1 00:00:02,280 --> 00:00:04,320 Morning. How are you? Are you OK? Hi, hi. 2 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:08,800 This programme contains very strong language 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,400 I got there expecting to see "The last". 4 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,240 She had "Five to go". 5 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:16,200 'I think there's nothing more embarrassing 6 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:18,520 'than a bunch of middle-aged old farts' 7 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,480 trying to recreate the halcyon days of Python humour. 8 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:23,560 HE SNORTS 9 00:00:25,240 --> 00:00:27,280 'I think it's probably best remember us 10 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:31,960 'for all the good work that we did, than clamber up on stage on sort of' 11 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:33,800 crutches and sort of medical support, 12 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:35,760 and try and do the sketches all over again. 13 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:40,240 'Maybe in three years' time,' 14 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:41,400 the spirit will change 15 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:43,920 and we'll think "We'll be dead soon, so we'll do something." 16 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,120 I don't know. But not in foreseeable future. 17 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:52,400 MONTY PYTHON THEME: "The Liberty Bell" by John Philip P Sousa 18 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:53,880 We can't do both of those. 19 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:55,880 Shall we have the music first? Music first. 20 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:56,960 'I realised' 21 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,480 that we would never, ever agree on anything ever again. 22 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,640 Music first, ladies and gentlemen, Monty Python, 23 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:04,720 then we'll come on. Shall we try it again? Yes. 24 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:06,320 'It is fun to be together.' 25 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:08,760 We do have a good time when we finally get together, 26 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:12,200 but it's just such a nightmare getting everyone together. 27 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,120 'Life's too short in the end.' 28 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,400 So, 15 years ago, they were absolutely adamant 29 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,680 that a reunion was completely out of the question. 30 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,960 But they seem to have changed their minds. 31 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,800 And now for something completely different. 32 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,840 News that comedy fans have been waiting a long time to hear. 33 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,120 Stay together. 34 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:43,120 Their parrot might still be dead, but Monty Python 35 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,240 is hoping to rise from the dead. 36 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,120 HE SPEAKS NORWEGIAN 37 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,520 CLAMOURING VOICES 38 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,480 Monty Python have revealed their reunion plans. 39 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:03,160 I am a lumberjack and I'm OK. 40 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,600 Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Monty Python. 41 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,600 THEY ALL TALK AT ONCE AS THEME PLAYS 42 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,680 Hello, Polly?! 43 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:15,480 Polly! 44 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,040 Monty Python may well be the most successful comedy group of all time. 45 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,440 Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! 46 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:25,840 Nudge, nudge, know what I mean? Say no more, know what I mean? 47 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:27,840 ALL: Bits of brain! 48 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:31,240 Their surreal and very silly television show 49 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:33,120 changed comedy for ever. 50 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,640 We find that nine out of ten British housewives 51 00:02:35,640 --> 00:02:39,320 can't tell the difference between Whizzo butter and a dead crab. 52 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:43,160 That's very true. No, we can't. We can't. No. 53 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,800 Their films are still quoted in pubs 54 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,600 and student common rooms the world over. 55 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:50,560 Are you the Judean People's Front? 56 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:52,680 Fuck off! What? 57 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,080 Judean People's Front! 58 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:56,800 We're the People's Front of Judea. 59 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,400 # We're Knights of the Round Table... # 60 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,560 They've even taken on Broadway and triumphed. 61 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:06,520 Spamalot mania has spread to 21 countries worldwide. 62 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:08,200 # ..eat ham and jam and spam a lot! # 63 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:15,720 So it's small wonder the world is beside itself at news of a reunion. 64 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:17,080 HE BLOWS WHISTLE 65 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:18,480 My pleasure. 66 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:20,080 But there's a lot at stake here. 67 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:24,600 They haven't performed on stage together for over 30 years, 68 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:29,200 and they now have a combined age of 357. 69 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,600 I'm not entirely sure they can pull this off. 70 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,600 And now, you've announced this is the beginning of the end. 71 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:40,440 Basically, you're not going to be on stage again, ever, ever, ever. 72 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:44,480 'Everybody's over 70. Some well over 70. 73 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,560 'The insurance is pretty high.' 74 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,200 In fact, the promoter, Phil McIntyre, said, 75 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,240 "It's so much money to ensure you guys." 76 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:57,160 I said, "Well, why don't you just insure it so two of us have to die?" 77 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:01,160 And then, if one of us dies, it's a tribute to them. 78 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:02,600 HE LAUGHS 79 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:05,200 So two have to die before we get our money back. 80 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,840 MONTY PYTHON THEME PLAYS ON ACCORDION 81 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,080 And on BBC One now, Ethel the frog. 82 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:41,760 Full speed ahead, Mr Cohen! 83 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,240 And now for something completely different. 84 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,040 The comedy troupe Monty Python have been announcing 85 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,840 more dates for their reunion show in London. 86 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:56,000 That's after 20,000 tickets sold out in under a minute. 87 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,040 # It's fun to charter an accountant and sail the wide accountancy... # 88 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:02,720 I couldn't believe it. 89 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,000 The phone rang, "Well, it's sold out in 45 seconds, 90 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,160 "so we put five more on and they sold out in an hour." 91 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,080 Then they asked us to do five more, you know, 92 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,120 so people said, "Yeah, OK." 93 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:20,800 So then we got offers from all round the world. And Michael said no 94 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,560 because he was busy, he's doing a book tour. 95 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:25,040 No, er...it's quite nice, 96 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,440 having Michael say no meant that we only have ten nights. 97 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:29,320 CHEERING 98 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:34,200 Welcome, one, welcome all. It's New Year's Eve! 99 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:37,160 CHEERING Oh, isn't it exciting? 100 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,200 And then he's going to talk about, how, you know, 101 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,120 it's exciting that you are back together, 102 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:45,520 and, you know, you haven't performed together for over 30 years. 103 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,280 The Monty Python team are here! Yes! 104 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:51,960 This is where you're going to come on from. 105 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:54,040 If you just head straight towards Graham. 106 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:56,480 Graham will meet and greet you, basically shake hands. 107 00:05:56,480 --> 00:06:00,800 They're about to perform together for the first time in over 30 years. 108 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,400 Ladies and gentlemen, go N-Y-E crazy for Monty Python! 109 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:07,280 CHEERING 110 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,840 Michael Palin is here! Hello! Hugging! 111 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:21,520 Eric Idle is here! Hello. 112 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:24,600 It's such fun being with everybody. There's so many good laughs, 113 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:27,560 you know, even when we're just doing business 114 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:29,400 or legal fees, we laugh a lot. 115 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:31,880 Mr John Cleese is here! Hello, sir. 116 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,720 The funny thing is, once we started to get together and work together, 117 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:37,520 I suddenly remembered, 118 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,240 "Oh, yes, we could never agree on anything, can we?" 119 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:45,360 It's over 30 years, it's 31 years or something since... What is? 120 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:49,160 Since you performed... Since you performed in a live show together. 121 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,640 Yes, that was the Hollywood Bowl, absolutely. 122 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,240 And 40 years since we did it in England. It was 33 years. 123 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,080 All right, all right! Quibble, quibble. Quibble. 124 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:03,560 Oh, my God! OK, can I just say, you mustn't fall out before 1st July. 125 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:05,160 Hang on in there. 126 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:10,840 Walking down there was just like seeing the Beatles coming in. 127 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:12,440 It's amazing, seeing you all. 128 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,160 Is there any chance I could get a picture with you? Yeah, of course. 129 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:20,200 Show the Python pants, please! Yes, yes! 130 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:21,800 Yes. 131 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:22,880 CHEERING 132 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:25,760 But not everyone is as convinced as Robbie Williams 133 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:28,560 that this is a good idea. 134 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,200 In fact, some people are just looking to start an argument. 135 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:35,320 Is this the right room for an argument? I've told you once. 136 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:39,480 No, you haven't. Yes, I have. When? Just now. 137 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:40,800 No, you didn't. Yes, I did. 138 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,120 You didn't. I did. You didn't. I'm telling you I did. 139 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:45,640 You most certainly did not. Is this a five-minute argument 140 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:46,680 or the full half hour? 141 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:51,960 Let me read you a commentary by the Daily Mail. 142 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:56,400 About the appearance of Python, the anticipation. 143 00:07:56,400 --> 00:08:00,160 "From the bristling security beefcake, you would have thought 144 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,640 "it was a Madonna concert or the visit of a top-ranked politician. 145 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:07,400 "And like the vainest prima donnas, they arrived 20 minutes late. 146 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:11,040 "Eventually..." This is even ruder, are you ready for this? Yes, go on. 147 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:15,480 "Eventually, five slightly shrivelled septuagenarians..." 