This is an interview with the creators of Payne, Judd Pillot and John Peaslee. Thanks guys.

Q1.. .Exactly what part did you play in the creation of Payne and how did you get involved in writing it ?

We'd been talking to John Larroquette for a long time about doing a show with him. When he was approached by the people who owned the American rights to Fawlty, he called us, and asked if we'd like to stomp all over sacred ground. We jumped at the chance, and have been stomping ever since. After many creative meetings with John Larrouqette, (how close should we stay to the original... how can we really translate the British humor/should we?... how do we really Americanize it?....etc.) We Judd and John Peaslee, wrote the pilot. Our initial instinct was to stay very close to Fawlty, to prove a: we weren't afraid of it, and b: we could do it. Having a:,proven we could do it, we were b:, afraid to keep doing it. In subsequent episodes, we made a distinct decision to stay away from the original episodes, and feel we made it our own.

Q2.. What other projects have you been involved in before working on Payne ?

We Judd & John have been partrners for 20 years. We started out in news and documentaries, then, came to Hollywood in '86. We did a romantic comedy called "DUET"...we wrote and produced "COACH" for five years, we created and exec. produced a series about a blended family called "Something SO Right", and now we've got PAYNE...boy do we have PAYNE. We've also written a couple of movies.

Q3.. What has been the reaction to the idea of recreating Fawlty Towers for an American audience, both in Britain and America ?

Americans seem thrilled at the prospect of an American Fawlty with John Larroquette.....the Brits seem aghast. (I told you about the BBC interview [see below]...the host said it was tantamount to "hawking the crown jewels in a Baghad bazaar."

"Early on in the process, before the show was picked up, I did an interview on the BBC, some late night radio show, and boy was that guy gunning for me. "Exporting Fawlty Towers is like hawking the crown jewels at a Baghdad bazaar," he announced (with me on the air). And, "An American version is like watching the Archbishop of Canterbury doing a cabaret act in Vegas." " [quote from earlier corrospondence dated 6th Feb 99.]

Q4.. John Cleese based Fawlty Towers on his experiences at various hotels. Has Payne been influenced by any of your experances ?

No PAYNE is not based on any of our hotel experiences. We don't get to stay in many hotels. And when we do the staffs aren't as nice and classy and proficient as the staff at Fawlty Towers.

Q5.. How much has the content of the original Fawlty Towers influenced you when writing Payne ?

As we said earlier, when we first wrote the show, we made a point of using alot of the original material, then we made a point of moving away from it, and really making it our own... with Larroquette's voice. Of course the four characters and the hotel premise, you can't get away from... nor would you want

Q6.. How did the main characters and the hotel get their names ?

Well John Larroquette, came up with Royal Payne, and Whispering Pines. We came up with Connie Payne (we liked the joke that he sometimes introduces her as Constant (Constance) Payne. It was also an indirect tribute to Connie Booth. Breeze (the Polly character) we always saw has having California beach hippy parents...we always thought she got the name Breeze, because it was what her father felt on his back, that night on the beach when she was conceived. It was either that or her mom's choice, Sandy. (Short for "sand in my ass"). Mo is a special case. In the US there was no way we could abuse a Spanish character, and again, we wanted to update, and make it our own. We made him a unspecified thirld world guy, and thought Mo sounded funny...maybe reminiscent of the three Stooges. We always say Mo came from a small village at the foot of the Humorous Mountains.

Q7.. Fawlty Towers was apparently incredibly hard work to record and edit, was Payne such hard work to make ? or are things easier 25 years on ?

Interesting question. We weren't working under the production constraints that Fawlty Towers was, we had more time and money. Better sets, better facilities. However, in a normal production year, they did 6, we will have to do 22-25. They had 30 to 35 uninterrupted minutes of program, we have 21:30 with two commercial breaks to tell similar stories... very hard with farce. Also, John Cleese and Connie Booth had about a month to write every story, once we're into production we have about a week. Plus, they could slap a Spaniard, we can't. So some things are easier, some are harder.

Q8.. What was the atmosphere like during the filming ? Was it all work and no play ?

The atmosphere on the set, and on location was great. There was a sense from the very beginning that this was going well, and that it was special. Plus, Laroquette is a huge tv comedy star here... that's always special, and makes the studio audiences very jazzed up. As does JoBeth Williams, who is mainly known for her film work... The Big Chill, Poltergeist, etc. Also, big stars CAN be assholes, and we would tell you if these guys were... but they're not, they're loads of fun, and very professional. John is probably the smartest, most gifted comic actor we've ever worked with. Also, Rick Battalla (Mo) and Julie Benze (Breeze) are great. When the show takes off (notice I didn't say "if") Rick is going to be huge... audiences scream when he comes out!

Q9.. Was Payne filmed in front of a live studio audience and if so what was the audiences reaction to what you were doing ?

Yes. See above. The audience reaction week in and week out has been great. Once we've been on the air it should be even better.

Q10.. Do you think Payne will suffer by being compared to Fawlty Towers ?

We're a little worried about that comparison...but more from the critics than from the audience. We're assuming that a large percentage of the American audience hasn't seen Fawlty. It only ran on Public TV here... a fairly limited audience. At any rate, the comparison is another reason we want to make the show more our own... PAYNE.

Q11.. How well received has Fawlty Towers been in America ? Has it acquired the same cult status as it has in the UK ?

See previous answer. Those who know FT love it... but, alas, not everyone knows it.

Q12.. What is your opinion of the original Fawlty Towers? What did you like most about it and what is your favourite bit ?

We love the original, it's truly a comedy classic. John Peaslee's favorite is the Germans. Judd Pillot's favorite is probably the Kippers and the Corpse, but his absolute favorite "bit" is when Basil berates the guest for wanting breakfast in bed, and suggests chewing the food and dropping it in his mouth when he's "breathing in the right direction." We both love when Basil reaches around to fix the lightswitch, and grabs the Australian girl's breast. It's just great, highbrow stuff!

Q13.. If you could have played any part in the original series, who would you have played and why ?

John Peaslee said he'd like to play the bra on the Australian woman. Judd, would like to play Manuel... just for the sheer joy of it, and the physical comedy (and he likes to get hit) When he became famous for playing Manuel, he would ask out the Australian girl, remove John from her body, possibly even burn John, and go from there.

Q14.. Do you think Payne will be as popular in 25 years as Fawlty Towers is today ?

We are praying we're as popular as Fawlty Towers, and if you're praying folks, would you please pray, too.

Q15.. With Payne finished what are your plans for the future ? Do you think that another series of Payne will be part of your future plans ?

Hopefully PAYNE isn't finished. We go on in March, and if the show does well, we'll hear from CBS in May whether or not they want more. If they do, we'll be back on in the fall with more episodes, hopefully for years to come. As we wait to go on, and see how we do, we're writing two feature films, and go slightly mad in anticipation of PAYNE.