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'''''Monty Python's Flying Circus''''' (also known as simply '''''Monty Python''''') is a British [[surreal humour|surreal]] [[sketch comedy]] series created by and starring [[Graham Chapman]], [[John Cleese]], [[Eric Idle]], [[Terry Jones]], [[Michael Palin]], and [[Terry Gilliam]], who became known collectively as "[[Monty Python]]", or the "Pythons". The first episode was recorded at the [[BBC]] on 7 September 1969 and premiered on 5 October on [[BBC1]], with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV. A feature film adaptation of several sketches, ''[[And Now for Something Completely Different]]'', was released in 1971.
The series stands out for its use of [[Surreal humour|absurd situations]], mixed with risqué and innuendo-laden humour, [[Visual gag|sight gags]], and observational sketches without [[punch line|punchlines]]. Live-action segments were broken up with animations by Gilliam, often merging with the live action to form [[Segue#In film or broadcast news production|segues]]. The overall format used for the series followed and elaborated upon the style used by [[Spike Milligan]] in his groundbreaking series ''[[Q... (TV series)|Q...]]'', rather than the traditional sketch show format. The Pythons play the majority of the series's characters themselves, along with supporting cast members including [[Carol Cleveland]] (referred to by the team as the unofficial "Seventh Python"), [[Connie Booth]] (Cleese's first wife), series producer [[Ian MacNaughton]], [[Ian Davidson (scriptwriter)|Ian Davidson]], musician [[Neil Innes]], and [[Fred Tomlinson (singer)|Fred Tomlinson]] and the Fred Tomlinson Singers for musical numbers.<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news|title=Fred Tomlinson, singer on Monty Python – obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/08/02/fred-tomlinson-singer-on-monty-python--obituary/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/08/02/fred-tomlinson-singer-on-monty-python--obituary/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=2016-08-02 |access-date=2016-08-15}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=nytimes>{{cite news |first=Daniel E. |last=Slotnik |title=Fred Tomlinson, Singer Who Led a 'Monty Python' Troupe, Dies at 88 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/arts/television/fred-tomlinson-monty-python-singer-dies-at-88.html?_r=0 |work=[[New York Times]] |date=2016-08-04 |access-date=2016-08-15 |archive-date=8 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808223957/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/arts/television/fred-tomlinson-monty-python-singer-dies-at-88.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The programme came about as the six Pythons, having met each other through university and in various radio and television programmes in the 1960s, sought to make a new sketch comedy show unlike anything else on British television at the time. Much of the humour in the series' various episodes and sketches targets the idiosyncrasies of [[Culture of the United Kingdom|British life]], especially that of professionals, as well as aspects of politics. Their comedy is often pointedly [[intellectualism|intellectual]], with numerous erudite references to philosophers and literary figures and their works. The team intended their humour to be impossible to categorise, and succeeded so completely that the adjective "[[wiktionary:Pythonesque|Pythonesque]]" was invented to define it and, later, similar material. However, their humour was not always seen as appropriate for television by the BBC, leading to some censorship during the third series. Cleese left the show following that series, and the remaining Pythons completed a final, shortened fourth series before ending the show.
