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While most of the roles in a Monty Python film tend to go to members of the group, obviously some do end up being played by non-Pythons. Various supporting parts were played by well-known actors, as well as frequent Monty Python collaborators Neil Innes and Carol Cleveland. Sadly, whichever bunny rabbit played The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog seems to have been uncredited.

For their second film, the controversial 1979 Biblical spoof Monty Python’s Life of Brian, director Terry Jones stumbled upon a new source of on screen talent: random tour groups.

Python scholar Kim “Howard” Johnson was invited to the set of Life of Brian in Tunisia to document the filming. In 2008, he published his diaries from that time in the book Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian. Howard’s account is full of vivid behind the scenes details — such as how John Cleese was preoccupied with cracking...

Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which turns 50 this year, is clearly one of best comedies ever made. And, barring some sort of dark twist in the Peter Rabbit series, it’s the best movie to feature a bloodthirsty bunny gnawing someone’s head off.

While the idea of sequelizing this beloved classic may seem foolish to some, it very nearly happened. Back in 1997, Eric Idle pitched a Holy Grail follow-up to the rest of the Pythons. Although the project never came to fruition, Idle’s original outline survives. He’s currently selling copies of The Final Crusade, but he also posted info about it on his blog in 2013.

According to Idle, The Final Crusade was to be “about a group of grumpy old men being pressured to get back together again for a last quest,” which would “allow us to mock ourselves.” And that mockery wasn’t exactly subtle.

Everybody has their own personal favorite Monty Python sketch. For some, it’s the famous “Dead Parrot” routine; for others, it’s “Nudge Nudge” (though I’m guessing no one will claim the cannibalistic undertaker bit).

Then there’s the iconic “Ministry of Silly Walks,” in which John Cleese plays an absurdly flexible civil servant working within the titular ministry, where he oversees grant applications for the development of new wacky ambulatory methods. According to Michael Palin, the idea began as a phrase he jotted down in his notebook. When he wasn’t able to figure out what to do with the concept, he handed it off to Cleese’s writing partner, Graham Chapman, who told Palin, “I think we could do something with that.”

There are no bigger fans of the sketch than the residents of Brno, Czech Republic. This coming Saturday, the city will hold a “Silly Walks March,...

Americans likely know David Frost best as the TV host who took on Richard Nixon in the landmark interview that served as the basis for Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon — a film that earned rave reviews from everybody except those who went in thinking it was a sequel to Michael Keaton’s harmonica-playing snowman movie.

Frost also had a huge impact on the comedy world, thanks to his 1960s satirical news program The Frost Report, which, along with the Frost-hosted That Was the Week That Was, inarguably paved the way for future news parodies such as The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update.”

The Frost Report’s supporting cast included Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett (who later starred in The Two Ronnies) as well as a young performer named John Cleese. The show’s writing staff also included future Monty Python members Graham Chapman, Michael Palin and Terry Jones.

While the surviving members of Monty Python will likely never reunite, at least they keep throwing shade at each other online. And that can be pretty entertaining too.

The latest online slight came after a fan recently asked Eric Idle about Monty Python’s Life of Brian, specifically the allegedly controversial scene in which the People’s Front of Judea debate their member’s right to be accepted by society as a woman named Loretta.

Some fans have interpreted this scene as an anti-trans statement, including Elon Musk. This interpretation was seemingly backed up by John Cleese, who bravely proclaimed that he wouldn’t cut the scene from his (supposedly) upcoming stage adaptation of Life of Brian — even though nobody ever asked him to.

It turned out that he himself had sensed that the scene might not play well with contemporary audiences, so he asked his cast for feedback, and...

Monty Python is often referred to as “The Beatles of comedy,” but does that mean that they have their very own Pete Best?

Monty Python’s Flying Circus wouldn’t exist without two other shows that came before it: At Last the 1948 Show, which starred both Graham Chapman and John Cleese, and Do Not Adjust Your Set, which featured Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Michael Palin (and its second season incorporated animated sequences from a young American named Terry Gilliam).

Do Not Adjust Your Set was technically a children’s show, but the surreal sketches seemingly resonated more with adults, and as word spread, grown-ups began “rushing home from the office” in order to watch it.

In addition to the future Pythons, Do Not Adjust Your Set also featured two other performers Denise Coffey and David Jason. Jason is perhaps best known for later going on to star in...

1982’s Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, is one of the all-time great comedy concert films, perfectly capturing the iconic troupe’s electric stage presence back in the days when they were all still alive, and didn’t hate each other’s guts.

