John Cleese to press on with UK comedy tour despite threats from Islamists

Restore Britain MP Rupert Lowe has defended John Cleese after the British comedian and cultural icon was singled out by a prominent Muslim pressure group over his upcoming UK tour.

5Pillars, the UK-based Islamic group, described the 86-year-old Monty Python star as a "prominent Islamophobe" and highlighted his planned performances in Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds - cities with substantial Muslim populations. Cleese is due to tour England in September with his John Cleese and the Holy Grail, featuring screenings of Monty Python, followed by a live conversation and audience Q&A. His official tour schedule confirms dates in Birmingham on September 20, Manchester on September 21 and Leeds on September 22. 5Pillars then accused Cleese of a "sustained campaign of Islamophobia and misinformation about Muslims" and highlighted a series of his previous comments about Islam.

This disgracefully aggressive Islamic pressure group is now targeting John Cleese and his UK tour.

I urge all Restore Britain members and supporters to back John. pic.twitter.com/Nx1Mq1NIzh

— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) August 10, 2026

The comedian has rejected the label, describing himself as an "Islamosceptic" rather than Islamophobic. Lowe accused 5Pillars of mounting an "aggressive" campaign against the comedian and urged his supporters to back Cleese. "This disgracefully aggressive Islamic pressure group is now targeting John Cleese and his UK tour," Lowe said, urging his Restore Britain members to support him. Cleese has publicly backed Lowe in the past, saying he trusted him more than any other political leader.

"I am Islamosceptic not Islamophobic," Cleese said. "I hope people will enjoy the evening. But no Salman Rushdie stuff please!" Cleese's reference to Sir Salman Rushdie comes in the context of the author's long-running security concerns after his novel The Satanic Verses prompted death threats and an Iranian fatwa in 1989. Rushdie was later seriously injured in a 2022 stabbing attack in New York.

I am Islamosceptic not Islamophobic.

I hope people will enjoy the evening

But no Salman Rushdie stuff please ! https://t.co/YLPxMIsrb2

— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) August 10, 2026

Cleese's 18-date tour begins in Basingstoke on September 1 before travelling across England, concluding at Leeds Grand Theatre on September 22.