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== Premise ==
''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' is a sketch comedy show, though it does not adhere to any regular format. The sketches include live-action skits performed by [[Graham Chapman]], [[John Cleese]], [[Eric Idle]], [[Terry Jones]], [[Michael Palin]], and [[Terry Gilliam]], along with animations created by Gilliam, frequently used as linking devices or interstitial between skits. During the first three series, Cleese would be dressed in a tuxedo and introduce the show with the phrase "And Now for Something Completely Different." Afterwards, a long-haired man (called the It's man) played by Michael Palin would run all the way to the camera and say "It's.." which would start the show proper. The show's introductory theme, which varied with each series, was also based on Gilliam's animations and was accompanied by a rendition of "[[The Liberty Bell (march)|The Liberty Bell]]" march by [[John Philip Sousa]], as performed by the [[Band of the Grenadier Guards]]. The march was first published in 1893;<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=nlDOICBmhbkC&dq=band+of+the+grenadier+guards+monty+python%27s+flying+circus+the+liberty+bell&pg=PA1295 ''All Music Guide to Classical Music: The Definitive Guide to Classical Music''. San Francisco, CA: Backbeat Books, 2005.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405010158/https://books.google.com/books?id=nlDOICBmhbkC&dq=band+of+the+grenadier+guards+monty+python%27s+flying+circus+the+liberty+bell&pg=PA1295 |date=5 April 2023 }} Retrieved February 11, 2018</ref> Gilliam chose it as the show's theme because it had fallen into the [[public ___domain]] under the terms of the [[Berne Convention]] and [[copyright law of the United States|United States copyright law]], and could thus be used without [[royalty payment]]s.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/jul/11/monty-python-and-classical-music Clark, Philip. "Monty Python: Sousa, two-sheds and musical subversions," ''The Guardian'', Friday, July 11, 2014.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212201646/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/jul/11/monty-python-and-classical-music |date=12 February 2018 }} Retrieved February 12, 2018</ref>
===Title===
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{{See also|Monty Python}}
Prior to the show, the six main cast members had met each other as part of various comedy shows: Jones and Palin were members of [[The Oxford Revue]], while Chapman, Cleese, and Idle were members of [[Cambridge University]]'s [[Footlights]], and while on tour in the United States, met Gilliam. In various capacities, the six worked on a number of different British radio and television comedy shows from 1964 to 1969 as both writers and on-screen roles. The six began to collaborate on ideas together, blending elements of their previous shows, to devise the premise of a new comedy show which presented a number of skits with minimal common elements, as if it were comedy presented by a [[stream of consciousness]]. This was aided through the use of Gilliam's animations to help transition skits from one to the next.<ref name="Gilliam animation">{{cite news |title=Terry Gilliam Reveals the Secrets of Monty Python Animations: A 1974 How-To Guide |url=http://www.openculture.com/2014/07/terry-gilliam-reveals-the-secrets-of-monty-python-animations.html |access-date=18 August 2019 |work=Open Culture |archive-date=18 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818145141/http://www.openculture.com/2014/07/terry-gilliam-reveals-the-secrets-of-monty-python-animations.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Casting ==
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==Broadcast==
=== Original broadcast ===
The first episode aired on the BBC on Sunday, 5 October 1969, at 10:55 p.m.<ref name="irish times 50th"/> The BBC had to reassure some of its workers (who were considering going on strike and who thought the show was replacing a late-night, religious/devotional programme) by asserting that it was using the alternative programming to give clergymen time off on their busiest day.<ref name="irish times 50th"/> The first episode did not fare well in terms of audience, capturing only about 3% of the total UK population, roughly 1.5 million, compared to ''[[Dad's Army]]'' that had 22% on the Thursday of that same week. In addition to the lowest audience figures for shows during that week, the first episode has had the lowest [[Appreciation Index]] for any of the BBC's light entertainment programmes.<ref name="independent BBC">{{cite web | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/bbc-bosses-almost-lost-faith-in-disgusting-monty-python-1693829.html | title = BBC bosses almost lost faith in 'disgusting' Monty Python | first = Robert | last = Verkaik | date = 1 June 2009 | access-date = 7 October 2019 | work = [[The Independent]] | archive-date = 7 October 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191007145926/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/bbc-bosses-almost-lost-faith-in-disgusting-monty-python-1693829.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="irish times 50th">{{cite news | url = https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/monty-python-bbc-archive-reveals-the-secrets-behind-the-sketches-1.4042455 | title = Monty Python: BBC archive reveals the secrets behind the sketches | first = Mark | last = Lawson | date = 7 October 2019 | access-date = 7 October 2019 | newspaper = [[The Irish Times]] | archive-date = 7 October 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191007122423/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/monty-python-bbc-archive-reveals-the-secrets-behind-the-sketches-1.4042455 | url-status = live }}</ref> While public reception improved over the course of the first series, certain BBC executives had already conceived a dislike for the show, with some BBC documents describing the show as "disgusting and [[nihilism|nihilistic]]".<ref name="independent BBC"/> Some within the BBC had been more upbeat on how the first series had turned out and had congratulated the group accordingly, but a more general dislike for the show had already made an impact on the troupe, with Cleese announcing that he would be unlikely to continue to participate after the making of the second series.<ref name="independent BBC"/> Separately, the BBC had to re-edit several of the first series' episodes to remove the personal address and phone number for [[David Frost]] that the troupe had included in some sketches.<ref name="telegraph bbc"/>
