Monty Python's Flying Circus

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Often abbreviated to "Python", "Monty Python's Flying Circus" was a classic comedy series aired between 1969 and 1974. It was written by its stars and follows the 'sketch show' format with the occasional recurring character. Terry Gilliam rarely appeared in front of the camera and was mainly responsible for the animated links between groups of sketches. The team went on to shoot three full-fledged movies: "The Holy Grail", "Life of Brian" and "Meaning of Life". Additional spin-offs included "Live a the Hollywood Bowl" and "And Now For Something Completely Different", both of which consist mainly of sketches from the TV series with some variations.

The team are famous for their surreal and absurdist comedy, which inspired whole generations of young comedians. While not the first to try the surrealism form of comedy--credit usually goes to Spike Milligan's "Goon Show" radio serials and his later 'Q' TV serials as the original pioneers of this form--it is undoubtedly the most successful attempt, due in large part to the writers also proving to be good actors in their own right.

The electronic equivalent of 'junk mail' is often referred to as "spam" in a reference to a particular "Python" sketch, and there is even a programming language called "Python" in honour of the series.

When is Monty Python's Flying Circus next on TV?

In the UK... it's next showing on Comedy Central Extra November 28th, 12:20am and on Comedy Central Extra November 28th, 3:00am. See more...

Main Cast

Image for John CleeseJohn Cleese
Image for Terry GilliamTerry Gilliam
Graham Chapman
Eric Idle
Image for Michael PalinMichael Palin
Terry Jones

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