Fawlty Towers actor John Cleese walked out of a local B&B because he couldn't fit in the bed.

The star has discovered on his travels over the years that when you are six foot four inches tall, it’s hard to find comfort for the night.

It seems he likes to become a hotel inspector - just like the ones in his own 1970s BBC sitcom – and check out the rooms before he agrees to check in anywhere.

One B&B owner has revealed how Cleese turned up, unannounced, at her luxury property in the village of Uphill – where he was born - looking for a bed for the evening.

But after he found that none of hers were big enough for his large frame, he hurried off ‘without a smile’ to find somewhere else.

John Cleese as “Basil Fawlty” in the BBC episode of Fawlty Towers: The Wedding Party (Image: BBC)

Owner Tina Kennedy, who runs Uphill Manor, said:

“John Cleese was looking for somewhere to stay and I opened the door. Now I am 5ft 2inches but he is very tall. He came to look at the beds. I showed him the bedroom which had a huge old bath inside with a wooden surround.

“But he needed to make sure the beds were big enough and they weren’t. He would have needed a super super king as he is very tall. He didn’t stay. The beds were too short. He didn’t even smile!”

It is believed that Cleese, who is now 86, was in Somerset to visit his late mum Muriel at the time as she was in a care home in the area.

Although the comedy star failed to stay at the B&B accommodation, it has had a string of famous faces there including boxer Chris Eubank, former politician and author Jeffrey Archer and pop group The Three Degrees.