The second series, while more popular than the first, further strained relations between the troupe and the BBC. Two of the sketches from the series finale "Royal Episode 13" were called out by BBC executives in a December 1970 meeting: "The Queen Will be Watching" in which the troupe mocks [[God Save the Queen|the UK national anthem]], and the "[[Undertakers sketch]]" which took a comedic turn on how to dispose of the body of a loved one.<ref name="independent BBC"/><ref name="telegraph bbc">{{cite web | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1536448/What-the-BBC-really-thought-of-Monty-Python.html | title = What the BBC really thought of Monty Python | first = Chris | last = Hastings | date = 10 December 2006 | access-date = 7 October 2019 | work = [[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] | archive-date = 7 October 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191007145052/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1536448/What-the-BBC-really-thought-of-Monty-Python.html | url-status = live }}</ref> The BBC executives criticised producer MacNaughton for not alerting them to the content prior to airing.<ref name="telegraph bbc"/> According to Palin, via his published diary, the BBC started to censor the programme within the third series following this.<ref name="telegraph bbc"/>
Cleese remained for the third series but left afterwards. Cleese cited that he was no longer interested in the show, believing most of the material was rehashes of prior skits.<ref name="auto">{{cite book|title=[[The Pythons Autobiography by the Pythons]]|first1=Graham|last1=Chapman|authorlink1=Graham Chapman|first2=John|last2=Cleese|authorlink2=John Cleese|first3=Terry|last3=Gilliam|authorlink3=Terry Gilliam|first4=Eric|last4=Idle|authorlink4=Eric Idle|first5=Terry|last5=Jones|authorlink5=Terry Jones|first6=Michael|last6=Palin|authorlink6=Michael Palin|editor-first=Bob|editor-last=McCabe|publisher=[[Orion Publishing Group]]|date=2003|___location=London, England|isbn=0-75285-293-0|page=226}}</ref> He also found it more difficult to work with Chapman, who was struggling with [[alcoholism]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Ouzounian |authorlink=Richard Ouzounian |url=http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1152963371205 |title=Python still has legs |newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] |date=16 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929171724/http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1152963371205 |archive-date=29 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The remaining Pythons, however, went on to produce a shortened fourth series, of which only six episodes were made prior to their decision to end the show prematurely, the final episode being broadcast on 5 December 1974.
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</ref> which was cut before the sketch ever went to air. However, when this sketch was included in the album ''[[Monty Python's Previous Record]]'' and the ''[[Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl|Live at the Hollywood Bowl]]'' film, the line remained intact. Both sketches were included in the Danish [[DR K]] re-airing of all episodes ("Episode 31", aired 1 November 2018, 6:50 pm).<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.dr.dk/tv/se/monty-python-s-flying-circus-eps-1-45/monty-python-s-flying-circus-3/monty-python-s-flying-circus-27 |
Some sketches were deleted in their entirety and later recovered. One such sketch is the "Party Political Broadcast (Choreographed)", where a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] spokesman (Cleese) delivers a party political broadcast before getting up and dancing, being coached by a choreographer (Idle), and being joined by a chorus of spokesmen dancing behind him. The camera passes two [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] spokesmen practising ballet, and an animation featuring [[Edward Heath]] in a tutu. Once deemed lost, a home-recorded tape of this sketch, captured from a broadcast from [[Buffalo, New York]] [[PBS]] outlet [[WNED-TV]], turned up on [[YouTube]] in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=Monty Python – political choreographer|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Ija4Dec7o|publisher=Spiny Norman|access-date=17 June 2013|author=Monty Python|date=18 December 1971}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref> Another high-quality recording of this sketch, broadcast on [[WTTW]] in Chicago, has also turned up on YouTube.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lost Sketch- Choreographed Party Political Broadcast from WTTW-11|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KO4_feIKO0|work=Lost Sketch- Choreographed Party Political Broadcast – Monty Python's Flying Circus WTTW Channel|publisher=MontyPythoNET|access-date=23 January 2012|author=Monty Python|date=18 December 1971}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref> The Buffalo version can be seen as an extra on the new [[DVD region code#2|Region 2]]/[[DVD Region code|4]] eight-disc ''The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus'' DVD set.{{citation needed|date=March 2012}} The [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] DVD of ''Before The Flying Circus'', which is included in ''The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus Collector's Edition Megaset'' and ''Monty Python: The Other British Invasion'', also contains the Buffalo version as an extra.<ref>{{cite web|title = DVD Talk Review: The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus – Collectors Edition Megaset|date = 18 November 2008|url = http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/35399/complete-monty-pythons-flying-circus-collectors-edition-megaset-the/|access-date = 20 May 2014|archive-date = 27 February 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140227093053/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/35399/complete-monty-pythons-flying-circus-collectors-edition-megaset-the/|url-status = live}}</ref>
Another lost sketch is the "Satan" animation following the "Crackpot Religion" piece and the "Cartoon Religion Ltd" animation, and preceding the "[[How Not To Be Seen]]" sketch: this had been edited out of the official tape. Six frames of the animation can be seen at the end of the episode, wherein that particular episode is repeated in fast-forward. A black and white 16 mm film print has since turned up (found by a private film collector in the US) showing the animation in its entirety.
