Stranded comic's £3,000 cab ride

John Cleese has paid a £3,300 for a taxi home after his flight was grounded by the volcanic ash.

He took a cab from Oslo, where he was appearing on a Norwegian talk show, to Brussels so he could catch the Eurostar back to London.

The taxi needed two extra drivers to make the 930-mile journey.

He told Norway’s TV2: ‘We checked every option, but there were no boat and no train tickets available. That's when my fabulous assistant determined that the easiest thing would be to take a taxi.’

‘I will think about a joke you've probably already heard: how do you get God to laugh? Tell him your plans.’

Meanwhile, several British comics may be stranded in Australia after their runs at the Melbourne comedy festival end tonight.

Although many of the comedians had planned to stay down under for further gigs, several have had to abandon their plans to return to the UK on Monday.

One of those grounded, Jon Richardson, tweeted: ‘If you are near a volcano, please kick it in the fucking balls from me.’

Published: 18 Apr 2010