148 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,840 That's good. "..stepped from the wings 149 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:21,000 "to announce to much fawning from camp followers..." 150 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,600 That's right. Because it's the Mail, so it couldn't be genuine applause. 151 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:26,640 No, it would have to be fawning. 152 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,880 "..These ancients looked anything but sprightly. 153 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,600 "And they intend to cash in on baby boomer nostalgia 154 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,240 "by churning out some of their old hits." That's interesting. 155 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:41,680 What interests me is that the Daily Mail, 156 00:08:41,680 --> 00:08:45,200 which sees itself as the heart of middle-class Britain, 157 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:49,120 people in Britain are very proud of their sense of humour. 158 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,160 The Daily Mail has no sense of humour at all. 159 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,320 And it's not as though we're child molesters, you know what I mean, 160 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:58,480 or war criminals? We made some people laugh. 161 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:00,120 Not everybody likes Python, 162 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,000 there's lots of people who don't like it but quite a lot do. 163 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,000 Now, look... Thank you, good morning. 164 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:08,480 What? 165 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:10,000 That's it. Good morning. 166 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:13,760 LAUGHTER 167 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:17,680 I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to argue any more. What?! 168 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:21,880 So where have they been for the last 30 years? 169 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:26,000 A life after Python has been... well, complicated. 170 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,960 John Cleese, of course, made Fawlty Towers and A Fish Called Wanda. 171 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,680 But in the last few years, he's been preoccupied. 172 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:36,920 Fundraising with his one-man show, The Alimony Tour. 173 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:38,920 I was just doing it, you stupid woman. 174 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:40,280 I just put it down to come here 175 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:42,640 to be reminded by you to do what I'm already doing. 176 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,480 What is the point of reminding me to do what I'm already doing? 177 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,400 What is the bloody point? I'm doing it, aren't I?! 178 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:53,480 As you might have guessed, he's got an expensive divorce to pay off. 179 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,600 He is currently in Singapore, where we'll join him later. 180 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:04,160 And what of the other Pythons? 181 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:08,560 Michael Palin, you must remember him from those travel programmes. 182 00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:10,560 Well, he's not doing those at the moment. 183 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,320 There's some commentary coming in a minute. 184 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:17,640 Ah, here it is. 185 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,400 He's also got a tour coming up. 186 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:23,680 And a third volume of diaries to publicise. 187 00:10:23,680 --> 00:10:25,600 But where is he now? 188 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,120 According to my sources, 189 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:30,720 he's somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales, filming a ghost story. 190 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,080 Play around with it. Yeah, yeah. 191 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,320 All right, what about Terry Gilliam? 192 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:40,440 The oldest enfant terrible in show business. 193 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:43,280 He's been busy making this. 194 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:44,720 Another dystopian sci-fi. 195 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,200 But a man who feels happiest when surrounded by chaos 196 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:54,320 and disaster is never going to be content spinning just one plate. 197 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:56,360 Where's the fun in that? 198 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:59,000 So he's decided to tackle one of the most difficult, 199 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,680 rarely performed operas ever written. 200 00:11:01,680 --> 00:11:04,520 He's currently somewhere near the Olympic Park 201 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:07,680 and can be heard tearing his hair out in rehearsals. 202 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:12,760 Terry Jones. What of him? 203 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:14,840 The last I saw of Terry, 204 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:18,040 he was looking very much the twinkly-eyed history professor, 205 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:22,120 slagging off the Renaissance and claiming Richard III was a genius. 206 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:24,160 It was quite astonishing. 207 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:27,320 Now he's dusted off his megaphone 208 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:31,720 and is back in the director's chair for the first time in 18 years, 209 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,000 making a comedy with Simon Pegg and Kate Beckinsale. 210 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:39,240 Everybody applauding! Oh, yes! 211 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:43,280 But in just a few months, 212 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:48,960 these "shrivelled septuagenerians" will be here. The O2 Arena. 213 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:54,480 Over ten nights, they'll perform to a total of 150,000 people. 214 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:58,320 Equivalent to the entire population of Slough. 215 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:02,480 It's the biggest show of their lives. But nobody seems to care. 216 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:04,800 And who's in charge? 217 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:09,760 Ah! That would be Eric Idle. 218 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:11,680 And where's Eric? 219 00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:15,160 Eric's at home, in Hollywood. 220 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:20,440 Looking for a dear old friend he keeps locked away in a wooden box. 221 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:24,960 We are going down into the Valley... of the shadow of debt. 222 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:30,600 To look for the albatross, which is the prop that was originally used 223 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:36,240 on Monty Python in 1969 and also, I think it came on tour with us. 224 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:39,520 It's an albatross on an usherette's tray. 225 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:40,840 Albatross! 226 00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:45,000 Albatross! 227 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:51,080 Albatross? Two choc-ices, please. I haven't got choc-ices. 228 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:52,920 I only got the albatross. 229 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:59,560 I borrowed it in 2000, it was sent out here to California, 230 00:12:59,560 --> 00:13:01,840 for me to go on tour with a show called 231 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:04,080 Eric Idle Exploits Monty Python. 232 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:06,360 Which we went on tour with. 233 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:11,840 And when I got it back, it had become an endangered species. 234 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:16,120 And we were not allowed to send it or ship it back to England. 235 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:21,320 So it has remained here in the lock-up. I hope it's in the lock-up. 236 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:25,000 And we're going to see if we can get it out, 237 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,480 and then smuggle it back into the UK 238 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:31,720 and we don't get arrested for breaking the Endangered Species Act. 239 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:33,560 But it is dead. 240 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:36,000 Er, what flavour is it? 241 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,240 Well, it's an albatross, isn't it? 242 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:41,720 It's not any bloody flavour. Albatross! 243 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,240 There's got to be some flavour. Everything's got a flavour. 244 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:48,000 All right, all right, it's bloody albatross flavour. 245 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:52,280 It's bleeding sea bird, bleeding flavour. Albatross! 246 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:57,120 Personnel on this expedition is my son Carey, who's in from Australia. 247 00:13:57,120 --> 00:14:01,600 And Alana, my assistant, my long-suffering assistant is here. 248 00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:05,040 Is that the only light? 249 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:07,240 Um... 250 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:10,080 What's this? 251 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:13,800 Oh, look at that. How about that? Oh, nice. 252 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:16,640 This was our first encounter with George Harrison. 253 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:20,480 Me, George, Olivia, Terry Gilliam in Hollywood. 254 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:22,960 So, in here, there's all sorts of shite. 255 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,440 Look, there's even a dead parrot cage. 256 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:28,960 Silver disc? What is it? 257 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:30,240 There you are. 258 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:33,240 Life of Brian. 259 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:39,120 Ran for six months in the West End, that did. 260 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:41,400 Was closed by the Falklands war. 261 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,840 I don't think there's anything you can say to that. 262 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:45,680 I don't even know what it comes from. 263 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:49,280 Well done! Nicely done. Well done, Alana. 264 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:51,520 HE HUMS "RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES" 265 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,840 There it is! The albatross. 266 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:59,680 My gosh. A bit ratty. 267 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,400 I think the albatross is going to need a hairstyling. Albatross! 268 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,400 Look, it's on a tray, it's on its original tray too, see? 269 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:08,880 Do you get wafers with it? 270 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,880 Course you don't get fucking wafers with it, you cunt! 271 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,280 It's a fucking albatross... Stop that. Stop that. 272 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:16,600 It's filthy. 273 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:20,040 Bring out your dead! 274 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:23,640 Bring out your dead birds! 275 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,840 FANFARE 276 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:31,200 The original Python team resisted a reunion for years. 277 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,880 And when Graham Chapman died in 1989, 278 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,680 it looked as though it would never happen. 279 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:38,920 Now, they're spread all over the world, 280 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:41,520 all doing something completely different. 281 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:44,320 Trying to organise a Python reunion 282 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:49,040 is a bit like trying to get an octopus into a string bag. 283 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:52,920 And since Eric is the man supposedly in charge, 284 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:56,240 I wondered if he could shed some light on why they're doing it. 285 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:03,240 Did it come out of the blue, this reunion thing? Well, we had just... 286 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,360 We'd been involved with this idiot 287 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:09,840 who was one of the producers on Holy Grail. 288 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:11,800 And he spent seven years suing us. 289 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:16,400 So what it meant was, it cost us a million quid to defend ourselves. 290 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:18,120 So we were a million quid down, 291 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,760 and people are getting old and ancient and decrepit. 292 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,200 So we had to have a business meeting in August, 293 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,680 and I was thinking to myself, we need some advice, 294 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:26,960 to tell us where we are. 295 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:31,120 And I remembered my old friend Jim Beach... The manager of Queen. 