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A sketch from Episode 7 of Series 2 (subtitled 'The Attila the Hun Show') featured a parody of [[Michael Miles]], the 1960s TV [[game show]] host (played by Cleese), and was introduced as 'Spot The Braincell'. This sketch was deleted shortly afterwards from a repeat broadcast as a mark of respect following Miles' death in February 1971. Also, the controversial "Undertaker" sketch from Episode 13 of the same series was removed by the BBC after negative reviewer response. Both of these sketches have been restored to the official tapes, although the only source for the Undertaker sketch was an NTSC copy of the episode, duplicated before the cut had been made.
Animation in episode 9 of series 3 was cut out following the initial broadcast. The animation was a parody of a German commercial, and the original owners complained about the music use, so the BBC simply removed part of the animation, and replaced the music with a song from a Python album. Terry Gilliam later complained about the cut, thinking it was because producer Ian McNaughton "just didn't get what it was and he cut it. That was a big mistake."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sotcaa.org/history/ukonline/python_frame.html?/history/ukonline/python/python_tv_03.html|title=Edit News: Monty Python's Flying Circus|website=Some Of The Corpses Are Amusing|access-date=1 May 2019|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702003938/http://sotcaa.org/history/ukonline/python_frame.html?/history/ukonline/python/python_tv_03.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Music copyright issues have resulted in at least two cuts. In episode 209, Graham Chapman as a Pepperpot sings "[[The Girl from Ipanema]]", but some versions use "[[Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair]]", which is public ___domain. In the bus conductor sketch in season 3 episode 4, a brief parody of "[[Tonight (1956 song)|Tonight]]" from ''West Side Story'' was removed. Though it was later determined that this version never even aired on BBC at all, instead was first seen in the American broadcasts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wurm |first=Gerald |title=Monty Python's Flying Circus (Comparison: Old DVDs (Sony / A&E) - Blu-ray (Network)) - Movie-Censorship.com |url=https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=159041 |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=www.movie-censorship.com |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005163625/https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=159041 |url-status=live }}</ref> There have also been reports of substituting different performances of classical music in some uses, presumably because of performance royalties.
A Region 2 DVD release of Series 1–4 was released by [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]] in 2007. This included certain things which had been cut from the US A&E releases, including the "masturbation" line, but failed to reinstate most of the long-lost sketches and edits. A Blu-ray release of the series featuring every episode restored to its original uncut broadcast length was released by Network for the show's 50th anniversary in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://montypython.networkonair.com/flyingcircushd | title=Monty Python's Flying Circus | access-date=23 July 2019 | archive-date=23 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723131156/https://montypython.networkonair.com/flyingcircushd | url-status=live }}</ref>
Rediscovered sketch Ursula Hitler, once deemed impossible to find, was re-released with the 50th anniversary sets in 2019. Also some of the extra American broadcast material, for instance the original parody of "Tonight" from ''West Side Story'' in the bus conductor sketch from season 3 episode 4, were included as deleted scenes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cult |first=We Are |date=2019-10-21 |title=Monty Python's Flying Circus Special Features Revealed! » We Are Cult |url=https://wearecult.rocks/monty-pythons-flying-circus-special-features-revealed |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=We Are Cult |language=en-GB |archive-date=13 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813114235/https://wearecult.rocks/monty-pythons-flying-circus-special-features-revealed |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== American television ===