The Pythons spent four nights in September of 1980 headlining the famous venue, which they themselves revered. “There was just something about performing at the Hollywood Bowl which I think tickled all of us,” Michael Palin once confessed, “because we were all brought up on LPs of people 'Live at the Hollywood Bowl,' whether it was Sinatra or Errol Garner or the big bands that played on the stage there.”

Terry Jones noted that it was “kind of a party,” and the chill vibe even infected noted crank John Cleese. “I enjoyed every minute of it, and had a wonderful time,” Cleese later admitted. That rock...

Shout! Studios has reached an agreement with Mercury Studios Media Limited to license exclusive U.S. and Canadian distribution rights including AVOD, SVOD, broadcast, theatrical and non-theatrical distribution rights for a catalog of Monty Python films, specials and performances.

This includes perennial favorites such as the landmark sketch comedy TV series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” recently restored and available for the first time across all platforms in HD, and comic masterpieces “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” which marks its 50th anniversary in 2025.

Shout’s CEO Garson Foos said: “Since the earliest days of the company, Shout! has been dedicated to celebrating the best entertainment that pop culture has to offer and has sought to be a trusted home for beloved films and series. Iconic and iconoclastic, Monty Python has long been at the top of that list. We are fans first and foremost,...

Directors in the 1980s sought to expand on the film genres that were popular in the previous decade, one of which was adventure films, and what came as a result were bigger, and even weirder stories. The '80s saw the fusing of multiple genres in one film with adventure stories including bits of action, comedy, and science-fiction. The blending of multiple genres allowed for more imaginative adventures to be told and weirder elements to be explored.

Such films include Yellowbeard, The Ice Pirates, and Enemy Mine. The fun to be had with the oddity of these '80s adventure films comes in the form of dated special effects or original concepts that wouldn't be taken seriously by modern audiences. As technology has advanced and the adventure genre has acquired some widely acclaimed films, audiences can feel nostalgic for the '80s films that possess a weird charm unique to the decade.

John Cleese is best known as a member of the British comedy troupe Monty Python. Let’s look back at the Oscar-nominated funnyman and his 12 greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1939 in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England, Cleese rose to prominence thanks to the British sketch series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” which ran for four seasons on the BBC from 1969-1974. The troupe — which also included Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin — revolutionized comedy with their surreal, experimental sketches, the best of which were assembled into the film “And Now for Something Completely Different” (1971). This led to other cinematic outings, including “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975), “Life of Brian” (1979) and “The Meaning of Life” (1983).

Cleese achieved big screen success of his own with “A Fish Called Wanda” (1988), which he wrote and starred in as an uptight English barrister who becomes entangled in an elaborate...

It’s been 35 years and three days since Monty Python star Graham Chapman passed away from complications related to cancer, but John Cleese hasn’t forgotten how good he roasted the late legend at the memorial service.

When Monty Python’s resident leading man left this world on October 4, 1989, he left a hole in the world of absurdist comedy that hasn’t been filled to this day. Between his sketch work on Monty Python and the Flying Circus and his monumental performances as the main characters of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Chapman achieved a level of comedic immortality in which his work is still constantly quoted, discussed and appraised as some of the finest artistry in the history of humor in film. As such, when the credits rolled on the Pythons’ cheeky, openly gay and iconically irreverent lead actor, it didn...

While the surviving members of Monty Python are no longer a working comedy team, they have been producing a ton of “why does everyone in Monty Python hate each other?” content this year. Eric Idle and John Cleese have been publicly feuding on social media, Cleese has been needling Michael Palin during interviews and the ghost of Graham Chapman has allegedly been haunting Cleese, possibly in a Christmas Carol sort of deal.

Most recently, Palin has been busy promoting the latest installment of his published diaries, and naturally, the press has been asking him about the current state of the Pythons’ emotional well-being. His response wasn’t exactly encouraging.

“I’ve given up trying to hold together that original family,” Palin told Andrew Marr of Lbc. He went on to explain that the Pythons tended to get along best when they were producing material, but not so much afterwards. “The thing was,...

The hands down funniest crucifixion scene in all of movie history came at the end of Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Just as the titular not-the-messiah has abandoned all hope, a fellow crucifixion victim, played by Eric Idle, suggests that he cheer up, and proceeds to belt out the now-iconic tune “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”

In the years since the movie came out, the ironically-peppy number has become a sort of anthem for Idle, who even performed it during the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics.