296 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:33,760 The manager of Queen, but we were at Cambridge together. 297 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:38,160 And he used to play the piano when I did cabaret with Graeme Garden. 298 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:40,240 But I've always known him and loved him. 299 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:42,400 Anyway, so I thought, "I'll ask him." 300 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:45,200 And he, bless him, flew in from Switzerland 301 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:49,000 and came to the meeting where we discussed all this loss. 302 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:52,640 And, you know, I saw him for a drink the night before and I said, 303 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:56,760 "If we did a night at the O2, we'd pay this off in a second." 304 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,520 And so, in the meeting, Jim is listening to us 305 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:02,200 and he says, "This is such a mess. 306 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:05,000 "But you know," he said, "if you just did a night at the O2, 307 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,320 "you could pay back all that money." 308 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:11,520 And I laughed and I said, "Oh, that's a good idea!" 309 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:15,120 And everybody liked it and they all said yes immediately. 310 00:17:15,120 --> 00:17:17,000 You know, suddenly we had a show. 311 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:21,320 # I've got £90,000 in my pyjamas 312 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:24,160 # I've got 40,000 French francs in my fridge... # 313 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:28,280 The last time they performed was live at the Hollywood Bowl. 314 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:33,080 They had a black backdrop, a few costume changes, and hardly any set. 315 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:37,920 The O2 Arena is more than twice that size. A different beast entirely. 316 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:39,960 # ..I'd rather have the lolly 317 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:42,600 # With money you can make a splash 318 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:45,920 # There is nothing quite as wonderful as money... # 319 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:49,120 I really thought, well, the only way we can fill O2 320 00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:52,640 if we have singing and dancing. So we've got to have a band. 321 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:56,000 It's become sort of a musical with Python in the middle, 322 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:57,480 which is kind of what I like. 323 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:01,720 I think that will... It sets it and it won't be just, like, 324 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:06,160 five 70-year-olds trying to do a sketch show. 325 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:09,120 It will have a lot of energy of its own 326 00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:12,640 because of all these lovely young dancers and the songs and the music. 327 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:16,520 So, back in London, 328 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:19,800 while auditions are under way to find the chorus line, 329 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:22,200 across town, the Pythons get together 330 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:24,400 for their very first read-through. 331 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,120 Who would've thought, 40 years ago, 332 00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:31,960 we'd all be sitting here doing Monty Python. Aye, aye. Aye. 333 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:35,000 Them days, we were glad to have the price of a cup of tea. 334 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:37,240 Cup of cold tea. Right. 335 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:39,640 Without milk or sugar. Or tea. 336 00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:46,000 For the first time in more than 20 years, 337 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,240 Michael Palin is not making a travel show. 338 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,280 He's heading the cast of a BBC drama. 339 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:55,120 Remember Me is a supernatural thriller 340 00:18:55,120 --> 00:18:59,160 that's about as far from the silly antics of Python as you can imagine. 341 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:01,560 What is it? A vulnerable adult. 342 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:07,280 I'm told it's chilling, and that's not just the script. 343 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:09,920 Hello! 344 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:14,800 Nothing comical about these. You really need them today. 345 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,080 It's all right, I don't have any nude scenes or anything like that. 346 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:21,480 Palin plays Tom Parfitt, 347 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:23,960 a frail old Yorkshireman, 348 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:27,760 seemingly alone in the world, whose admittance to a nursing home 349 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,640 triggers a series of inexplicable events. 350 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:32,160 Action. 351 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:35,400 I've got no family living. 352 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:38,280 I'm 80-odd. 353 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:42,280 Oh! You've packed your bag, I see? 354 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:44,800 Well, you've got to keep a bag packed. 355 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:46,360 You never know when you might need it. 356 00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:49,720 It certainly is nice to get something that is not adapted, 357 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:52,200 completely fresh and new. 358 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:55,080 And rather... You know, a ghost story in three parts, 359 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:57,160 they don't really do that much nowadays. 360 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:00,520 I fell down the stairs. 361 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:04,960 I'm a, what is it? A vulnerable adult. 362 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,440 I was going to ask you about how the read-through went. 363 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,640 'The Python read-through? It went very well. 364 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,120 'I loved going back and doing the material again. 365 00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:18,960 'It's like the years rolled by. 366 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:20,440 'We kind of know the rhythm of' 367 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:23,200 all those sketches, "Argument" and things like that. 368 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,280 I'm sorry, the five minutes is up. That was never five minutes just now. 369 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:27,880 I'm afraid it was. 370 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,560 'It's like an old thing you've made years ago,' 371 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:33,000 you know how to work it. 372 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:34,440 It was like that. 373 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:35,920 That was never five minutes just now. 374 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:37,920 I told you, if you want me to go on arguing, 375 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:40,960 you'll have to pay for another five minutes. I just paid. You didn't. 376 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:47,040 I did! You never. I did! You never... I don't want to argue about that! 377 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:51,200 I'm very sorry, but you didn't pay. If I didn't pay, why are you arguing? 378 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:52,320 Ha! 379 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:57,400 When we all get together, which is fairly rare, things crackle along. 380 00:20:57,400 --> 00:20:59,440 We had a very good time in November 381 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:01,680 when the show was announced and all that. 382 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,760 And we met up a lot, and once we're talking about performing, 383 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:09,120 and...you know, acting and working together to make people laugh, 384 00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:11,840 that seems to be fine. We're good at that. 385 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:16,040 And do these lions, by any chance, eat ants? 386 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:17,520 Yes, that's right, that's right. 387 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:21,120 THEY ALL LAUGH 388 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:27,840 'Someone's got to take a lead. You can't produce a show by e-mail. 389 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:28,920 'Since Spamalot,' 390 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:31,600 Eric's been dealing with a big hit, you know, 391 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:33,520 some big theatrical hit. 392 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:35,680 'So he's good at that. 393 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:37,240 'He's got an appetite for it, 394 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:39,480 'it seems to be what he really wants to do.' 395 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:42,080 ALL: # Immanuel Kant was a real pissant 396 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,520 # Who was very rarely stable 397 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:46,840 # Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar 398 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:49,400 # Who could think you under the table 399 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:53,640 # David Hume could outconsume Schopenhauer and Hegel 400 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:56,320 # And Wittgenstein was a beery swine 401 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:58,760 # Who was just as schloshed as Schlegel. # 402 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:02,200 You're not confused and learning your Python lines, are you? 403 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:05,040 You probably haven't forgotten any of them. 404 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:08,760 Well, it's very good practice for the Yorkshire accent. 405 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:12,840 "Luxury," all the Python stuff we do. So bone up on that. 406 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:16,600 There were 150 of us living in a shoe box in the middle of the road. 407 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,240 Cardboard box? Aye. You were lucky. 408 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:27,760 We lived for three months in a rolled-up newspaper in a septic tank. 409 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:30,880 I think I probably have forgotten the Python lines. 410 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,080 I think I know them. We all think we know them. 411 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:35,840 But we'll probably need prompting from the audience, 412 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,360 which is why we're doing it in such a large venue. 413 00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:41,600 We used to have to get up every morning at six o'clock 414 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,600 and clean the newspaper, go to work down the mill, 14 hours a day, 415 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:46,720 week in week out, for sixpence a week. 416 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:50,520 And we got home, our dad with thrash us to sleep with his belt. 417 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:53,000 Luxury. 418 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,680 Go Terry, and mark it, please. 419 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:01,160 670, take one. 420 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:05,400 'Getting into the mindset of something you're doing after this is' 421 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:08,440 almost impossible, because this is totally... 422 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,280 Especially with this character, it takes you over, really. 423 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:13,760 When this is finished, I can go back to being Michael Palin, 424 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:15,200 which is a bit of a bore, really. 425 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,720 You move into a place, you think, "It'll do me till Christmas." 426 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,440 You don't expect to be stuck there the rest of your life. 427 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,480 How long have you lived in that house, Tom? 428 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:29,120 Oh, I forget now. 429 00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:30,280 I'm 80-odd. 430 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:31,960 Cut that, please. Thank you. 431 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:33,280 Good. 432 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,400 Acting under pressure! 433 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,400 We did lots of Python filming up in Yorkshire. 434 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:50,280 Those rocks up there remind me of the Cow and Calf rocks near Ilkley, 435 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,360 where we did the hermit sketch which I loved. 436 00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:58,200 Hello! Are you a hermit by any chance? Yes, that's right. 437 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:02,440 Are you a hermit? Yes, I certainly am! Well, I never! 