For those who can approach How To Irritate People without thinking it's an hilarious piece of Monty Python history and is, instead, a series of sketches that made an interesting low-budget television show 40 years ago, pre-Python, there's much to be gained.

How To Irritate People stars Cleese & Graham Chapman, with Michael Palin, Tim Brooke Taylor (later to be part of The Goodies) and Cleese's then wife, Connie Booth.

Of more interest to me is that the idea of Irritation was already important enough to Cleese to warrant its own TV show, (could you imagine that being made today?) and it would take all the frustrations of working within the Python team for 5 years for Irritation to boil over into it's true source, Rage, which Cleese so brilliantly documented in Fawlty Towers (see Cleese, the writer/actor).

Books:    

Cleese co-authored two acclaimed question and answer books with psychologist Robyn Skinner about how to cope with Life.

Families & How To Survive Them   

"...This book is one of the rare "ha" books out there! No stupid little behavioral reciepes like "look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself how much yourself". Yet very clearly explained observations about how one grows up to fit in a family pattern and to reproduce it in adult life..."

"...Rather than offering solutions to family problems, the book offers interesting insights into how families function..." A Customer

Life & How To Survive It

"...this is the first book on psychology that I have ever read and I just know that none will match it for it's practicality, it's easy of understandiing and it's ease of reading. Eminently enjoyable. You will discover a lot about yourself, your friends, your work and even your country in this gem. Everyone should be able to find something to make their life more enjoyable and fulfilling..." Chandy

DVD:   

The Human Face

In 2004 Cleese co-wrote and presented a 4-part BBC series for the BBC on The Human Face.

John Cleese on Elizabeth Hurley's face