Monty Python's Flying Circus 

The original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe.

Creators:

Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones

Stars:

Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam

Top Rated TV #35 | 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Graham Chapman	...	Various / ... 46 episodes, 1969-1974
Eric Idle	...	Various / ... 46 episodes, 1969-1974
Terry Jones	...	Various / ... 46 episodes, 1969-1974
Michael Palin	...	It's Man / ... 46 episodes, 1969-1974
Terry Gilliam	...	Various / ... 46 episodes, 1969-1974
John Cleese	...	Announcer / ... 40 episodes, 1969-1973
Carol Cleveland	...	Various / ... 34 episodes, 1969-1974

Storyline

The irreverent Monty Python comedy troupe present a series of skits which are often surreal, bawdy, uncompromising and/or tasteless, but nearly always hilarious.

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Plot Keywords:

class system | monty python | comedy troupe | sketch comedy | black comedy | 

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Taglines:

And now for something completely digital...

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

PythOnline.com

Country:

UK

Language:

English Arabic French German Italian Mandarin Spanish

Release Date:

5 October 1969 (UK)

Also Known As:

Monty Python's Flying Circus

Filming Locations:

BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Python (Monty) Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (45 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The phrase "And now for something completely different" is taken from a real phrase often used by the BBC during their TV and radio broadcasts.

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Goofs

The Air Tube that operates Mr Tree's mouth can be seen in the profile shot, when light starts glinting off it.

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Quotes

Clerk: I'm afraid this is worse than even I had at first been imagining. What a strange, strange line...

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Crazy Credits

In episode 23 "Scott of the Antarctic," the opening segments take up so much time that the theme song doesn't play until about 20 minutes into the show.

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Alternate Versions

The A&E home video VHS & DVD versions, while restoring some footage, have eliminated some as well, including:

• The word "masturbation" in the "All-England Summarize Proust Competition" sketch.
• Graham Chapman's abbreviated rendition of "Tonight Tonight" from "West Side Story" in the "Funny Bus Conductor" sketch.
• The ending "Dad's Pooves" film from episode 38.
• Dialogue from "Biggles Dictates A Letter" sketch.
• A&E explains that: "All of the Monty Python[videos] available at the A&E online store were produced directly from masters that we received." And that some "rights issues" were involved in some of the cuts.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Decade Defining TV Shows: 1970s (2014)

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Soundtracks

The Liberty Bell
(1893) (uncredited)
Music by John Philip Sousa
Performed by The Band of the Grenadier Guards
(opening theme music)

User Reviews

Monty Python's and their unique brand of humor

A gentleman (John Cleese) enters a pet shop and wants to register a complaint that the parrot that he had bought from that very boutique just half an hour ago was in fact a 'dead parrot'. The owner (Michael Palin) tries to convince him that the Parrot, a Norwegian Blue, was not really dead and was just resting. The argument continues and gets sillier and sillier until an army colonel (Graham Chapman) pops out of nowhere and stops the sketch abruptly because it was getting very silly. If this kind of humor doesn't interest you, read no further and plan on watching something else. But if it does and if you have not seen Monty Pythons Flying Circus you haven't seen nothing yet.

Monty pythons pretty much invented and perfected their unique brand of humor which can be categorized as 'surreal'. One can argue that 'the Goon Show' was the archetype for Monty pythons, which is true, but then Monty Pythons took it to territories that had never been explored before. They created a world where you can get a government grant for silly walks or buy an argument in an argument clinic. A world in which a father and son could have the age old "romantic vs. a simple coal miner" argument, just that in this world the son is a regular coal miner whereas it's the father whose head is full of useless novels and poems. Just like the Beatles they took something and created something completely new out of it. The comparison is valid because Monty Pythons at their peak enjoyed the status of any of the rock stars in those days (including groupies) and the Beatles, George Harrison in particular, were their biggest promoters.

Terri Gillian's stream of consciousness art work is pretty bizarre and holds all the sketches together. John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Jones play all the characters (including women's) themselves with dead seriousness. This is insane humor at it's brilliant best.