But the song that’s made so many people so happy (and a whole lot of Christian fundamentalists very unhappy) was recorded just one day after Idle experienced a personal tragedy: the death of his good friend, legendary drummer Keith Moon. According to Idle, he hugged Moon the day he died, and had to record a Disney-esque ditty soon afterwards.

Earlier this year, a sad truth for fans of Monty Python was unveiled when a feud between members Eric Idle and John Cleese was made public. Idle would profess that the brand had been mismanaged due to Cleese firing former manager Jim Beach and appointing Terry Gilliam’s daughter, Holly, in the position. Eric Idle revealed that funds have dried up from his Monty Python days, writing, “I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster. Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”

Back in February, Idle made it clear on social media when he posted, “I don’t mind but once they put Gilliams daughter in as Manager and Cleese fires Jim Beach, well it’s over.” A fan responded to the situation by inquiring why other members didn’t get a say on the management replacement decision.

It’s certainly not uncommon for filmmakers to tell autobiographical stories in their work, such as how Steven Spielberg has used dinosaurs, aliens, ancient Biblical relics and aliens a few more times to process his parents’ divorce.

One movie that most people likely don’t tend to think of as autobiographical is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. After all, it’s not like any of the Pythons ever survived any bovine catapult attacks or bloodthirsty bunny rabbit skirmishes.

But an autobiographical reading of The Holy Grail has just been floated — and not by some unhinged fan, but by Eric Idle.

In a new interview with The New Yorker, Idle chatted about a number of different topics, including his apparent financial difficulties, and the state of his relationship with fellow Python John Cleese. But much of the discussion was focused on Idle’s upcoming tour, as well as his newest book,...

Although somewhat tame by today’s standards, when Monty Python’s Life of Brian was released in 1979, it was considered to be among the most offensive — and blasphemous — films ever made. While no strangers to controversy, Monty Python faced a backlash like never before with their third film, in which they relentlessly mocked organized religion via a biblical epic parody about a man named Brian who is mistaken for the messiah just because he’s Jesus’ neighbor.

Forty-five years after its initial release, Life of Brian is still regarded as a classic, and many consider it to be the best, most sophisticated work the Pythons ever did. Here’s how it all came about, how angry it made everybody and why it’s stood the test of time…

45 Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory

Life of Brian was first conceived when the Pythons were on the publicity tour for Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

I think it's fair to say that Monty Python movies, much like the TV show from which they sprung, are all great. The absurdist brilliance of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," which ran on the BBC from 1969 to 1974, saw comedians John Cleese, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam rewrite the rules of comedy. Alongside regular collaborators Carol Cleveland and Connie Booth, the Monty Python troupe established themselves as true comedic geniuses, leading to a run of feature films that remain just as beloved to this day as the "Flying Circus" itself.

Chief among those films is 1975's "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," a deconstruction of the British national identity by way of an irreverent retelling of Arthurian legend. The film was and is much more than its oft-quoted catchphrases would suggest, with the Python boys turning their subversive eye towards British history and sending up...

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the interpersonal conflicts within Monty Python, even despite the fact that they haven’t performed as a group in 10 years, two of them are dead and the surviving members are old enough to join up with Hell’s Grannies.

It all started with a back-and-forth social media feud between John Cleese and Eric Idle, which led to Cleese stating that they have “always loathed and despised each other.” While he later claimed to be joking, Cleese, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam then celebrated Palin’s 81st birthday without Idle. This was soon followed by Cleese randomly calling Palin “boring,” forcing Palin to defend himself on national television.

All of which seems like a lot of drama for four octogenarians.

While promoting his Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Live! Tour, Idle was asked by Now to Love about his friendship with his fellow Pythons.

It’s been exactly 10 years since Monty Python (minus the late Graham Chapman) began their final run of live shows at London’s O2 Arena, pleasing their legions of fans while also allowing the group to pay off their mounting legal debts — not to mention Terry Jones’ mortgage and John Cleese’s alimony.

The first of 10 total performances occurred on July 1, 2014, and found the group reviving iconic routines like “The Dead Parrot Sketch,” “The Lumberjack Song” and “Argument Clinic.” Monty Python Live (Mostly) also featured some deeper cuts like “Llamas” and “Anne Elk’s Theory on Brontosauruses.”

The initial reviews weren’t exactly raves. The critical consensus seemed to be that it was both undeniably thrilling to see the Pythons performing again, presumably for the last time, yet also kind of sad to see creaky versions of classic sketches mounted by aging comedy legends who were, by their own admission,...