At the time of the original broadcasting of ''Monty Python'' in the United Kingdom, the BBC used [[Time-Life Television]] to distribute its shows in the United States. For ''Monty Python'', Time-Life had been concerned that the show was "too British" in its humour to reach American audiences, and did not opt to bring the programme across.<ref name="new yorker 1976">{{cite magazine |last1=Hertzberg |first1=Hendrik |title=Naughty Bits |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1976/03/29/naughty-bits |access-date=2020-03-17 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=March 29, 1976 |archive-date=21 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921070417/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1976/03/29/naughty-bits |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the show became a fixture on the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] beginning in the fall of 1970, and hence was also seen in some American markets.<ref name="FlyingCircusCanada">{{cite web|url=http://torontoist.com/2011/09/vintage-toronto-ads-jack-of-hearts-flying-circus/|title=Vintage Toronto Ads: Jack of Hearts' Flying Circus|author=Jamie Bradburn, with reference to [[Toronto Star]] article of 2 February 1971|publisher=St. Joseph Media|date=20 September 2011|access-date=2 April 2020|archive-date=27 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027041055/https://torontoist.com/2011/09/vintage-toronto-ads-jack-of-hearts-flying-circus/|url-status=live}}</ref>
The Python's first film, ''[[And Now for Something Completely Different]]'', a selection of skits from the show released in the UK in 1971 and in the United States in 1972, was not a hit in the USA.<ref name="new yorker 1976"/> During their first North American tour in 1973, the Pythons performed twice on US television, firstly on ''[[The Tonight Show]]'', hosted by Joey Bishop, and then on ''[[The Midnight Special (TV series)|The Midnight Special]]''. The group spoke of how badly the first appearance went down with the audience; Idle described ''The Tonight Show'' performance: "We did thirty minutes [thirty minutes' worth of material] in fifteen minutes to no laughs whatsoever. We ran out onto the green grass in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] and we lay down and laughed for 15 minutes because it was the funniest thing ever. In America they didn't know what on earth we were talking about."<ref name="Teod">{{cite news |last1=Teodorczuk |first1=Tom |title=John Oliver Hears Monty Python's Many Secrets |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-oliver-hears-monty-pythons-many-secrets |newspaper=The Daily Beast |date=25 April 2015 |publisher=The Daily Beast Company LLC |access-date=7 October 2019 |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925034700/https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-oliver-hears-monty-pythons-many-secrets |url-status=live }}</ref>
Despite the poor reception on their live appearances on American television, the Pythons' American manager, Nancy Lewis, began to push the show herself into the States. In 1974, the [[PBS]] member station [[KERA-TV|KERA]] in [[Dallas]] was the first television station in the United States to broadcast episodes of ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'', and is often credited with introducing the programme to American audiences.<ref name="dallas_news">{{cite news|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/columnists/alan-peppard/20110825-alan-peppard-bob-wilson-hailed-in-kera-documentary.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519004645/http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/columnists/alan-peppard/20110825-alan-peppard-bob-wilson-hailed-in-kera-documentary.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 May 2014|title=Alan Peppard: Bob Wilson hailed in KERA documentary |author=Peppard, Alan |newspaper=The Dallas Morning News |date=25 August 2011 |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref> Many other PBS stations acquired the show, and by 1975, it was often the most popular show on these stations.<ref name="new yorker 1976"/> ''And Now for Something Completely Different'' was re-released to American theaters in 1974 and had a much better box office take that time. That would also set the stage for the Pythons' next film, ''[[Monty Python and the Holy Grail]]'', released near simultaneously in the UK and the United States in April 1975, to also perform well in American theaters.<ref name="Teod"/><ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/09/entertainment/feat-monty-python-holy-grail-40-years/index.html|title = 40 years of 'Holy Grail': The best of Monty Python|
With the rise in American popularity, the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] network acquired rights to show select episodes of ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' in their ''[[Wide World of Entertainment]]'' showcase in mid 1975. However, ABC re-edited the episodes, thus losing the continuity and flow intended in the originals. When ABC refused to stop treating the series in this way, the Pythons took them to court. Initially the court ruled that their artistic rights had indeed been violated, but it refused to stop the ABC broadcasts. However, on appeal the team gained control over all subsequent US broadcasts of its programmes.<ref>
The show also aired on [[MTV]] in 1988.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cHoAoaVBz0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/2cHoAoaVBz0 |archive-date=2021-12-20 |url-status=live|title=MTV Monty Python Warning|date=31 May 2007|work=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ''Monty Python'' was part of a two-hour comedy block on Sunday nights that also included another BBC series, ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]''.
