And now for something completely different. In 1969, five overeducated British comics and an American illustrator ambushed the BBC with the strangest show in British history. How they got on the air is anyone’s guess (rumors of blackmail were quickly hushed, though the Python’s penchant for sheep gags… but enough of speculation), but their irreverent […]
Tag: John Cleese
‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ on Netflix
The wacky minds of Monty Python took on the legend of King Arthur for Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, PG), their first “real” feature film (I’m not counting their skit comedy And Now For Something Completely Different) and Camelot has never been the same. Graham Chapman is King Arthur (the closest the film […]
‘Fawlty Towers: Complete Series’ on Britbox
Fawlty Towers: Complete Series (1975-1979) – Basil Fawlty, the brazenly rude hotel proprietor created and incarnated by John Cleese in his brilliant British sitcom, is the most insolent, boorish, hilariously obnoxious character in the face of customer disservice. He’s a man who treats his guests as an inconvenience to running his business, with the exception […]
‘Monty Python: Almost the Truth’ – Comedy history on Netflix
If Monty Python is the comedy world’s equivalent to The Beatles, then the six-part documentary mini-series Monty Python: Almost the Truth (2009) is their Beatles Anthology, an epic of a documentary featuring new interviews with the five surviving Pythons and as many colleagues and friends as the producers could track down. Each episode focuses on […]
‘Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go’ on Netflix
Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go (2014) – The surviving members of Monty Python’s Flying Circus reunited for their first show as a group in 30 years (when Graham Chapman was still alive) and, they insisted, their last, for a stage performance at the O2 in London. Previously shown via satellite in […]