In a scene worthy of one of his animated works, Terry Gillam took to a stage covered in crashed paper planes at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Sunday to receive its honorary Cristal award and give a masterclass about his animated works.

Gilliam was last in Annecy, where its audience has a tradition of bombarding the stage with paper planes, in 1975 with Miracle of Flight. The anarchic comedy about mankind’s different attempts to fly debuted in the shorts competition but did not win a prize.

“Do you know how long it’s taken me to get this f**king award… They’ve finally let me in… I think they know I might not be around next year,” joked the director as he received the trophy.

The French lakeside animation festival, running from June 9 to 15, is set to welcome close to 16,000 animation professionals this year, many of them...

Nearly a lifetime ago, in 1975, Terry Gilliam submitted his five-minute short film “Miracle of Flight” to the Annecy Animation Festival in France.

An absurdist gem about homo sapiens’ disastrous desire to take to the skies — using the same cut-out technique made famous by the irreverent interstitials and opening credits Gilliam designed for the British sketch comedy series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” — the film screened, but won no prizes.

Suddenly, half a century later (as “Miracle of Flight” might put it), Annecy corrected the oversight by awarding Gilliam an Honorary Cristal. Turns out, it’s a much nicer trophy — considerably bigger and far easier to dust — awarded in appreciation of lifetime achievement in the field.

“Can you believe how long it has taken me to get this fucking award?” Gilliam joked in mock outrage. “I think they know I might not be around next year.” But the director of “Time Bandits,...

The doctor-turned-comedian has starred in films from The Hangover to Crazy Rich Asians, been a judge on The Masked Singer and still assists with the odd medical emergency. What would you like to ask him?

It seems every country needs a medical doctor-turned-comedian. The UK has Harry Hill, Monty Python’s Graham Chapman and the Goodies’ Graeme Garden. The US has Ken Jeong MD, who practiced as a physician of internal medicine in Los Angeles while trying to get his stand-up and improv career off the ground. (He maintains his medical licence and has assisted with medical emergencies since. He’s got some good stories on this!)

Jeong got his big break in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up, and then went to on play a flamboyant gangster in The Hangover and two sequels. He’s since starred opposite Paul Rudd in Role Models, Brendan Fraser in Furry Vengeance and was in Crazy Rich Asians.

Terry Gilliam has been to Cannes with three of his own films since 1983, but one of his favorite memories of the festival takes him back to that very first time, at the 36th edition, as the co-writer and co-star of Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life. Along with Graham Chapman and the film’s director Terry Jones, he’d emerged from the Carlton hotel’s iconic entrance, then bedecked with promotion for the upcoming Bond movie Octopussy, to encounter a camera crew. Jones started grabbing people at random, shouting, “Who Ees Monty Python???” in a ridiculous foreign accent, and got so carried away that, when they reached the hotel’s famous terrace, he accidentally did it to Gilliam too.

The crowd loved it, and the day only grew stranger. Out on the Carlton’s jetty, they gave an interview to British news channel ITN, with Jones hiding behind Graham...

Three members of Monty Python have reunited to celebrate Michael Palin’s birthday.

John Cleese posted a dinner table picture on X (formerly Twitter) of himself alongside Palin and Terry Gilliam after Palin turned 81 on May 5.

Cleese captioned the photo: “An 18 foot Python celebrates Pallin’s 181st Birthday and 195th Travel Book. Photo taken at cafe on peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.”

The day after Palin’s birthday, Cleese wrote: “I was travelling yesterday, and forgot to wish Mickey Pallin a joyous 81st Birthday. We shall shall [sic] celebrate it together tonight, along with Terry Gilliam, if he promises to behave.”

An 18 foot Python celebrates Pallin’s 181st Birthday and 195th Travel Book.

Photo taken at cafe on peak of Mount Kilimanjaro pic.twitter.com/8w4KVsbK3p

— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) May 8, 2024

Eric Idle, who lives in Los Angeles, appeared to be absent from the festivities following his online spat with Cleese and Gilliam earlier this year.

After fifty years, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is still rightfully hailed by many as one of the all-time greatest comedies, and for a seemingly countless number of reasons: King Arthur’s “horse”, the corpse collector, the Black Knight, the outlandish animations, the rude French knights, an enchanter named Tim, the Knights who say “Ni” a killer rabbit, the Holy Hand Grenade, and so and so on.

