The irony of that sketch is Cleese has turned into one of them...
Seriously? Have you seen him in interview recently, and seen something I haven't? Every thing I've seen from the man indicates that while he is quite active in political process, he's also pretty progressive in his views.
You Brits and your unique terms. I had to look up "maisonette". That term is unknown here, or at least I never heard of it. And guess what? I live in one! Holy shit!
The next time someone asks about where I live I'll tell them in a maisonette and watch the puzzled looks. ![Grin ;D](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/grin.gif)
For the querulous - Maisonette: a flat or apartment with its own (street level) entrance, from the French diminutive for 'house'. I'll bet your lot don't have bungalows either, or verandas.
How does a maisonette differ from a townhouse, then? Yes, we do have both... a bungalow is a small single-story unplumbed house with a finished porch on the main property with only sleeping/dressing quarters; no kitchen and until probably the last 40-50 years or so, no bathroom facilities. These have become a realty class in their own right; now referring to any small, single-story home (fully plumbed of course) which may have a finished attic living space as well.
A veranda is a finished, elevated porch on the main house with a roof of its own; so made as exterior living space that can be entirely screened off in "evil bug" seasons. A proper one will extend around at least two outer walls of a structure, those walls selected against the solar arc so that there is shade available no matter what the season or time of day.
mnem
I actually left this ↓ scene for my wife to find one morning when we first got together. ![Evil >:D](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/evil.gif)