438 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:04,960 What are you getting away from? Oh, you know, the usual. 439 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:07,520 People, chat, gossip, you know. Oh, I certainly do. 440 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:08,760 It was the same with me. 441 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:11,720 I mean, there comes a time when you realise there's no good 442 00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:15,120 frittering your life away in idleness and trivial chitchat. 443 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:18,280 Where's your cave? Oh, up the goat track, first on the left. 444 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:21,520 All of these strange outfits on top of the rock. 445 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:23,160 "Yes, I'm a hermit!" 446 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:29,680 While everybody else is busy, back in LA, 447 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:34,600 the show is magically coming together by itself. Isn't it, Eric? 448 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:36,200 'I'm fucking scared shitless.' 449 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,840 But I am because I'm the only one who knows what we're trying to do. 450 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:42,680 So, it's like, the others are blithely unaware. 451 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:45,560 I got an e-mail from Gilliam saying he can't do the rehearsals 452 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:48,760 because he's got to go to Paris to open his film. 453 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:52,160 You go, "Um... you know the rehearsal thing?" 454 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:53,720 HE LAUGHS 455 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:58,800 'Hello.' Hello. 'Can you hear us all right?' I can hear you all right. 456 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:00,160 Sorry, Eric, you go first. 457 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,840 Everybody should really have a look at the fifth draft. 458 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:05,640 I've already tried on the Agent Provocateur underwear 459 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:07,480 just to make sure it's safe for comedy. 460 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:10,120 Thank you. LAUGHTER 461 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:13,080 'Now, the naked organist is cut.' OK. 462 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,160 Who's going to make sure that that happens? 463 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,480 Excellent. Wait, wait. What's...? Stop, stop. 464 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:19,800 'You will not get the Pythons to wear them.' 465 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:20,840 HE LAUGHS 466 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,520 'Need - yes. Get - no.' 467 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:27,440 No matter how many times you say it, it doesn't... 468 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:29,040 Understood. Yeah, OK. 469 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:31,200 I don't think that's a good idea. 470 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,840 I'm sorry, I still didn't get who's going to make sure that happens? 471 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:37,320 Suitably humiliated. Perfect. 472 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:39,480 Because I'm also losing Terry Gilliam. 473 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:42,360 'He's just announced he's opening his fucking film in Paris. 474 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:45,240 'So he can't come to rehearsals.' 475 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,640 So we could maybe get Martin Scorsese. 476 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:49,360 All right, I'll give him a ring. 477 00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:51,400 Thanks, everybody. Bye-bye. 478 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:58,440 I mean, the two that I'm looking forward to most are... 479 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:02,920 And we've never done the sketches live before, John as Anne Elk, 480 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:06,360 which I really love. "I have a theory, and what it is, too." 481 00:26:06,360 --> 00:26:10,040 Your new theory. Oh! What is my theory? 482 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,280 Yes. Oh, what is my theory that it is? 483 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:15,880 Well, Chris, you may well ask me what is my theory. 484 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:17,840 LAUGHTER 485 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:24,040 And Terry's never done this, which is the Spam cafe before, 486 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:26,720 and so we are recreating Spam cafe 487 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:30,560 because now we have 20 people who can be Vikings singing... 488 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:33,160 # Spam, Spam, Spam! Lovely spam! # 489 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:34,960 So we'll do all of that live. 490 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:36,840 I don't like Spam! 491 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:38,880 VIKINGS SING: # Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam 492 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:41,640 # Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam Spammity-spam! 493 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:43,280 # Wonderful Spam! # 494 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:47,600 Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! 495 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,800 And he's squeezing the chicken... LAUGHTER 496 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:53,920 Eric has assembled a crack team 497 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,480 to look after the song-and-dance numbers. 498 00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,960 Long-time musical collaborator John Du Prez 499 00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:02,640 is a relative spring chicken at 68. 500 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,880 It could either build up like that, you know. That would be nice. 501 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:08,320 Cos you have this sort of like... It goes... 502 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,400 # Ba ba ba Ba ba ba... 503 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,280 # Ba ba ba Ba ba ba... # 504 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:16,240 You know, you sort of build it. 505 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:18,840 # Ba ba ba, ba ba ba Brrrump ba da... # 506 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:20,720 You know, coming from that. 507 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,560 # Da da da, da da da Da da da, da da da 508 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:26,520 # Sit on my face! # 509 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:29,520 So you have... Oh, yes, I can do all of that. 510 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:33,120 And marshalling the dancers is the high-kicking 511 00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:35,960 and renowned choreographer Arlene Phillips. 512 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:40,480 A big circle around in between the tables, up and over the tables. 513 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:43,800 Arlene Phillips is so great, she's the spirit of it all. 514 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,520 She was the choreographer for The Meaning Of Life, 515 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:49,400 so she's really cool to come back into it. 516 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:53,000 # Every sperm is good 517 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:59,840 # Every sperm is needed in your neighbourhood. # 518 00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:04,560 I'll wrap around and then I'll drop from here, drop back. 519 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:06,200 # Sit on my face. # 520 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:11,920 Our opening routine, which is about penises, vaginas, bottoms, 521 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:17,480 I decided to look at the signing for all the words that you 522 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:22,240 could use to describe them and try to put them into choreography. 523 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:26,320 You can notice them if you're aware of sign language, otherwise you'd 524 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:29,960 just think we're making beautiful arm movements and lovely gestures. 525 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:34,080 # But don't take it out in public Or they'll stick you in the dock 526 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:37,800 # And you won't come back. # 527 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:43,800 # I like Chinese... # 528 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:47,840 6,000 miles away in Singapore, John is about to 529 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:51,920 perform his one-man show for the 200th time. 530 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:56,160 Oh, and he's writing an autobiography. 531 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:57,640 In long hand. 532 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:01,760 I'm not kidding you that I have spent eight months out of the last 533 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:05,960 ten months of my life in hotel rooms, so it's really apt that 534 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:10,800 we should be talking here in a hotel room, but this is often my reward. 535 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:13,680 # ..I like Chinese 536 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:18,800 # I like Chinese... # 537 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:22,440 I've seen very little work of any of the other Pythons, 538 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:25,440 and it's exactly the same the other way round. 539 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:29,520 It's funny, we don't pay a great deal of attention to each other's work, 540 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,320 by and large, it's quite true, you know? 541 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:35,360 Everyone's gone off in completely different directions, 542 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:39,240 but the nice thing is when we get back together we laugh a lot. 543 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,880 'Thinking about them a bit for the purpose of the autobiography, 544 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:46,920 'I was beginning to realise I don't understand any of them at all. 545 00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:48,560 'I used to think I understood' 546 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:50,840 Palin, but I don't. 547 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:54,440 And I've never, never been able to understand either of the two Terrys, 548 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:56,080 what's going on in their mind. 549 00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:59,360 I think I sort of vaguely know what...what Eric likes, 550 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:02,560 because Eric very much enjoys, he loves show business, 551 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:05,080 and I can understand that. 552 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:09,280 A bit on my nose and a bit there on my enormous chin. 553 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:11,880 There! Made up for another show. 554 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:13,560 # Let me whisper in your ear 555 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:17,000 # Say the words you long to hear... # 556 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,640 Ten minutes, John. 557 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:23,240 Ten minutes? Ten minutes. All right. OK. OK. See you soon. Bye. Bye. 558 00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:29,400 APPLAUSE 559 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:31,920 ANNOUNCER: ...your mobile phones are turned off, 560 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:34,240 or at the very least turned to silent mode. 561 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:37,320 The taking of pictures with your camera, 562 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:42,560 or phone or iPad or even using a fax machine is strictly prohibited. 563 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:47,640 So, please welcome to the stage a man who needs no introduction - 564 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:49,680 here is John Cleese. 565 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:54,120 APPLAUSE 566 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:58,520 MONTY PYTHON THEME: "The Liberty Bell" by JP Sousa 567 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:00,480 'Well, the main reason that I have to do this, 568 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:04,240 'of course, is to pay the alimony. I think people know that.' 569 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:07,800 But I'm reaching the point now where I will nearly have paid it off. 570 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:12,520 I have so far paid my latest ex-wife $22 million. 571 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:16,240 Yes, 22, and I have another million to go. 572 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:19,560 But I have to tell you, my Californian lawyer tells me 573 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:21,440 that I got off lightly. 574 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,480 Oh, yes, he said, "Think how much more you would have had to pay her 575 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:27,920 "had she contributed anything to the relationship." 576 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:30,120 LAUGHTER 577 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:33,760 JAUNTY MUSIC PLAYS 578 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:36,880 LAUGHTER 579 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:48,960 APPLAUSE 580 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:52,880 I sometimes think that in years to come a certain poor student 581 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:57,960 of media studies will be required to write an essay on what that means. 