But while the end result is historically hilarious, the filmmaking process itself was often pure misery for most involved. Get ready to storm the castle and find out Wtf Happened to this Movie!

During the 1960s, British comedy writers and performers Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin had variously collaborated and found degrees of success before uniting in 1969 to form the group known as Monty Python. This alliance resulted in the BBC sketch comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus,...

Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life, directed by Terry Jones

Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life, 9pm, ITV4, Tuesday, March 26

Not really a film as such but rather a collection of sketches, loosely linked by shuffling in, about and off this mortal coil. As you might expect, that means the end result is a little bit hit and miss - and one or two sections haven't dated so well either - but there's plenty here to amuse fans of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin. Among the more enjoyable moments are satirical musical number Every Sperm is Sacred and the unforgettable dining experience of Mr Creosote, which certainly goes with a bang. It was in competition in Cannes in 1983 where it, perhaps surprisingly, took home the Grand Prix. Just go easy on the wafer-thin mints...

Cat Person, Netflix, from Wednesday, March 27

This...

While two of Monty Python’s most famous former members, Eric Idle and John Cleese, are embroiled in a very public feud, it wasn’t always this way. In recent weeks, Idle has been vocal about how he feels the Monty Python estate is being handled, with him targeting Terry Gilliam and his daughter, Holly, who manages the rights, directly. John Cleese jumped to their aid, writing on X (perhaps in a tongue-in-cheek way) that (referring to Idle) “we always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.”

Now, this might need to be taken with a grain of salt, as Cleese has a notoriously dry wit. Let’s not forget that he eulogized his best friend, Graham Chapman, by saying, “Good riddance to him, the freeloading bastard! I hope he fries.” That was lovingly tongue-in-cheek, although Idle and Cleese always...

Paramount’s “Bob Marley: One Love” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £6.9 million ($8.7 million), according to numbers from Comscore.

Universal’s animation “Migration” dropped a spot to second place with £2.7 million in its third weekend and now has a total of £13.5 million. Sony’s “Madame Web” debuted in third position with £2.2 million.

In fourth place, in its third weekend, Universal’s “Argylle” earned £544,846 for a total of £5 million. Rounding off the top five was Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” that collected £424,825 in its 11th weekend for a total of £62.1 million.

There were no other debuts in the top 10.

The midweek release coming up is the 48th & 1/2 anniversary, as the makers style it, re-release of Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones’ cult 1975 comedy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” starring John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Gilliam and Jones, from Graft Entertainment. It opens Wednesday, Feb. 21.

“All of Us Strangers...

A feud erupts between Monty Python founders as Eric Idle blames Terry Gilliam's daughter for financial troubles. Idle claims the 2014 reunion concert was to pay for a legal battle and calls his pursuer an "entitled git." Cleese defends Holly Gilliam, and shares positive opinions shared by Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam. He also revealed a long-standing dislike between Idle and himself.

A feud erupts between the founders of Monty Python as Eric Idle speaks out and John Cleese fires back. Originally formed in 1969, the legendary British comedy troupe consisted of Cleese, Idle, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. They first gained prominence with their sketch show, Monty Python's Flying Circus, which ran for four seasons on the BBC from 1969 to 1974 and went on to multiple Monty Python movies, including the famous Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Life of Brian.

Recently, a feud erupted as...

To borrow a phrase from Paddy Chayefsky, Eric Idle is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it anymore. The founding member of Monty Python, 80, has taken to X in recent days to clear the air on a number of matters regarding the legendary British troupe — whose catalog (four seasons of Monty Python’s Flying Circus plus five feature films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python’s Life of Brian) have elevated them to “Beatles of comedy” status. (Idle, it’s worth noting, is also the mind behind the 1978 Beatles parody The Rutles.) The claims — which many fans say are ruining their cherished Python memories — are as follows:

Idle is Out of Money — and Blames the Gilliams

We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously. But I...

John Cleese took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to Eric Idle after the latter went viral for some heated comments related to Monty Python, the legendary British comedy troupe that Idle and Cleese co-founded in 1969 alongside Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Idle made headlines for saying he still has to “work for my living” and heavily suggesting that Monty Python funds are being mismanaged.

“I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded,” Idle posted on X. “Python is a disaster. ‘Spamalot’ made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”

“We own everything we ever made in ‘Python’ and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously,” he added. “But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised.

