The founding members of Britain’s favourite comedy troupe are reuniting for a new show. What has Monty Python ever done for us, I hear you ask? Here’s what you need to know.
From the first 1969 Flying Circus TV series, to all five films, Channel 4 News tried to pick just one superior Monty Python joke. But we failed at the first hurdle.
“He’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy” (above) from the film, Life of Brian is among the top contenders, as is the now famous insult, delivered by a French soldier: “I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.”
The surreal world of Monty Python comedy is based on satirical sketches and ludicrous characters, including the Knights who say “Ni!”, the Ministry of Silly Walks and the Spanish Inquisition. One of the most famous musical numbers is Every Sperm is Sacred, from the film, The Meaning of Life – which is about exactly what you might imagine – and takes a satirical look at the Catholic Church’s views on reproduction.
One of the most popular Monty Python moments is the dead parrot sketch, where a shopkeeper, played by Michael Palin, tries to convince a disgruntled customer (John Cleese) that a dead parrot he just bought is merely sleeping.
In an attempt to inject some humour into a 1990 conference speech, Margaret Thatcher’s advisors said she should mention the “dead parrot” in relation to the Liberal Democrats new mascot – a parrot. Mrs Thatcher was reportedly hesitant, asking her advisor if the audience would get the joke.
John Whittingdale, her former Private Secretary replied: “This is one of the most famous comedy sketches ever written. It will be instantly recognisable to every person in the audience.”
Video: ‘Twerking’ but no silly walks – Monty Python comeback
When they landed onto British television screens in October 1969, the six members of Monty Python were creating the most subversive comedy around, and they went on to satirise religious, military and political establishments with abandon.
But they became so popular that Monty Python humour became an establishment fixture itself. The word “pythonesque” has entered the dictionary, and is described by Oxford Dictionaries as: “denoting or resembling the absurdist or surrealist humour or style of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, a British television comedy series (1969–74).”
If you weren’t around the first time, you may think Michael Palin always made travel documentaries and that John Cleese was just that bloke who turned up in the odd Harry Potter film.
Both Palin and Cleese were founding Python members, along with Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman, who has passed away.
And three of the six original Pythons made the list of the top 50 greatest comedians ever, as voted for in 2005 by comedians. Cleese came in at number 2, Idle at number 21, and Palin at number 30.
All except for Gilliam were members of Oxford or Cambridge universities. Chapman, Cleese and Idle were members of Cambridge’s Footlights amateur drama society, which has nurtured the talents of many a British comedy star.
All five remaining Pythons are in their 70s, and last appeared together in their 1980s. But they announced on Thursday that they will perform together for one gig at London’s O2 Arena, more than 30 years after their last stage performance.
And despite the change to delight millions of fans, money may be at the heart of the reunion tour. In 2009, John Cleese launched his “How To Finance Your Divorce Tour”, after the break-up of his third marriage. He told the audience at his first gig: “I’ve fallen on hard times. I’m having to pay $20m to a woman who I believe is the special love child of Bernie Madoff and Heather Mills.”
The famous Knights who say “Ni”, who appear in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail (above), are accompanied not by horses, but by the sound-effect of horses, created by two halves of a coconut.
The film made a virtue of the DIY sound effect. And years later, in 2007, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam led a crowd of over 5,000 people in breaking the record for the world’s largest coconut orchestra at Trafalgar Square.