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# [[Monty Python Live (Mostly)|Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go]], the troupe's reunion / farewell show, ran for 10 shows at [[The O2 Arena]] in London in July 2014. The final performance on 20 July was live streamed to cinemas worldwide. A re-edited version was later released on Blu-ray, DVD and double Compact Disc; the CD version is exclusive to the deluxe version of the release which contains all 3 formats on four discs housed in a 60-page hardback book.
Graham Chapman and Michael Palin also performed on stage at the [[Concerts at Knebworth House|Knebworth Festival]] in 1975 with [[Pink Floyd]].<ref>[https://vintagerock.wordpress.com/category/monty-pythons-flying-circus Monty Pythons Flying Circus.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204062908/https://vintagerock.wordpress.com/category/monty-pythons-flying-circus/ |date=4 February 2016 }} | Vintagerock's Weblog.</ref>
===French adaptation===
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</ref><ref>{{cite news
| date = 31 January 2005
| author = Davis, Clive
| title = Monty Python's Flying Circus – At Last, in French
| url = http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14936-1464143,00.html
| work = The Times Online
| access-date = 4 January 2010
| archive-date = 4 May 2024
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240504070043/https://www.the-tls.co.uk/
</ref>▼
| url-status = live
Language differences also occur in the lyrics of several songs. For example, "[[Sit on My Face]]" (which translated into French would be "Asseyez-vous sur mon visage") becomes "cum in my mouth".<ref>{{cite news| last = Logan| first = Brian| title = Ce perroquet est mort: Monty Python in French? Brian Logan meets the team behind a world first| newspaper = The Times | ___location = London| page = 18| date = 4 August 2003| url = http://timesonline.co.uk}} [https://search.proquest.com/docview/246028389 Accessed through ProQuest], 1 March 2012.</ref>▼
▲}}</ref>
▲Language differences also occur in the lyrics of several songs. For example, "[[Sit on My Face]]" (which translated into French would be "Asseyez-vous sur mon visage") becomes "cum in my mouth".<ref>{{cite news| last = Logan| first = Brian| title = Ce perroquet est mort: Monty Python in French? Brian Logan meets the team behind a world first| newspaper = The Times
== Reception ==
=== Initial reviews ===
After the broadcast of the first episode, British newspapers printed brief reviews of the new program. Reviewers had mixed opinions. One wrote that the show was "absurd and frivolous", and that it did not "offer anything very new or exciting".<ref name="CovEvTel06101969KAB">{{Cite news |last=K.A.B. |date=1969-10-06 |title=Who do they think can watch? |pages=3 |work=Coventry Evening Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937414/who-do-they-think-can-watch/ |access-date=2022-11-12 |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112142134/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937414/who-do-they-think-can-watch/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Another described the show as "enjoyably Goonish", saying that not all of the material was "scintillating" but that "there was enough packed into the 30 minutes to raise a few laughs."<ref name="LeicMerc06101969TJD">{{Cite news |last=T.J.D. |date=1969-10-06 |title=Play that needed a touch of Hitchcock |pages=8 |work=Leicester Mercury |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937585/play-that-needed-a-touch-of-hitchcock/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112142133/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937585/play-that-needed-a-touch-of-hitchcock/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Reading Evening Post's columnist was more enthusiastic, calling the show "much-needed comedy" and noting that "The real laughs, for me, came from the crazy cartoon and photo-montage work".
