"Monty Python's Flying Circus"
Party Political Broadcast (1974)

Director:

Ian MacNaughton

Writers:

Graham Chapman (written by) &
Terry Gilliam (written by) ...

TV Series:

"Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969)

Original Air Date:

5 December 1974 (Season 4, Episode 6)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Prank | Eccentric | Actor Playing Female Role | Surrealism

Cast

Graham Chapman	...	Valerie Garibaldi / Female Fanshaw-Chumleigh / Icelandic Honey Salesman / Doctor / Sir Pratt / Voice Over #3 / Man in Studio
Terry Gilliam	...	Kevin Garibaldi / Pepperpot Son / Animated Opera Singer
Eric Idle	...	Radio Voice / Mrs. Garibaldi / Professor / Male Fanshaw-Chumleigh / Pepperpot Mother / Brigadier N. F. Marwood-Git (retired) / Carl Vernon / Newsreader
Terry Jones	...	Mr. Garibaldi / Lady Organs / Male Fanshaw-Chumleigh / Pepperpot Dad / Mr. Williams / Mrs. What-a-long-name-this-is-hardly-worth-typing-but-never-mind-it-doesn't-come-up-again / Voice Over #2
Michael Palin	...	Voice Over #1 / Ralph Garibaldi / 'Most Awful Family in Britain' (Sport) Presenter / Female Fanshaw-Chumleigh / Brian / Linkman / David Attenborough / Animated Professor / Cricket Commentator
Carol Cleveland	...	Nurse / Girl's Voice
Bob Raymond	...	'Dad' (as Bob E. Raymond)
Peter Brett	...	Door-to-Door Martial Arts Salesman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Neil Innes	...	Hesitant guitarist

Filming Locations:

Paignton Pier, Paignton, Devon, England, UK

The Pythons (minus John Cleese) go out in surreal style

The fourth series of Monty Python, six episodes in all, made without John Cleese (he was busy providing memorable support to club comedian Les Dawson in the latter's ITV series 'Sez Les' by 1974, prior to opening the doors of Fawlty Towers) has rarely been repeated by the BBC for various reasons, but I saw this episode when it aired in 1999 as part of the BBC's 'Thirty Years of Monty Python' celebrations - in fact, Terry Gilliam chose it as his favourite episode. (Eric Idle chose the show with 'Nudge, Nudge' and Terry Jones chose the series three episode, 'Mr Pither's Cycling Tour', as I recall.) And what a fine episode it is! The opening sketches, which show the most awful family in Britain bickering about bowel movements, beans and "snogging" before showing us an even worse family (with a father who wipes the cat's excrement off his feet onto a loaf of bread and a son who eats corn plasters - it feels strangely like a John Waters movie!) and Graham Chapman's memorable turn as an Icelandic honey salesman - and all this before the credits! Then there's the doctor who diagnoses a 'naughty' complaint and the nurse who stabs his patients, Michael Palin as a profusely sweating David Attenborough, a bizarre cricket match with 'the batsmen of the Kalihari' and all the usual nonsensical links which lead nowhere, weird animations (an opera singer gets shot by a very slow cannon whilst singing 'Ride of the Valkyries' very badly), non-sequiturs and insane ideas, before the final theme is played, rather hesitantly, on solo guitar by Neil Innes. In short, it's one of their finest half hours - even die-hard Cleese fans (and I know this sounds like sacrilege) will be so busy laughing, they'll barely notice he's not there.