582 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:01,840 LAUGHTER 583 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,560 Oh, sketches that I'm excited about doing? 584 00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:05,880 Mm... None. 585 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:11,920 I shall probably enjoy doing them, but I don't get excited 586 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:17,360 about doing stuff, particularly if it's 130 years old, you know? 587 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:21,160 LAUGHTER 588 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:24,200 The one thing I'm glad I don't have to do is the silly walks sketch, 589 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:27,440 which I never thought was as funny as everyone else did, 590 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:29,920 and I pointed out to Terry Jones, I think it was his idea, 591 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:32,920 that the only reason it became so iconic 592 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:35,600 was the brilliance of my performance, you know? 593 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:38,360 Because I never thought it was a very good sketch, 594 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:40,360 it was just a funny idea. 595 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:41,800 CHEERING 596 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:44,040 Good morning. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, 597 00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:47,160 but I'm afraid my walk has become rather silly recently, so 598 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:49,120 it takes me longer to get to the office. 599 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:51,000 When I did that on stage, there was 600 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,920 so much laughter just cos I was throwing my legs around, 601 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:57,320 which I could do before I'd had them all replaced by surgery, 602 00:32:57,320 --> 00:32:59,360 when I was throwing them around there would be 603 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:02,000 so much noise I would be saying to Michael Palin onstage, 604 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:05,000 "I know you wrote this, but it's not a very good bit of material. 605 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,880 "They're only laughing at the movements I'm making." 606 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:10,280 Last year the government spent less on silly walks 607 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:12,360 than it did on industrial reorganisation. 608 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:15,160 We were supposed to get £348 million a year 609 00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:17,760 to cover our entire silly walks programme. 610 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:21,960 Under two, back at three... 611 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:24,120 In the absence of Cleese's legs, 612 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:27,720 Arlene is going to put the silly walks to music. 613 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:31,520 Round... Do you know what I mean? 614 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:35,480 Whatever we're doing, we are being John Cleese, 615 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:37,160 so we are not being... 616 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:41,800 You know, it's all the time keeping that focus, keeping his body, 617 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:44,760 keeping the way he moves in our minds. 618 00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:47,000 When we do that, as opposed to leaning back, 619 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:48,480 everything is just down. 620 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:51,040 There, down there, and then you push off. 621 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:55,560 MONTY PYTHON THEME: "The Liberty Bell" by JP Sousa 622 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:09,600 Before I wrote the script, I went to everybody and asked them 623 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:13,280 what they would particularly like to do, and some were interesting. 624 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:18,600 Cos John asked for a very weird one called Gumby brain surgeon. 625 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:19,840 And he is doing that. 626 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:21,720 'And it's hilarious, you know? 627 00:34:21,720 --> 00:34:24,760 'It's only an obscure TV sketch.' 628 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:26,880 Doctor! 629 00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:30,600 We need a big door, and it's not be anchored securely, 630 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:32,160 cos you knock on it, and then 631 00:34:32,160 --> 00:34:35,000 he's going to enter backwards, smashing through it, 632 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:36,440 so this is quite tricky, 633 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:39,440 because you don't want the whole thing to fall over, 634 00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:43,480 'and on the same truck is a prop desk 635 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:45,120 'which he smashes' 636 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:46,720 and will fall to bits. 637 00:34:46,720 --> 00:34:50,240 Are you...the brain specialist? 638 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:54,440 No. 639 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,320 No, I am not the brain specialist. 640 00:34:57,320 --> 00:35:00,120 No. No, I am not. 641 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:02,800 Yes! Yes, I am. 642 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:06,480 We have these sets. 643 00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:09,040 When they originally came up with it, 644 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:14,440 they gave us this - a rather ugly modern box, you know what I mean? 645 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:18,760 And so I said, "No, no, no. you've got to make it Gilliam." 646 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:22,880 And so he came back with this. And now we know where we are. 647 00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:26,160 You know, in the Python silly Gilliam world it's much 648 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:29,000 nicer for these nice warm curtains 649 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:31,480 and drapes that move open 650 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:34,880 to reveal the Gilliam world of animation. 651 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:41,000 LAUGHTER 652 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:48,960 ORCHESTRAL MUSIC 653 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:50,400 RADIO RETUNES 654 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:53,440 JAUNTY BRASS BAND MUSIC 655 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,400 Terry Gilliam, the Pythons' animator, has gone on to 656 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:01,960 forge a hugely successful career as a film director. 657 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:05,600 His singular visual style can be seen in Time Bandits, 658 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:08,800 12 Monkeys, and perhaps his masterpiece, Brazil. 659 00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:17,480 Earlier this year, he released The Zero Theorem. 660 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,440 Made in a matter of weeks on a modest budget, 661 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:24,880 Terry was characteristically candid about it at a private screening. 662 00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:27,200 It is what it is. 663 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:30,560 There are moments of humour, there are moments of sadness. 664 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:33,240 There are moments of tedium. They are all in a film... 665 00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:35,840 LAUGHTER ..a complete motion picture. 666 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:38,480 All right, Quin? How's it hanging? 667 00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:41,400 It's Qohen, Mr Joby, and as we've told you before, 668 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:43,560 it isn't hanging at all well. 669 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:45,200 We're dying. 670 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:47,840 I mean, always when you do the first cut of a movie, 671 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:50,440 it's a great disappointment, that's standard. 672 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:52,200 This was something deeper. 673 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:55,360 Something more utterly tragic. It just... 674 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:58,000 And I said, "Burn it! Just burn this thing. 675 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,560 "It doesn't work. It's a mess. I blew it." 676 00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:04,240 Despite Terry's early neuroses, he recut it, 677 00:37:04,240 --> 00:37:07,120 and salvaged a film which was favourably received. 678 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:15,080 And now he's applying his unique talents to opera. 679 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:18,320 Benvenuto Cellini by the French composer Berlioz 680 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:22,600 is a notoriously difficult and rarely performed piece - 681 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:25,280 perfect for a man who loves a challenge. 682 00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:27,120 Singing to all his guys, 683 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:30,880 Hail! All of us together! Yeah, brothers in arms. 684 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:35,160 HE CHUCKLES 685 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:37,600 Is there actually lots of humour in Berlioz? 686 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:41,080 Humour? There is now! 687 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:44,720 I think in this one he was trying to be funny. 688 00:37:44,720 --> 00:37:48,160 There's certain scenes that are very comic opera like. 689 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:50,760 He just...goes on too long. 690 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:53,680 # Once again... # Yeah, yeah. 691 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:56,400 The foot goes back as if to kick. HE CHUCKLES 692 00:37:56,400 --> 00:38:00,560 # Once again... # Cos he's right there. 693 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:03,640 INAUDIBLE Yeah. 694 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:07,600 # Once again... # TERRY CHUCKLES 695 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:10,520 Do you have a sort of fellow feeling with Cellini 696 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:12,960 and Berlioz as well, for that matter? 697 00:38:12,960 --> 00:38:16,600 I've never even bothered to read a biography of Berlioz. 698 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,640 I'm not interested. The music tells me the creative process. 699 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:21,680 It's what he's writing about. 700 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:24,880 The torture, the beauty of it, the horrible experience, 701 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:27,000 which I think I can identify with. 702 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,600 And that's exactly Cellini's story. 703 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:32,400 The only Renaissance artist to write an autobiography. 704 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:37,320 It's wonderful, it's so outrageous, cos he's a liar, a bullshitter, 705 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:41,480 and yet he created these most extraordinarily beautiful things. 706 00:38:41,480 --> 00:38:44,240 And I find that very interesting. 707 00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:47,200 And I would like to create things as beautiful as they do. 708 00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:49,680 I end up just making jokes about things 709 00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:51,720 to cover up the fact I've failed. 710 00:38:56,080 --> 00:38:58,880 Terry is being self-deprecating here. 711 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:03,200 His previous attempt at directing opera, The Damnation Of Faust, 712 00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:04,720 was a rip-roaring success. 713 00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:11,760 We did something. And it is "we". It's a big "we" that pulled it off. 714 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:14,920 And that kind of made me want to come back, drag some more people into it, 715 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:17,960 because when it's good, opera is pretty amazing. 716 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:21,600 TENOR SINGS PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT 717 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:25,680 His co-director, then as now, was Leah Hausman. 718 00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:29,560 I listened to this opera, and I really thought, "Why? Why? 719 00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:32,800 "Why does he want to do this? Why would you do this opera? 720 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:36,040 "It's absolutely convoluted and difficult 721 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:39,680 "and doesn't make sense, and the plot goes all over the place. 722 00:39:39,680 --> 00:39:41,960 "Why do I care about this guy Cellini?" 723 00:39:41,960 --> 00:39:44,520 And it's the first thing I said to Terry, and he went, 724 00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:46,200 "Yeah, it's kind of a problem." 725 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:49,200 He then went, "Why did I choose this opera?" 726 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:51,280 FINAL PIANO CHORDS 727 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:53,520 Drunk falls off his table, his chair. 728 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:55,320 Boom! HE CHUCKLES 729 00:39:55,320 --> 00:39:58,920 MALE TENOR SINGS PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT 730 00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:03,920 So, here we are, and you're two months away 731 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:05,520 from the big day at the O2. 