<ref name="ReadEvPost06101969Slater">{{Cite news |last=Slater |first=Ralph |date=1969-10-06 |title=At last! A few laughs |pages=2 |work=Evening Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937736/at-last-a-few-laughs/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112142139/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937736/at-last-a-few-laughs/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
As the series continued, reviews became more positive. After the third episode, the Guardian's television columnist described the show as "undoubtedly the high spot of a lot of viewers' weekend", saying the humour was "whacky rather than satiric."<ref name="Guardian20101969Reynolds">{{Cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Stanley |date=1969-10-20 |title=Comedy and not so funny |pages=6 |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937919/comedy-and-not-so-funny/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112143910/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937919/comedy-and-not-so-funny/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A week later, the Observer's reviewer gave the series a "strong recommendation", saying "The material, despite a tendency to prolong a good idea beyond its natural length, is of a high standard, but what lifts the show out of an honourable rut is its extraordinary use of animated cartoons."<ref name="Observer26Oct1969Melly">{{Cite news |last=Melly |first=George |date=1969-10-26 |title=Watching the bits and pieces |pages=33 |work=The Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112938068/watching-the-bits-and-pieces/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112143908/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112938068/watching-the-bits-and-pieces/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However this positive view was by no means unanimous. An Evening Standard reviewer complained that "last week it almost crushed my enthusiasm and loyalty forever by transmitting a number of dismal skits that were little more than broad, obvious slapstick."<ref name="EvStand19691105Shulman">{{Cite news |last=Shulman |first=Milton |date=1969-11-05 |title=Whatever happened to Monty Python? Well, I'm glad you asked that question... |pages=21 |work=Evening Standard |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112938360/whatever-happened-to-monty-python-well/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=4 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240504070043/https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-standard-whatever-happened-to-mo/112938360/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Awards and honours ===
Line 301 ⟶ 303:
* #49 – [[The Lumberjack Song]]
In 2004<ref>{{cite news |title=25 Top Cult Shows Ever!|date=30 May 2004 |agency=TV Guide Magazine Group }}</ref> and 2007, ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' was ranked #5 and #6 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.<ref>[http://www.tvguide.com/news/top-cult-shows-40239.aspx TV Guide Names the Top Cult Shows Ever – Today's News: Our Take] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812080754/http://www.tvguide.com/news/top-cult-shows-40239.aspx |date=12 August 2012 }} [[TV Guide]]: 29 June 2007</ref>
''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine included the show on its 2007 list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time".<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/completelist/0,,1651341,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911082724/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/completelist/0,,1651341,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 September 2007 | title=The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME |magazine=TIME | access-date=14 July 2009 | date=6 September 2007}}</ref>
In 2013, the programme was ranked #58 on TV Guide's list of the 60 Best Series of All Time,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962/|title=TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time|work=TV Guide|date=23 December 2013|access-date=22 October 2015|archive-date=13 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113171839/http://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962/|url-status=live}}</ref> while the [[Writers Guild of America]] ranked it #79 – along with ''[[Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series)|Upstairs, Downstairs]]'', ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' and ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' – on their list of the 101 Best Written TV Series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/list|title=101 Best Written TV Series|website=Writers Guild of America West|date=June 2, 2013|access-date=13 June 2023|archive-date=29 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429170702/https://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/list|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Legacy ===
{{main|Monty Python#Cultural influence and legacy}}
[[Douglas Adams]], creator of ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' and co-writer of the "[[Patient Abuse]]" sketch, once said "I loved Monty Python's Flying Circus. For years I wanted to be John Cleese, I was most disappointed when I found out the job had been taken."<ref>{{cite web
[[Lorne Michaels]] counts the show as a major influence on his ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' sketches.<ref>{{cite web
The show was a major influence on the Danish [[cult following|cult]] sketch show ''[[Casper & Mandrilaftalen]]'' (1999)<ref>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Helle Kastholm |url=http://ekstrabladet.dk/ekstra/ekstra-kendte/lars-hjortshoej-mine-boern-saetter-mig-paa-plads/6593764 |title=LARS HJORTSHØJ: Mine børn sætter mig på plads |language=da |work=[[Ekstra Bladet]] |publisher=[[JP/Politikens Hus]] |date=April 2, 2017 |page=16 (4th section) |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501050649/http://ekstrabladet.dk/ekstra/ekstra-kendte/lars-hjortshoej-mine-boern-saetter-mig-paa-plads/6593764 |archive-date=May 1, 2017}}</ref> and Cleese starred in its 50th episode.<ref name="dfi-mandrillen">"[http://www.dfi.dk/faktaomfilm/film/da/77461.aspx?id=77461 Casper & mandrilaftalen]". ''Casper & Mandrilaftalen (DK, 1999)''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20171007011850/http://www.dfi.dk/faktaomfilm/film/da/77461.aspx?id=77461 Archived] from the original on October 7, 2017.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=K'nyt: Cleese i Mandrillen |language=da |work=[[Dagbladet Information]] |date=September 4, 1999 |page=9 (1st section) |quote=I aftes, fredag, optrådte den store engelske komiker John Cleese som gæst i 'Casper og Mandrilaftalen'. }}</ref>
In computing, the term [[Spam (electronic)|spam]] and the name of the [[Python (programming language)|Python programming language]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.python.org/doc/faq/general/|title=General Python FAQ — Python 2.7.10 documentation|work=python.org|access-date=15 August 2014|archive-date=18 May 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060518171158/https://www.python.org/doc/faq/general/|url-status=live}}</ref> are both derived from the series.
== See also ==
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