Update: John Cleese has responded to Eric Idle’s recent comments, and there doesn’t appear to be any love lost between the former Monty Python performers. Cleese defended Python manager Holly Gilliam, who Idle had suggested was responsible for dwindling income streams.

“I have worked with Holly for the last ten years,” Cleese tweeted, “and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant to have dealings with. Michael Palin has asked me to make it clear that he shares this opinion. Terry Gilliam is also in agreement with this.” Just in case there was any confusion over the status of the relationship between himself and Idle, Cleese drove the point home by saying, “We always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.” Yikes.

—Original article follows below—

Eric Idle may have written “Always Look on the Bright Side...

John Cleese is making it clear that he – and a few other Pythons – are in complete disagreement with long-ago co-star Eric Idle, who last weekend slammed manager (and daughter of Python co-founder Terry Gilliam) Holly Gilliam for what Idle suggested were the troupe’s dwindling finances.

“We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously,” Idle posted on X/Twitter Saturday. “But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised. One Gilliam is bad enough. Two can take out any company.”

Cleese left no doubt where he stands on the matter.

“I have worked with Holly for the last ten years,” the Fawlty Towers creator tweeted today, “and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant to have dealings with.”

Cleese continued, “Michael Palin...

Eric Idle has set the record straight for anyone who thought he had a cushy life from his earnings as a member of Monty Python, saying that he still has to work for a living.

“I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster,” the 80-year-old actor and comedian wrote on Twitter. “Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”

Later on, Idle clarified that though the British comedy troupe owns “everything” they ever made as part of the group, changes to royalty distribution — and what he sees as mismanagement of the company — have made a drastic impact on their earnings.

“I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously,” he wrote. “But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised.

“Monty Python” alum Eric Idle addressed an apparent fan misconception on Friday: that he and the rest of the legendary British comedy troupe’s members aren’t swimming in cash from their productions. As he put it, “I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster. Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.” Idle is 80 years old.

I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster. Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age. https://t.co/nFDbV9BOfC

— Eric Idle (@EricIdle) February 9, 2024

Hours later, Idle added, “We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously. But I guess if you put a Gilliam...

Celebrating its 48th-and-a-bit anniversary, Monty Python And The Holy Grail is coming back to cinemas for a limited time only.

Forget your usual sing-along screenings of your favourite musical. You can go to a quote-along screening of Monty Python And The Holy Grail this February.

It’s been 48 (and a half) years since the iconic comedy premiered in cinemas. Starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, Monthly Python And The Holy Grail marked the directorial debuts of Gilliam and Jones.

To mark the anniversary, the film is making a comeback in cinemas, but there will also be special quote-along screenings. They will give you an opportunity to shout out lines like “She’s a witch!” and “I fart in your general direction” at the screen.

Tickets for these are already on sale and you can purchase them here.

Monty Python’s Life Of Brian...

This past week saw the release of The Book of Clarence, a movie about a down-on-his-luck guy who hits upon a get-rich-quick scheme that leads him into a heap of trouble. It’s a classic topic for a movie, but it is treading on more controversial ground than usual. Because in the case of this story about a hustler getting in over his head, the hustle happens to be set around Israel and Palestine during the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. In fact, that is Clarence’s whole scheme: He sees Jesus and decides to get into the messiah business.

This is not the first film to portray the story of one of Jesus’ fictional contemporaries. Monty Python’s Life of Brian attracted protests, controversy, and endless talk show guest slots over its portrayal of a man who was definitely not the messiah, just a very naughty boy.

A lost pre-Monty Python comedy series called A Complete and Utter History of Britain has been recovered by ITV after being mis-catalogued for decades. The series was a spoof documentary of the British Isles and was filmed as a seven-part series, but only the first two episodes were thought to have survived past its original broadcast. A Complete and Utter History of Britain laid the groundwork for Monty Python's later work, as it parodied British history in a similar vein to their movies and shows.

A decades old British comedy show featuring Monty Python’s Michael Palin and Terry Jones is recovered after it was thought to be long lost. Jones and Palin were two of Monty Python’s six founding cast members, which also included Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gillam, and Eric Idle. As a comedy troupe, Monty Python begin their act through the sketch comedy show...

It's nothing short of a miracle that anything nearly as weird as "Monty Python's Flying Circus" became a pop culture phenomenon. In the BBC television series that ran from 1969 to 1974, comedians Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, along with animator Terry Gilliam and frequent co-stars Carol Cleveland and Connie Booth, obliterated all sense of sanity on the airwaves.