732 00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:07,720 So I'm wondering how much that's on your mind, 733 00:40:07,720 --> 00:40:10,760 how much you're thinking of your compatriots? 734 00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:13,080 Very little, is what I've thought. 735 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:15,240 I mean, I've had to do things like 736 00:40:15,240 --> 00:40:18,240 I found myself back designing the poster for it. 737 00:40:18,240 --> 00:40:20,520 Oh! We're rereleasing albums. 738 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:23,480 Oh! A new box...? We need a cover for that. 739 00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:26,120 So I've been doing my old job, basically. 740 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:28,440 And I'm trying not to think about the rest of it, 741 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:32,520 because I've just got much less to do than they do. 742 00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:36,080 In fact, I'm almost at times embarrassed, 743 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:39,880 cos Eric has added more parts trying to keep me in the midst of it. 744 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:42,120 And I don't really care. I just go there. 745 00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:45,480 I don't want to have to spend a lot of time thinking about it. 746 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:48,280 It'll be great, 17,000 people on their feet cheering, 747 00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:51,000 that's very good for the ego, and then after a few nights of that 748 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,880 I can go home and get through the rest of my life. 749 00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:03,000 # I've got two legs From my hips to the ground 750 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:06,840 # And when I lift them They walk around 751 00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:10,080 # And when I lift them They climb the stairs 752 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:14,120 # And when I shave 'em They ain't got hairs. # 753 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:17,320 GUNSHOT HE SCREAMS 754 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,000 Are you looking forward to being on that stage? 755 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:26,320 I don't know. I've got a problem, because... 756 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:28,600 because we're one short at the moment, 757 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:31,760 I've got to do things like Gumby flower arranging, 758 00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:34,320 which Michael does - brilliantly - 759 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:36,440 and to step into Mike's shoes 760 00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:39,320 scares the shit out of me, quite frankly. 761 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:41,760 SHOUTING: Good evening. 762 00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:44,240 First, take a bunch of flowers. 763 00:41:45,680 --> 00:41:49,480 Pretty begonias, irises, freesias, 764 00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:51,720 and chry-man-thesums. 765 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:56,360 Then...arrange them 766 00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:57,840 nicely 767 00:41:57,840 --> 00:42:00,640 in a vase. 768 00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:04,120 Oh! Get in! Get in! Get in! 769 00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:06,800 Mike is a genius, and we all keep saying, 770 00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:09,800 "Stop this travelling business, come back to comedy." 771 00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:13,040 He is, to me the funniest of all of us. 772 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:17,600 JAUNTY PIANO MUSIC 773 00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:22,960 HE HITS SOME BUM NOTES 774 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:25,000 Fuck! 775 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:26,640 Advance! 776 00:42:30,280 --> 00:42:32,120 LAUGHTER 777 00:42:34,640 --> 00:42:39,040 We need a prop plank which is... Can be hit. People can be hit. 778 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:44,120 Looks very heavy but actually is just, I think it's balsa wood. 779 00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,640 A lot of pies. And I think the best way 780 00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:49,000 to make pies is shaving cream. Yeah. 781 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:54,280 They need to be brought on in paper plates so that when you 782 00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:57,920 pie someone, the plate falls off but it doesn't smash their noses. 783 00:42:57,920 --> 00:43:01,160 Where's the fun in that? Yeah. LAUGHTER 784 00:43:01,160 --> 00:43:03,600 And now the foul pie. 785 00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:12,160 LAUGHTER 786 00:43:12,160 --> 00:43:15,400 And he just goes like that to her, so she gets the pie, 787 00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:17,840 that's the physical tag. Blackout. 788 00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:21,320 # Da da da da da da da. # Curtains in. 789 00:43:21,320 --> 00:43:24,280 # Da dee dee da da da. # Clearly the intermission. Brilliant. Right? 790 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:26,200 MUZAK PLAYS 791 00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:28,680 There will now be a medium-sized intermission. 792 00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:31,200 LAUGHTER 793 00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:37,960 SQUAWKING 794 00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:41,600 HEAD BURPS 795 00:43:41,600 --> 00:43:43,400 That made for a starter, 796 00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:47,040 but not perhaps something a little more savoury. 797 00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:51,720 # So always look on The bright side of death 798 00:43:51,720 --> 00:43:54,800 WHISTLING 799 00:43:54,800 --> 00:43:59,440 # Just before you Draw your terminal breath 800 00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:02,120 WHISTLING 801 00:44:02,120 --> 00:44:05,800 Busy as ever, Eric is now back in LA re-versioning 802 00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:08,760 that most classic of Python singalongs. 803 00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:12,440 # When you're in the World Cup And all your hopes are up. # 804 00:44:12,440 --> 00:44:15,880 VOCAL WARM-UP EXERCISES 805 00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:18,720 Been a long time since the ENO, you know? 806 00:44:18,720 --> 00:44:22,920 You know Terry is in the midst? I know, for his second ENO. 807 00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:26,440 Yeah. Have you heard from him about how it's going? 808 00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:29,160 He always says it's a disaster. 809 00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:33,360 I said, you know... He said, "It's chaos." I said, "You like chaos. 810 00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:37,280 "If it's not there, you create it." Which is true. 811 00:44:37,280 --> 00:44:40,920 # Life's a piece of shit When you look at it 812 00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:44,960 # Life's a laugh And death's a joke, it's true 813 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:47,600 # You'll see it's all a show 814 00:44:47,600 --> 00:44:50,080 # Keep 'em laughing as you go 815 00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:52,920 # Just remember that The last laugh is on you, and... 816 00:44:52,920 --> 00:44:57,560 # Always look on The bright side of life. # 817 00:44:57,560 --> 00:44:58,680 Cheer up! 818 00:44:58,680 --> 00:45:00,840 OK, thanks, Michael. 819 00:45:00,840 --> 00:45:04,480 DJ ON RADIO: 'Lies you tell your kids, confessions@bbc.co.uk, 820 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:07,920 'we're talking Python with Michael Palin in just a moment. 821 00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:13,160 In London, Michael has kindly made room in his busy schedule to plug 822 00:45:13,160 --> 00:45:15,960 the Python show on Simon Mayo. 823 00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:20,600 ..to do something in July. So, if we can give them other things... 824 00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:24,240 Back in Los Angeles, Eric can't resist listening in, 825 00:45:24,240 --> 00:45:27,600 hoping to hear some recognition for his contribution. 826 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:32,160 'And do you find it quite exciting? 827 00:45:32,160 --> 00:45:36,680 'Well, I'm glad that we've decided to lay this one to rest,' 828 00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:41,240 are we going to get together again or no, sorry, we'll leave it ten years. 829 00:45:41,240 --> 00:45:44,160 Suddenly it all happened this time and everyone said yes 830 00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:47,120 and there we are, and it's quite terrifying really. 831 00:45:48,760 --> 00:45:52,840 I'm glad he's terrified! 'But I think it'll be fun. 832 00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:54,680 'I think it'll be great.' Yes, it will. 833 00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:57,120 Who was the one, if you are all deciding what to do, 834 00:45:57,120 --> 00:45:59,560 who was the one who would say, "No, I can't do it"? 835 00:45:59,560 --> 00:46:01,920 Who was the one who was always saying no? Me. 836 00:46:01,920 --> 00:46:04,760 'Seeing as you asked.' That's true. 837 00:46:04,760 --> 00:46:08,600 But because I have got this volume of diaries coming out, 838 00:46:08,600 --> 00:46:10,240 I don't want to plug that 839 00:46:10,240 --> 00:46:12,320 'but there was 10 years, it's 88-98 840 00:46:12,320 --> 00:46:14,960 'and that last bit is actually about Python' 841 00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:19,000 at Aspen Festival in Colorado. 842 00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:20,800 We went along... 843 00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:23,040 I think Eric is a little put out 844 00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:27,560 because there has been no mention yet of all his hard work. 845 00:46:27,560 --> 00:46:31,560 Michael Palin is here because he has got something to say and this is it. 846 00:46:31,560 --> 00:46:34,400 The very last night of the Pythons, 847 00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:37,680 the last Python show ever is going 848 00:46:37,680 --> 00:46:43,840 to take place on 20 July 2014. 849 00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:46,560 I think I know who's doing all the work... Yes! 850 00:46:46,560 --> 00:46:48,400 He doesn't get mentioned. No, no. 851 00:46:48,400 --> 00:46:51,840 Have you thought about rehearsals or not? 852 00:46:51,840 --> 00:46:54,640 Yes, I have thought about it and rejected the idea. 853 00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:56,400 'We're just going to turn up.' 854 00:46:56,400 --> 00:47:00,160 Eric particularly is putting together a production 855 00:47:00,160 --> 00:47:03,920 so there will be lots of dancing, songs, because basically 856 00:47:03,920 --> 00:47:07,400 all of us are playing about ten different roles or more in the show. 857 00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:09,560 That means you've got to go off and change... 858 00:47:09,560 --> 00:47:12,280 What are you are looking forward to the most afterwards 859 00:47:12,280 --> 00:47:15,080 apart from a long holiday? Oh, I shall be in sad decline. 860 00:47:15,080 --> 00:47:17,000 I shall just sit there and play 861 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:18,960 'the old sketches and cry a bit. 862 00:47:18,960 --> 00:47:22,400 'No, I've got a volume of diaries coming out as I said, 863 00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:24,640 '1988-98 called Travelling to Work. 864 00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:28,400 'So I shall be...' Touring England! '..publicising those' 865 00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:31,360 Instead of Australia! There'll be Life after Python, I hope. 866 00:47:31,360 --> 00:47:34,040 Michael Palin, a pleasure as ever. Thank you very much indeed. 867 00:47:34,040 --> 00:47:36,200 He hasn't even got to 2000 yet! 868 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:41,000 That was very good, Michael. You did very well. 869 00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:49,240 I kind of think of you as a sort of head boy 870 00:47:49,240 --> 00:47:53,480 because you are the head boy of this venture, that's for sure. 871 00:47:53,480 --> 00:47:57,760 Yes, but in Python there is always somebody who has to take 872 00:47:57,760 --> 00:47:59,760 responsibility. That's how we do it. 873 00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:00,840 If you're doing an album, 874 00:48:00,840 --> 00:48:03,280 somebody takes the responsibility of producing it. 875 00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:05,680 If you're doing a movie, somebody is going to direct it 876 00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:09,280 and look after all of the boring shit that makes it possible 877 00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:10,920 for us to be good when we do it. 878 00:48:12,760 --> 00:48:14,360 # We're Knights of the Round Table 879 00:48:14,360 --> 00:48:16,000 # We dance when'er we're able 880 00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:18,000 # We do routines and chorus scenes 881 00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:19,560 # With footwork impeccable 882 00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:21,360 # We dine well here in Camelot... # 883 00:48:21,360 --> 00:48:24,440 So, for this production, Eric is in charge 884 00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:26,600 but it hasn't always been that way. 885 00:48:26,600 --> 00:48:30,920 For their film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, directing duties 886 00:48:30,920 --> 00:48:35,000 were shared between the two Terries, Gilliam and Jones. 887 00:48:36,240 --> 00:48:40,800 I don't know, it's a dogsbody job, directing. I think it's... 888 00:48:40,800 --> 00:48:44,080 You've really just got to organise things and work out what 889 00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:47,320 you're doing in the morning and it's a very thankless task. 890 00:48:47,320 --> 00:48:48,960 We're learning as we do it, it's nice. 891 00:48:48,960 --> 00:48:51,520 Been given a whole feature film to learn how to make films. 