News: John Cleese

The former Python seems to be steering clear of the camera lense for the next couple of years, with this week’s Charlotte’s Web the first of three films in which only his distinctive voice, rather than his equally-recognisable face, will appear.

Next up he’ll reprise his role as the pompous King Harold in the much-anticipated Shrek the Third (due 29th June in the UK), alongside pretty much all the cast of the last two. Then he’ll be re-teaming with his Charlotte’s Web co-star Steve Buscemi to voice the potty professor Dr Glinkenstein in animated comedy Igor, due 2008.

Also coming up is a writing project, with Cleese co-scripting the prehistoric comedy Crood Awakening, all revolving around the discovery of fire. It was originally planned to be produced as a stop-motion effort by Wallace & Grommit’s Aardman Animations but, since Aardman and US animation studio Dreamworks parted company after the release of the collaborative effort Flushed Away, it looks rather like it might end up being CGI instead. Either way, it’s not expected until at least 2010, by which time Cleese will be happily in to his seventies.