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No verified source establishes that John Cleese wrote the joke about England raising its security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved.” The passage is satire, not a real security announcement. A 2011 EE Times post reproduced it with an explicit caveat about its attribution.
What the “Miffed” to “Peeved” line is
The line opens a satirical piece headed “ALERTS TO TERROR THREATS IN 2011 EUROPE.” It pretends that England has moved through invented threat levels, beginning with “Miffed” and “Peeved” and escalating to “Irritated” and “A Bit Cross.” The deliberately absurd wording signals a comedy piece, not an account of government security classifications.
Clive Maxfield’s June 20, 2011 EE Times post reproduces the passage. Maxfield says a friend in England sent it to him by email.
Did John Cleese write it?
That attribution is unverified. Maxfield introduces the joke by writing, “This purports to have been written by John Cleese of Monty Python fame.” He also notes that the speed with which material circulates online makes it difficult to be sure of its origin. The careful conclusion is that the joke circulated under Cleese’s name, not that Cleese is its confirmed author.
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Was England’s security level actually raised?
No. “Miffed” and “Peeved” are part of the joke’s invented threat-level framing. The 2011 heading gives the satire a topical setup; it does not document an official alert or a real change in England’s security status.
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