892 00:48:51,520 --> 00:48:55,200 But you are treating it with proper respect? Well... 893 00:48:56,680 --> 00:49:01,080 There has never been any mutual respect within the Python group 894 00:49:01,080 --> 00:49:02,800 at all, as you probably know. 895 00:49:02,800 --> 00:49:05,440 But we're withholding a lot of the criticism that we would 896 00:49:05,440 --> 00:49:06,920 normally be making. 897 00:49:06,920 --> 00:49:09,320 # Push the pram a lot... # 898 00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:12,840 On Life of Brian, Gilliam switched to the art department, 899 00:49:12,840 --> 00:49:16,760 leaving Terry Jones in sole charge of directing. 900 00:49:16,760 --> 00:49:20,480 Which meant he could save the funniest line for himself. 901 00:49:20,480 --> 00:49:21,920 CROWD CHATTER 902 00:49:21,920 --> 00:49:23,680 Now you listen here. 903 00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:27,200 He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy. 904 00:49:27,200 --> 00:49:29,440 Now go away! 905 00:49:29,440 --> 00:49:33,080 The last film Terry Jones made was The Wind in the Willows, 906 00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:35,280 but that was in 1996. 907 00:49:35,280 --> 00:49:37,720 Hello, Toad. This is Mole. 908 00:49:37,720 --> 00:49:40,120 Just going to send for you. Both of you. 909 00:49:40,120 --> 00:49:45,640 My young friend has just lost his home. Has he? What a stroke of luck! 910 00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:50,480 And now, 18 years later, he is back in the saddle, 911 00:49:50,480 --> 00:49:56,360 making a sci-fi comedy with Kate Beckinsale and Simon Pegg. 912 00:49:57,800 --> 00:49:59,680 Stop filming me! No, I'm kidding. 913 00:49:59,680 --> 00:50:01,560 So, why the long wait? 914 00:50:01,560 --> 00:50:05,480 You know, I kind of gave up on making feature films 915 00:50:05,480 --> 00:50:08,960 when Wind in the Willows was... 916 00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:14,480 ..was so badly distributed. What happened exactly? 917 00:50:14,480 --> 00:50:19,720 My producer rang up and said, "It's on in New York..." 918 00:50:20,920 --> 00:50:23,040 In Times Square? In Times Square. 919 00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:28,240 So I went around and it was on in a little porno cinema 920 00:50:28,240 --> 00:50:30,680 which had Wind in the Willows on it! 921 00:50:30,680 --> 00:50:33,120 Raising expectations! Yes! 922 00:50:33,120 --> 00:50:37,480 And I went off to get a camera 923 00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:40,840 because I didn't have a camera on me at the time. And... 924 00:50:42,480 --> 00:50:45,720 ..I came back and it was off. 925 00:50:47,080 --> 00:50:49,800 Within the time that you went...? Yes. Yes. 926 00:50:49,800 --> 00:50:54,480 And it was, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, 927 00:50:54,480 --> 00:50:58,200 it was the second best reviewed film of the year. 928 00:51:00,120 --> 00:51:02,960 And it just tears me apart. 929 00:51:02,960 --> 00:51:06,000 The waste of it, you know? 930 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:09,080 We're on camera. Rolling. 931 00:51:09,080 --> 00:51:10,400 Stand by. 932 00:51:10,400 --> 00:51:13,280 And the scene today is for the beginning of the film, 933 00:51:13,280 --> 00:51:15,800 is that right? Yes. It's a dream sequence. 934 00:51:15,800 --> 00:51:20,520 Neil dreams that he's got a successful book that's won 935 00:51:20,520 --> 00:51:28,600 the Man Booker Prize and he dreams about his love, Kate Beckinsale. 936 00:51:28,600 --> 00:51:31,840 Now with the publication of this brilliant novel, 937 00:51:31,840 --> 00:51:35,280 reviewers agree he has entered the ranks of Britain's immortals. 938 00:51:35,280 --> 00:51:37,320 Ladies and gentlemen, Neil Clarke. 939 00:51:42,160 --> 00:51:45,600 And Dennis the dog barks in the film 940 00:51:45,600 --> 00:51:48,160 and an avalanche of dogs 941 00:51:48,160 --> 00:51:54,360 come in down the staircase there and the dogs take over the dream, really. 942 00:51:54,360 --> 00:51:55,920 HE LAUGHS 943 00:51:55,920 --> 00:51:59,280 I devoted five long years to capturing it in a book, 944 00:51:59,280 --> 00:52:01,920 which I hoped would throw open 945 00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:04,600 the doors of human perception... DOG BARKS 946 00:52:04,600 --> 00:52:08,360 ..um, and allow us to be engulfed in a sense of our own futility. 947 00:52:10,960 --> 00:52:13,280 That's very good. Great. 948 00:52:13,280 --> 00:52:19,320 You've got the O2 shows coming up, 150,000 people coming to see you. 949 00:52:19,320 --> 00:52:21,560 How are you preparing yourself, Terry? 950 00:52:21,560 --> 00:52:25,040 Staying up late, drinking a lot. 951 00:52:25,040 --> 00:52:27,520 Who is doing all the work? 952 00:52:27,520 --> 00:52:31,520 Well, Eric's doing the work. He is directing the show. 953 00:52:31,520 --> 00:52:34,400 And I'm glad he is. 954 00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:35,520 OK. 955 00:52:36,840 --> 00:52:43,760 The dancers, I may say, are wearing Agent Provocateur underwear, so... 956 00:52:43,760 --> 00:52:45,160 That's exciting. Yes! 957 00:52:46,400 --> 00:52:49,400 This is Neil submerged in a sea of dogs. 958 00:52:51,480 --> 00:52:53,120 I just assume I'm going to get tickets 959 00:52:53,120 --> 00:52:55,560 cos I'm working with Terry. At some point down the line, 960 00:52:55,560 --> 00:52:59,000 when we're sat by the camera, I'm going to try and blag some off him. 961 00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:00,800 But I've said, "How is it all going?" 962 00:53:00,800 --> 00:53:02,360 And he just sort of goes, "Oh, 963 00:53:02,360 --> 00:53:06,320 "yeah, yeah..." I don't think... It feels to me like nobody knows. 964 00:53:06,320 --> 00:53:09,200 I don't know if they have spoken to each other recently 965 00:53:09,200 --> 00:53:11,000 or that there's any plans. 966 00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:13,000 They've just decided they're going to do it 967 00:53:13,000 --> 00:53:14,840 and it'll probably happen on the night. 968 00:53:14,840 --> 00:53:17,360 I wouldn't be surprised if Graham materialised. 969 00:53:17,360 --> 00:53:19,480 DOGS BARK 970 00:53:19,480 --> 00:53:22,240 THEY ISSUE INSTRUCTIONS TO DOGS 971 00:53:26,720 --> 00:53:28,800 TERRY LAUGHS 972 00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:35,320 TERRY LAUGHS 973 00:53:39,160 --> 00:53:40,920 APPLAUSE 974 00:53:40,920 --> 00:53:43,680 That's great. That's great. 975 00:53:43,680 --> 00:53:47,960 Are there any sketches which you're looking forward to or want to 976 00:53:47,960 --> 00:53:50,600 be in the compilation? Any favourites that you have? 977 00:53:50,600 --> 00:53:53,880 I'd like to hear Terry do the Crunchy Frog. What sort of frog? 978 00:53:53,880 --> 00:53:55,480 A dead frog. 979 00:53:55,480 --> 00:53:58,280 That chocolate box list of ingredients is fantastic. 980 00:53:58,280 --> 00:53:59,520 What, a raw frog? 981 00:53:59,520 --> 00:54:04,680 We use only the finest baby frogs, dew-picked and flown from Iraq, 982 00:54:04,680 --> 00:54:07,240 cleansed in the finest quality spring water, 983 00:54:07,240 --> 00:54:11,000 lightly killed and then sealed in a succulent Swiss, quintuple smooth, 984 00:54:11,000 --> 00:54:15,360 treble cream, milk chocolate envelope and lovingly frosted with glucose. 985 00:54:15,360 --> 00:54:18,360 That's as may be, it's still a frog. Oh, what else? 986 00:54:18,360 --> 00:54:21,240 TERRY AND SIMON LAUGH That's great. Yeah. 987 00:54:22,840 --> 00:54:25,320 Brilliant. Brilliant. OK, great. 988 00:54:25,320 --> 00:54:27,840 Happy? Happy, yes. 989 00:54:27,840 --> 00:54:29,560 Thank God for that! 990 00:54:31,600 --> 00:54:33,160 Camp it up! 991 00:54:34,240 --> 00:54:36,240 THEY CHANT: Ooh, get her... 992 00:54:36,240 --> 00:54:39,480 LAUGHTER DROWNS OUT CHANTS 993 00:54:42,160 --> 00:54:44,640 ..I'll scratch your eyes out 994 00:54:44,640 --> 00:54:48,280 Don't come the brigadier bit with us, dear 995 00:54:48,280 --> 00:54:51,520 We all know where you've been, you military fairy! 996 00:54:54,960 --> 00:54:57,400 Whoops! Don't look now, girls... 997 00:54:59,440 --> 00:55:03,320 So the spirit of the girls is the same as the boys, 998 00:55:03,320 --> 00:55:08,560 we love this, this is our favourite drill, the penis drill. 999 00:55:08,560 --> 00:55:10,800 Ooh, sounds painful. 1000 00:55:10,800 --> 00:55:13,680 Across town from Terry's movie set, 1001 00:55:13,680 --> 00:55:16,880 Arlene is busy putting the dancers through their paces. 1002 00:55:21,160 --> 00:55:23,720 If you just do that, it doesn't look like anything, 1003 00:55:23,720 --> 00:55:28,520 you've got to really push to see that the fans are fluttering. 1004 00:55:32,560 --> 00:55:35,800 What are you planning to do when you get there to this? 1005 00:55:35,800 --> 00:55:39,720 It will just be... I'll just be charming them. Oh. 1006 00:55:39,720 --> 00:55:43,320 I shall press the charming switch and I shall come out 1007 00:55:43,320 --> 00:55:45,360 and be absolutely charming. 1008 00:55:45,360 --> 00:55:48,400 John Cleese has come home, as you can see. 1009 00:55:48,400 --> 00:55:51,560 And we're on our way to promote his book. 1010 00:55:51,560 --> 00:55:54,360 However, he has insisted, charmingly, 1011 00:55:54,360 --> 00:55:58,560 that we divert and go home first to visit his cats. 1012 00:55:59,960 --> 00:56:03,720 You're dawdling. Dawdling? Right, come on! 1013 00:56:07,680 --> 00:56:08,880 Flixy! 1014 00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:13,000 Where is the other two? 1015 00:56:13,000 --> 00:56:15,360 This is the biggest one. Wow, he is a big boy. 1016 00:56:15,360 --> 00:56:18,840 Is it a boy or a girl? Boy. And what is his name, this one? Felix. 1017 00:56:18,840 --> 00:56:20,680 I call him Flix. 1018 00:56:20,680 --> 00:56:24,760 He's so amazing... He's got the other one. This is the small one. 1019 00:56:24,760 --> 00:56:27,880 Ah. Isn't he wonderful? Yes. 1020 00:56:27,880 --> 00:56:31,680 His face is just like a tabby. Exactly. 1021 00:56:31,680 --> 00:56:34,160 He's like a lynx. And they are absolute brothers, 1022 00:56:34,160 --> 00:56:38,600 born at exactly the same time and we were only going to buy this one, 1023 00:56:38,600 --> 00:56:42,600 weren't we? And then they said there was a brother. 1024 00:56:44,240 --> 00:56:47,520 And it was so ridiculous, we just said, "OK." 1025 00:56:48,800 --> 00:56:52,920 Heaven's got the blue eyes. Oh, my God, we've got three. Yeah. 1026 00:56:52,920 --> 00:56:55,840 And this one is called Heaven? Yeah. 1027 00:56:55,840 --> 00:56:58,040 He is unbelievably beautiful, isn't he? 1028 00:56:59,280 --> 00:57:02,160 I'm an anachronism, but I'm perfectly happy with that 1029 00:57:02,160 --> 00:57:05,920 because I don't particularly like the era that we live in 1030 00:57:05,920 --> 00:57:09,840 at the moment, it doesn't seem to be a terribly intelligent 1031 00:57:09,840 --> 00:57:15,400 or terribly creative one so I'm only slowly stumbling 1032 00:57:15,400 --> 00:57:17,360 in the direction of most technology. 1033 00:57:17,360 --> 00:57:20,480 I use e-mail, I think that's very useful. He's good on Twitter. 1034 00:57:20,480 --> 00:57:23,640 He's got three million followers. So why Twitter? 1035 00:57:23,640 --> 00:57:26,880 Because I understand Twitter, which is that some people wish to 1036 00:57:26,880 --> 00:57:30,360 receive occasional silly messages. 1037 00:57:30,360 --> 00:57:33,440 And I do that because, as Stephen Fry pointed out, 1038 00:57:33,440 --> 00:57:36,200 if you've got lots of people following you on Twitter, 1039 00:57:36,200 --> 00:57:40,120 you don't have to do interviews with treacherous British newspapers. 1040 00:57:40,120 --> 00:57:42,200 Three million followers, I'm quite impressed. 1041 00:57:42,200 --> 00:57:43,800 How long have you been doing it for? 1042 00:57:43,800 --> 00:57:46,040 I've been twittering for about two years. 1043 00:57:46,040 --> 00:57:48,520 What about twerking? Twerking is different. 1044 00:57:48,520 --> 00:57:51,080 What Prince Harry does. Yes, twerking is different. 1045 00:57:51,080 --> 00:57:53,720 Twerking is doing my dance, J, when I do my dance. Oh, yes. 1046 00:57:53,720 --> 00:57:55,520 That's twerking. That's correct. 1047 00:57:55,520 --> 00:57:58,200 Mr Cleese, welcome. Thank you. 1048 00:57:58,200 --> 00:58:00,440 How are you? Very well indeed, sir! 1049 00:58:00,440 --> 00:58:03,880 In the publishing world, John Cleese's autobiography is 1050 00:58:03,880 --> 00:58:06,960 the hottest non-fiction title of the year. 1051 00:58:06,960 --> 00:58:09,960 Of course, it is a work in progress. 1052 00:58:09,960 --> 00:58:11,880 Are you enjoying writing? 1053 00:58:11,880 --> 00:58:14,200 Yes, and I found a way into writing 1054 00:58:14,200 --> 00:58:19,120 because once you get into it, it is almost difficult to stop. 1055 00:58:19,120 --> 00:58:22,560 Because you get so involved with it, it is like a crossword 1056 00:58:22,560 --> 00:58:25,400 that you can't figure out, you just don't want to let it go. 1057 00:58:25,400 --> 00:58:28,640 I'm really interested that you appear to be writing 1058 00:58:28,640 --> 00:58:30,600 your autobiography in long hand. 1059 00:58:30,600 --> 00:58:34,320 Yes, I know, it's the most natural thing in the world for me 1060 00:58:34,320 --> 00:58:35,240 and I write... 1061 00:58:36,360 --> 00:58:39,840 ..about 300 words a page. 1062 00:58:39,840 --> 00:58:44,920 Nothing crossed out, I notice. Ah. Rubber. Rubber. 1063 00:58:44,920 --> 00:58:47,480 And I will do quite a lot of this, 1064 00:58:47,480 --> 00:58:51,360 I'll sometimes rewrite a sentence three or four times. 1065 00:58:51,360 --> 00:58:55,080 How is your memory? Better than I thought. 1066 00:58:55,080 --> 00:58:59,280 You suddenly remember, "Oh, yes," and that was part of another memory. 1067 00:58:59,280 --> 00:59:03,400 And it gives you kind of an overview of your life. You know, 1068 00:59:03,400 --> 00:59:05,880 you tend to look at your life in little chunks. 1069 00:59:05,880 --> 00:59:09,040 And you begin to piece the whole thing together again. 1070 00:59:09,040 --> 00:59:11,000 And to kind of recover it. 1071 00:59:13,120 --> 00:59:15,120 I remember filming in particular 1072 00:59:15,120 --> 00:59:17,560 I always found strangely dissatisfying. 1073 00:59:17,560 --> 00:59:21,080 I could do a good day's work in front of the camera, but when I went 1074 00:59:21,080 --> 00:59:24,760 home afterwards I didn't feel I had done anything of substance. 1075 00:59:24,760 --> 00:59:29,200 Whereas if I sat down with a few sheets of paper and wrote 1076 00:59:29,200 --> 00:59:33,880 a three-minute sketch, at the end of the day I had created something 1077 00:59:33,880 --> 00:59:37,480 and that seemed to be satisfactory in a way that acting wasn't. 1078 00:59:39,240 --> 00:59:41,960 What's on the television then? 1079 00:59:44,200 --> 00:59:45,600 Looks like a penguin. 1080 00:59:47,760 --> 00:59:51,120 No, no, no, I didn't mean what's on the television set? 1081 00:59:51,120 --> 00:59:53,480 I meant what programme! Oh... 1082 00:59:54,920 --> 00:59:58,880 John Cleese's writing partner was the late Graham Chapman. 1083 00:59:58,880 --> 01:00:01,080 Together, they created some of Python's 1084 01:00:01,080 --> 01:00:02,880 most memorable comic moments. 1085 01:00:05,760 --> 01:00:08,800 Funny that penguin being there, innit? 1086 01:00:08,800 --> 01:00:11,600 You must miss Graham? I'm sure you miss Graham? 