1974, who dismisses ‘Fawlty Towers’ as ‘dire’ and ‘a collection of cliches and stock characters’.
Sadly, the coffee stain is not contemporary, dating only from circa 2008.
John Cleese discusses the memo here. He has framed his copy, but I just gave mine to my mate Gabriel. Oh well.
The Great Wen 