John Cleese calls Piers Morgan a 'third-rater' and 'chancer' after he remembers who he is

Comedian and former editor have had a much publicised Twitter spat

John Cleese and Piers Morgan have had a well-publicised Twitter spat (Getty Images)

John Cleese has called Piers Morgan a “real third-rater” after forgetting his name on radio.

The 75-year-old comedian, whose much publicised Twitter spat with Morgan has kept thousands amused over the past few days, told Radio 5 Live that the former newspaper editor was a “chancer”.

In a typically humorous exchange, Cleese also appeared to forget who exactly “this fellow” was.

“I've actually genuinely gone blank, what is his name...?" Cleese asked presenter Sam Walker, before bellowing: “MORGAN!”

“Piers Morgan, he wrote a piece in the Mail on Sunday and he called me a 'something old fool' or something and so I had a go back at him, because I've always thought he was a real third-rater, one of those chancers,” he told listeners.

Cleese also told the radio station that although it was “nice to have that little bit of fencing like that,” police officers had asked him “not to continue” as it would interfere with an on-going police investigation.