Their sketch comedy show — which had neither circuses, pythons, nor a character named "Monty" — crafted off-the-wall sketches about every strange thing they could think of. Silly walks, Hungarian phrase books, and how not to be seen were just the tip of the very absurd iceberg, and the comedy troupe's absolute dedication to defying convention remains, to this day, a gold standard to which any comedian can aspire.

Monty Python didn't stay on the airwaves forever. The troupe created four feature films together over the course of twelve years,...

Michael Urie and Ethan Slater are among those set to star in the upcoming Broadway revival of Spamalot.

The newly announced cast includes Christopher Fitzgerald as Patsy, James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as The Lady of the Lake, Jimmy Smagula as Sir Bedevere and Nik Walker as Sir Galahad. Urie is set to portray Sir Robin, with Slater cast as The Historian/Prince Herbert.

Iglehart, Kritzer, Smagula, Urie and Walker have all reprised their roles from the show’s May run in D.C. at the Kennedy Center. Casting for Sir Lancelot will be announced at a later date. (Beetlejuice star Alex Brightman portrayed Sir Lancelot before it transferred to Broadway.)

Adapted from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which was written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, the musical will open at the St. James Theatre on Nov.

Monty Python star John Cleese has revealed he plans to ditch the famous song ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ from his new stage adaptation of religious satire The Life Of Brian.

One of the most memorable scenes from the 1979 hit film was the finale when Brian (Graham Chapman) and his disciples broke into the song as they were being crucified.

Cleese told the UK’s Mail on Sunday that he considered the scene “too predictable.” He said:

“It was shocking in 1979. It was absolutely astonishing.

“People thought it was hilarious, they screamed with laughter. Well, nobody is going to be shocked now – the joke is 40 years old.

“People do love the song but do we want to end with something that’s completely predictable?”

And Cleese added that he will also ditch the scene where ‘Romans Go Home’ is written in graffiti, because the language is much...

Chris Chesser, the film and documentary producer best known for bringing the iconic baseball comedy Major League to the big screen, has died. He was 74.

Chesser died suddenly Feb. 2 at his Los Angeles home, his brothers, Alan and Steve Chesser, announced. No cause of death was revealed.

As a production executive, Chesser supervised such notable films as The Great Santini (1979), Caddyshack (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Wolfen (1981), Arthur (1981), Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Excalibur (1981).

He supervised production on the British comedy Yellowbeard (1983), starring Graham Chapman, and helped develop Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap (1984) at Embassy Pictures and Sydney Pollack’s Absence of Malice (1981) at Columbia Pictures.

Chesser and Irby Smith produced Paramount’s Major League (1989), which was written and directed by David S. Ward and starred Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes and Rene Russo.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and his master’s from the American Graduate School of International Management,...

John Cleese gave fresh voice to a familiar grudge on Tuesday, raging at the BBC for not showing repeats of Monty Python.

The 83-year-old actor and comedian asked his 5.6M Twitter followers: “Can anyone (including BBC employees) tell me why the BBC has not shown Monty Python for a couple of decades?”

The question overlooked the BBC’s celebration of the iconic comedy, including the broadcast of the first episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, to mark its 50th anniversary in 2019.

John Hoare, a TV playout director, replied to Cleese reminding him of the night dedicated to Python on the BBC. “I sat in BBC Two’s pres suite on the 7th September 2019, prepped an episode of Monty Python for transmission as part of an evening of Python-related programmes, and then put it on air, if that helps,” Hoare said.

Cleese’s tweet also did not mention rights deals...

The writing of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" was largely handled in teams. John Cleese and Graham Chapman would write sketches together, and their output tended to be more linguistic and cerebral; Cleese and Chapman were responsible for the Cheese Shop sketch, for instance, or the Argument Clinic. Michael Palin and Terry Jones were a team, and their sketches tilted toward whimsical absurdity; the pair wrote the Spam sketch and the Dead Parrot sketch. Eric Idle wrote sketches on his own, and his tended to be cheeky, as when he wrote the "Wink wink, nudge nudge" sketch. He also wrote the show's songs. Terry Gilliam lived off to the side working on the "Flying Circus" animations. 

As stated in any number of retrospectives, the team would then unite to pitch and/or read sketches. Together, they would hone the jokes, make them as funny as possible, and agree as to who would play which parts.

Monty Python star Eric Idle has addressed the topic of “cancel culture”.