1087 01:00:11,600 --> 01:00:13,480 Yes, I miss Graham. Yes. Yes. 1088 01:00:13,480 --> 01:00:16,600 We used to really laugh at the same things and we had in some ways 1089 01:00:16,600 --> 01:00:19,360 very similar minds and in others, completely different. 1090 01:00:19,360 --> 01:00:20,640 I wish to make a complaint. 1091 01:00:20,640 --> 01:00:23,280 Sorry, we are closing for lunch. Never mind that, my lad. 1092 01:00:23,280 --> 01:00:25,240 I wish to complain about this parrot what 1093 01:00:25,240 --> 01:00:27,720 I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique. 1094 01:00:27,720 --> 01:00:29,920 Oh, yes? The Norwegian blue. What's wrong with it? 1095 01:00:29,920 --> 01:00:31,560 I'll tell you what's wrong with it. 1096 01:00:31,560 --> 01:00:34,000 It's dead, that is what's wrong with it. 1097 01:00:34,000 --> 01:00:37,840 The Parrot Sketch, that was the two of you, wasn't it? Yes. We did. 1098 01:00:37,840 --> 01:00:40,200 Thanks to Monsieur Roget. 1099 01:00:40,200 --> 01:00:43,760 So, how did that happen? I discovered this book... 1100 01:00:43,760 --> 01:00:47,200 I mean, I was at Cambridge and I discovered it 1101 01:00:47,200 --> 01:00:50,520 and it still gives me more fun than any other book I have ever read! 1102 01:00:50,520 --> 01:00:54,240 It is pining! It is not pining, it has passed on! 1103 01:00:54,240 --> 01:00:57,040 This parrot is no more. 1104 01:00:57,040 --> 01:00:59,800 It has ceased to be! 1105 01:00:59,800 --> 01:01:03,840 It's expired and gone to meet its maker. 1106 01:01:03,840 --> 01:01:07,240 This is a late parrot. 1107 01:01:07,240 --> 01:01:10,400 Graham and I would spend a lot of time choosing the words, 1108 01:01:10,400 --> 01:01:14,280 sometimes and then we would hear how popular the show was in Japan. 1109 01:01:14,280 --> 01:01:16,440 And we thought, 1110 01:01:16,440 --> 01:01:18,880 "What are we bothering for?" 1111 01:01:18,880 --> 01:01:22,280 I am not prepared to pursue my line of inquiry any further, 1112 01:01:22,280 --> 01:01:23,920 as I think this is getting too silly. 1113 01:01:23,920 --> 01:01:27,400 Silly, silly, silly! Right. 1114 01:01:27,400 --> 01:01:29,440 Get on with it! 1115 01:01:29,440 --> 01:01:30,880 Get on with it! 1116 01:01:32,360 --> 01:01:35,320 Graham Chapman, co-author 1117 01:01:35,320 --> 01:01:38,760 of the Parrot Sketch, is no more. 1118 01:01:38,760 --> 01:01:40,160 He has ceased to be. 1119 01:01:41,280 --> 01:01:44,640 Bereft of life, he rests in peace. 1120 01:01:44,640 --> 01:01:49,640 Cleese and Graham together were the best comedy writers of their era. 1121 01:01:49,640 --> 01:01:55,560 You know, their sketches would just sparkle. It was just solid laughs. 1122 01:01:55,560 --> 01:01:59,520 I could hear him whispering in my ear last night as I was writing this. 1123 01:01:59,520 --> 01:02:02,560 "All right, Cleese, you were saying you are very proud of being 1124 01:02:02,560 --> 01:02:07,840 "the very first person ever to say 'shit' on British television. 1125 01:02:07,840 --> 01:02:12,920 "If this service is really for me, just for starters, 1126 01:02:12,920 --> 01:02:15,680 "I want you to become the first person ever 1127 01:02:15,680 --> 01:02:19,160 "at a British memorial service to say 'fuck'." 1128 01:02:28,160 --> 01:02:31,200 Of course there is one person missing in the room - Graham. 1129 01:02:31,200 --> 01:02:35,320 Graham was missing, dear Gra. "Oh, I'm sorry I'm a bit late, traffic." 1130 01:02:35,320 --> 01:02:40,760 Um... Well, one of the things I always felt was a drawback 1131 01:02:40,760 --> 01:02:43,720 when we were discussing Python reunions 15 years ago, would be - 1132 01:02:43,720 --> 01:02:46,720 will someone come in and play Graham in the sketches? 1133 01:02:46,720 --> 01:02:47,880 How do we do it? 1134 01:02:47,880 --> 01:02:51,920 And because Python was very much six people writing and performing, 1135 01:02:51,920 --> 01:02:53,480 it is like a six-legged table. 1136 01:02:53,480 --> 01:02:55,560 Take away one and it is going to wobble a bit. 1137 01:02:55,560 --> 01:02:58,240 Things have changed so much 1138 01:02:58,240 --> 01:03:02,080 that we can now use of little grabs of Graham 1139 01:03:02,080 --> 01:03:04,720 and put them on the screen and just bring him in 1140 01:03:04,720 --> 01:03:07,720 as we are going to at certain points. 1141 01:03:07,720 --> 01:03:09,240 "Very silly. That's enough!" 1142 01:03:09,240 --> 01:03:11,680 Oh, well, bye for now, Frank. Must toddle. Right! 1143 01:03:11,680 --> 01:03:15,480 You two hermits, stop that sketch. I think it's silly. What? 1144 01:03:15,480 --> 01:03:18,000 It's silly. What do you mean? You can't stop it, it's on film. 1145 01:03:18,000 --> 01:03:21,160 Doesn't make any difference to the viewer at home, does it? 1146 01:03:21,160 --> 01:03:22,800 Come on, get up. Come on, out. 1147 01:03:22,800 --> 01:03:25,560 'I'm looking forward to that. Really looking forward to that.' 1148 01:03:25,560 --> 01:03:28,000 It will be very touching, really, because... 1149 01:03:28,000 --> 01:03:31,080 you know, it is sad he's not around for it. 1150 01:03:33,040 --> 01:03:35,080 Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. 1151 01:03:35,080 --> 01:03:39,400 It is truly a real honourable experience to be here this evening. 1152 01:03:39,400 --> 01:03:41,880 ..I'd like to sing for all of you. 1153 01:03:41,880 --> 01:03:46,920 # It's Christmas in heaven, da da da da da da... # 1154 01:03:46,920 --> 01:03:48,760 And so he starts it on screen. 1155 01:03:48,760 --> 01:03:52,200 # It's Christmas in heaven, 1156 01:03:52,200 --> 01:03:55,120 # All the children sing... # 1157 01:03:55,120 --> 01:03:58,560 But then we'll bring on all our girls in those rather naughty 1158 01:03:58,560 --> 01:04:02,000 titty costumes which we used in The Meaning Of Life. Yes. Yes. 1159 01:04:02,000 --> 01:04:05,920 And the boys will be in white tuxes and we'll have snow... 1160 01:04:05,920 --> 01:04:07,480 # ..But it's nice and warm 1161 01:04:07,480 --> 01:04:12,320 # And everyone look looks smart and wears a tie... # 1162 01:04:12,320 --> 01:04:13,760 This is our finale... Yes. 1163 01:04:13,760 --> 01:04:15,800 So we are going to get it going really disco. 1164 01:04:15,800 --> 01:04:17,800 We have gone live with the band. 1165 01:04:17,800 --> 01:04:19,680 And we get the audience to join in, 1166 01:04:19,680 --> 01:04:22,840 and it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. 1167 01:04:22,840 --> 01:04:26,120 # It's Christmas, it's Christmas in heaven 1168 01:04:26,120 --> 01:04:29,480 # Hip, hip, hip hooray! # 1169 01:04:29,480 --> 01:04:32,880 We use this as our play-off music and then they know it's the end. 1170 01:04:32,880 --> 01:04:35,880 MONTY PYTHON THEME: "The Liberty Bell" by JP Sousa 1171 01:04:50,720 --> 01:04:54,000 TUBA PLAYS 1172 01:04:54,000 --> 01:04:57,000 Yes, it's another book launch. 1173 01:04:57,000 --> 01:04:59,880 Bear with us. I think it's... 1174 01:04:59,880 --> 01:05:01,480 I think it's Michael's. 1175 01:05:01,480 --> 01:05:04,560 Yes, that's Michael. 1176 01:05:04,560 --> 01:05:09,440 Sorry, I have just seen John Cleese's autobiography advertised. 1177 01:05:09,440 --> 01:05:12,080 There it is. It's called 'So, Anyway...' 1178 01:05:12,080 --> 01:05:15,280 I wonder when that is coming out? We could be touring at the same time. 1179 01:05:15,280 --> 01:05:17,520 We could both be in Northampton. 1180 01:05:17,520 --> 01:05:20,600 You very rarely get a Python congratulating another Python 1181 01:05:20,600 --> 01:05:23,880 about anything that they have done outside Python. 1182 01:05:23,880 --> 01:05:28,480 When John talks about my travel programmes, he always goes, 1183 01:05:28,480 --> 01:05:30,720 "Michael, are you going to do any more of those... 1184 01:05:32,160 --> 01:05:34,320 "..travel programmes?" 1185 01:05:34,320 --> 01:05:37,440 He's away travelling, he's doing one of those... 1186 01:05:37,440 --> 01:05:39,440 Michael's travel programmes. 1187 01:05:39,440 --> 01:05:40,520 LAUGHTER 1188 01:05:40,520 --> 01:05:42,720 Have you seen Michael's travel programmes? 1189 01:05:42,720 --> 01:05:45,880 LAUGHTER 1190 01:05:45,880 --> 01:05:48,000 I'm sure he'll be back soon. 1191 01:05:49,640 --> 01:05:53,960 You know, we all sort of have a go. 1192 01:05:53,960 --> 01:05:57,240 I say, "Oh, John, who is writing your autobiography this year?" 1193 01:05:57,240 --> 01:06:00,240 That sort of thing. Of course we emulate each other. 1194 01:06:00,240 --> 01:06:03,280 We are seeing what other people are doing. You can't just stop. 1195 01:06:03,280 --> 01:06:06,680 You say, "Well, I can do that, and I can do something even better. 1196 01:06:06,680 --> 01:06:07,800 "I'm far more popular." 1197 01:06:11,400 --> 01:06:14,000 It's opening night for Terry's opera. 1198 01:06:14,000 --> 01:06:16,080 In this morning's Guardian, there is 1199 01:06:16,080 --> 01:06:19,160 a diary piece which is pretty damning about the production, 1200 01:06:19,160 --> 01:06:22,360 describing it as a complete mess. 1201 01:06:22,360 --> 01:06:26,240 The author - Terry Gilliam. Enough said. 1202 01:06:26,240 --> 01:06:30,200 Still, when I find him, he seems on pretty good form. 1203 01:06:30,200 --> 01:06:34,360 Backstage is a miracle place. Every day, miracles are performed. 1204 01:06:34,360 --> 01:06:37,840 Impossible situations are made possible. Thanks to them. 1205 01:06:39,640 --> 01:06:43,480 They can't afford proper clothes, but... How are you feeling? 1206 01:06:43,480 --> 01:06:45,560 I'm fine, I'm just numb. I just want to go to bed. 1207 01:06:45,560 --> 01:06:48,560 I'm not even sure if I want to sit around for the show! 1208 01:06:48,560 --> 01:06:53,000 Finally, after two years of planning and months of rehearsal, 1209 01:06:53,000 --> 01:06:54,640 the moment of truth. 1210 01:06:54,640 --> 01:06:56,280 Is it any good? 1211 01:06:56,280 --> 01:06:59,240 OPERATIC SINGING 1212 01:07:05,400 --> 01:07:08,240 The answer is a resounding yes. 1213 01:07:15,360 --> 01:07:18,520 Five-star reviews will follow tomorrow. 1214 01:07:18,520 --> 01:07:23,480 But tonight belongs to Terry Gilliam, the eternal wayward child. 1215 01:07:23,480 --> 01:07:26,960 Not just a Python, not just a film director, 1216 01:07:26,960 --> 01:07:31,440 an old dog who just can't stop learning new tricks. 1217 01:07:31,440 --> 01:07:34,080 I am a complete novice in this business. 1218 01:07:34,080 --> 01:07:39,160 But it was partly trying to learn a new job and we are continuing it. 1219 01:07:39,160 --> 01:07:42,160 I don't know where it leads, but it is a completely different process 1220 01:07:42,160 --> 01:07:43,600 from making films, that's all. 1221 01:07:43,600 --> 01:07:47,720 And so, as you reach the final act of your life, 1222 01:07:47,720 --> 01:07:50,080 it is nice to try something new. 1223 01:07:55,360 --> 01:07:58,240 Do you feel old? 1224 01:07:58,240 --> 01:08:01,680 It is one reason that I like working with young people, they are a mirror. 1225 01:08:01,680 --> 01:08:06,040 I must be about their age! Oh, 27? Oh, yeah, I feel 27! 1226 01:08:06,040 --> 01:08:08,400 No, what it is, I think it is 1227 01:08:08,400 --> 01:08:12,320 the basic manic-depressive ride that I'm on. 1228 01:08:12,320 --> 01:08:16,320 So Maggie, my wife, knows just how miserable I am. 1229 01:08:16,320 --> 01:08:20,600 But then something happens when you start playing. It's off again. 1230 01:08:20,600 --> 01:08:23,560 Maybe it's not too late to learn to juggle. 1231 01:08:23,560 --> 01:08:27,640 I just need to keep enough going to get to the end 1232 01:08:27,640 --> 01:08:29,520 and then I can fall over dead. 1233 01:08:29,520 --> 01:08:33,160 It's no good, I just can't go on, 1234 01:08:33,160 --> 01:08:34,960 I'm no good any more. 1235 01:08:36,160 --> 01:08:38,440 I want to end it all! 1236 01:08:38,440 --> 01:08:39,640 Goodbye! 1237 01:08:39,640 --> 01:08:41,120 Goodbye! 1238 01:08:41,120 --> 01:08:47,800 Aaaaaaargh! 1239 01:08:47,800 --> 01:08:51,680 I don't feel as though I am any older, 1240 01:08:51,680 --> 01:08:55,560 mentally, or even physically, than I was when we did the Python shows. 1241 01:08:55,560 --> 01:08:57,880 And of course, I look in the mirror and I'm very old. 1242 01:08:57,880 --> 01:09:00,560 What I think what is going to be one of the most difficult things 1243 01:09:00,560 --> 01:09:02,640 is the quick changes. When you are over 70, 1244 01:09:02,640 --> 01:09:05,480 there is no quick way to get your trousers on and off. 1245 01:09:05,480 --> 01:09:09,080 I haven't actually practised taking my trousers on and off quickly. 1246 01:09:09,080 --> 01:09:10,960 Would that I had that sort of life. 1247 01:09:10,960 --> 01:09:15,880 Um... But I think Velcro will be the order of the day. 1248 01:09:15,880 --> 01:09:19,640 This could be the Pythons' Velcro night. 1249 01:09:19,640 --> 01:09:26,920 PEOPLE SING AND PRACTISE IN BACKGROUND 1250 01:09:26,920 --> 01:09:29,600 And, you know, we might all die by the end of it. 1251 01:09:29,600 --> 01:09:30,960 Or even during it. 1252 01:09:33,640 --> 01:09:35,880 I am Death! 1253 01:09:35,880 --> 01:09:37,960 Yes, well, the thing is, we've got 1254 01:09:37,960 --> 01:09:40,920 some people from America for dinner tonight. Who is it, darling? 1255 01:09:40,920 --> 01:09:43,480 It's a Mr Death or something, he has come about the reaping. 1256 01:09:43,480 --> 01:09:45,080 I don't think we need any, the moment. 1257 01:09:45,080 --> 01:09:49,240 Hello. Well, don't leave him hanging around outside, darling. Ask him in. 1258 01:09:55,440 --> 01:10:00,280 All right, Terry? Good luck to us. ERIC IDLE: No, no problem at all... 1259 01:10:02,160 --> 01:10:04,560 Are the lads gathered? Here's Michael, he's here. 1260 01:10:04,560 --> 01:10:06,800 Oh, the lads are gathered. 1261 01:10:06,800 --> 01:10:10,760 I think one more song before we go. All right. 1262 01:10:14,240 --> 01:10:16,720 # My time's almost done 1263 01:10:17,760 --> 01:10:20,000 # My course almost run 1264 01:10:21,120 --> 01:10:24,600 # I stand at the edge of that shore 1265 01:10:27,120 --> 01:10:30,560 # I feel the tide 1266 01:10:30,560 --> 01:10:33,600 # Mocking my pride 1267 01:10:33,600 --> 01:10:38,480 # I'd like to hide, but what for? 1268 01:10:39,880 --> 01:10:42,720 # We all get a while 1269 01:10:42,720 --> 01:10:45,800 # To sing and to smile 1270 01:10:45,800 --> 01:10:51,920 # But life has just one fatal flaw 1271 01:10:51,920 --> 01:10:54,880 # When our course is run 1272 01:10:54,880 --> 01:10:58,360 # We all fade from the sun 1273 01:10:58,360 --> 01:11:03,240 # When all said and done, say no more 1274 01:11:03,240 --> 01:11:07,120 # No more. # 1275 01:11:07,120 --> 01:11:10,000 STAGE MANAGER: OK, thank you. 1276 01:11:10,000 --> 01:11:13,600 Thank you, gents. Have a good show. Thank you. Hey, we're ready! 1277 01:11:15,320 --> 01:11:17,560 MONTY PYTHON THEME: "The Liberty Bell" by JP Sousa 1278 01:11:17,560 --> 01:11:20,720 AUDIENCE CLAP ALONG 1279 01:11:20,720 --> 01:11:22,840 If you have enjoyed this record, 1280 01:11:22,840 --> 01:11:26,480 you may be interested to know that there is an exhibition 1281 01:11:26,480 --> 01:11:29,480 of old sketches at Sir Henry Irving's birthplace 1282 01:11:29,480 --> 01:11:31,920 where you can also see the lady with the big knockers 1283 01:11:31,920 --> 01:11:33,120 in the jam commercial. 1284 01:11:33,120 --> 01:11:34,520 You know, the one... 1285 01:11:34,520 --> 01:11:36,160 Ooh, what's her name... 1286 01:11:36,160 --> 01:11:38,680 Ooh, that one... 1287 01:11:38,680 --> 01:11:40,320 You know...