The legendary actor/writer/comedian John Cleese is hanging up his sitcom hat for good.

Claiming he will never top the creative success of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and his very popular Fawlty Towers series, the comedic genius has decided to retire permanently from the world of situation comedies.

No stranger to scifi/fantasy and animation features, expect to see the veteran actor to continue making appearances in front of and behind the camera for future non-sitcom projects. Cleese has appeared in several Bond flicks picking up the role of Q in the Bond films after the retirement and death of long-time Q actor Desmond LLewelyn.

Cleese has spend more time of late behind the camera doing voice over work as King Harold in Shrek 2 and again in Shrek 3 which is currently in production. John has also co-written the script for the next film from Wallace and Gromit creators Aardman Animations.

Besides believing that any future sitcom endeavor could never match that of his two greatest accomplishments, Cleese also sited that working on his latest partnership with the BBC, called The Human Face, has been a “total nightmare” chaotic management and misspent budgets that he never wants to experience again, and, at this stage in the 67 year old icon’s career he doesn’t need to.

Cleese’s next major film project will be providing the voice of Samuel in the upcoming animated fantasy film Charlotte’s Web currently in post-production and due for release on December 20, 2006.