Idle, 79, was asked about the subject during a recent appearance on an episode of the podcast On with Kara Swisher.

Asked about Dave Chappelle’s complaints that he is being silenced for his controversial jokes, Idle responded: “Where does he say it? On SNL… well you’re not being that much cancelled, are you?

“If you were in your room complaining. I’d have a lot more sympathy.”

Idle went on to address another vocal critic of “cancel culture”, Bill Maher.

“I didn’t like it when Bill Maher complains about the audience for not laughing, they’re telling you they don’t find it funny.

“You shouldn’t moan about the audience. There’s nothing wrong with the audience. If they don’t laugh at your jokes, there’s something wrong with your joke. And so… I...

Which is Mel Brooks's best movie: "Blazing Saddles" or "Young Frankenstein?" "Blazing Saddles" has social relevancy, fart jokes, and a truly bonkers final act. But "Young Frankenstein" has neighing horses, rolling in the hay, "Putting on the Ritz," and the most excruciating meal of soup in the history of cinema. Every scene in "Young Frankenstein" is gangbusters, and every lowbrow gag sings. The movie even looks pretty good, emulating the expressionist appeal of James Whale's original "Frankenstein" films. Brooks went on to make many more features, including "Spaceballs," but, for me, none live up to the simple pleasures of "Young Frankenstein."

There's one small catch though, which is that "Young Frankenstein" didn't actually begin with Brooks. The seed of the film was planted by none other than the actor Gene Wilder. Brooks had earlier invited Wilder to star in "The Producers," where he played the aspiring producer, Leo Bloom.

Peter Jackson's 1992 film "Braindead," released in North America as "Dead Alive," while certainly an object of intimidation for gore-averse cineastes, remains, at its heart, a comedy film. Jackson has spoken in the past about how "Dead Alive" was not inspired so much by raw, hard-edged gore films like "Cannibal Holocaust," and more by the whimsical violence of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." A notable scene in the 1974 comedy classic features a bridge sentry, the Black Knight (John Cleese), getting into a swordfight with King Arthur (Graham Chapman). Over the course of the fight, his extremities are sliced off one by one, only to return to battle unfazed. While blood spurts copiously from each severed limb, the Black Knight doesn't seem to feel any pain. 

When he is reduced to a mere head and torso, only then will he admit that his swordfight will now have to be declared a draw.

Long before his involvement in a series of elf-populated, jewelry-based hiking movies, New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson won hearts as the director of gloppy, vomitous, utterly repellant midnight grindhouse fare like "Bad Taste," "Meet the Feebles," and "Braindead" (known as "Dead Alive" in North America). Jackson's early films have an excited, adolescent joie de vivre that his later digital-forward technical exercises lack, and are perfect for naughty teenagers who think that films like "Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn" don't go far enough. 

"Dead Alive," easily one of the goriest films ever made, is constructed like a comedy film and has a premise that wouldn't feel out of place in a Saturday morning cartoon. Lionel (Timothy Balme) lives with his controlling and guilt-trip-dispensing mother Vera (Elizabeth Moody) in 1950s Wellington. Lionel is beloved by a local shop owner named Paquita (Diana Peñalver) who believes, courtesy of tarot cards, that they...

When the seminal British TV program "Monty Python's Flying Circus" was still on the air (1969 - 1974), it wasn't yet reaching a massive international audience. To facilitate the show's spread, a feature film consisting of re-staged sketches from the show's first two seasons -- called "And Now for Something Completely Different" -- was released in England in 1971. That film is certainly funny, although it lacks the comedic magic of the TV show.

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" was put into production after "Flying Circus" went off the air. The special features for the film's 2001 DVD release featured vintage footage of late cast member Graham Chapman explaining that the troupe had been working on a script -- pointedly absurd, natch -- that was set partially in the Middle Ages and partially in the present day. After some discussion, the Pythons came up with the King Arthur/Holy Grail angle, knowing that...

Prior to "Monty Python's Flying Circus," its individual members were scattered across multiple developing satire TV shows, all notable in their own rights. John Cleese and Graham Chapman were two of the many writers on 1962's "That Was the Week that Was," and appeared on screen together on "At Last, the 1948 Show" in 1967. Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Eric Idle, meanwhile, had appeared on the very silly program "Do Not Adjust Your Set," also in 1967. The American cartoonist Terry Gilliam, meanwhile, moved from drawing comics for the magazine "Help!" (founded by Mad Magazine luminary Harvey Kurtzman), to doing animations for "Do...

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