'Sorry!' Ian Davidson's Python connections

"Can I butt in at this point and say this is in fact the very first time I've appeared on television?"

I met Terry and Mike at Oxford, they were both a year behind me.  The Oxford University Experimental Theatre Club put on an annual revue and I can remember Terry performing 'Custard Pies' in the revue in 1962, which we then took to the Edinburgh Fringe in 1963. Mike had been working with Robert Hewison while he was in the University.  Our ‘63 revue went to the West End where ‘Cambridge Circus’ – which was much better! – was on. We met Bill Oddie and John Cleese at this point. 

After Oxford I worked in television, at Granada - where I met Barry Took - and in the States.  Mike and Terry at that time worked on The Frost Report.  In 1966 I made contact with them again. I was working at the BBC and I got them to write short film scripts for 'The Late Show'.  Terry and Mike’s stuff always had an element of the absurd, whimsical or plain silly. Their strength was being able to give it a satisfying form. Then I worked for the Frost show and we all wrote scripts for him.  Eric did too.

I actually produced the second series of 'Do Not Adjust Your Set'. It was a childrens' programme which adults liked as well. I didn't have a lot to do - the production was running well by then.

When Python started I was working at the BBC as a Script Editor. Because it had such a small cast and was recorded in front of an audience, the boys often got themselves into a situation where, for the sake of speed, they needed an extra bod. So they'd ring me and get me down to the studio. My fee was a 'special low' - which I've lived to regret!

I did go to rehearsals, up the road from TV Centre, but only to pop in.  One or two appearances must have been virtually unrehearsed (as a Welsh miner, I seem to recall). My oddest appearance was as a dead Indian - carried in the studio by John Cleese but also filmed on a bit of motorway with T Jones driving a car straight at me. I should have got danger money - his brakes might have failed!

I was in The Secret Policeman's Ball when we did 'Custard Pies'.  They wanted me to be in The Life of Brian but I think I was busy with The Two Ronnies and had to say no. Blast!  I've stayed in touch with Mike and Terry throughout, Mike particularly - our families even went on holidays together.

A Classical Dish... Python's David Ballantyne speaks!

One of the more recognisable supporting actors in Python, David Ballantyne appeared in several episodes recorded in 1969 and 1970.  He already had quite a varied career – in the Swinging Sixties he appeared in the BBC’s childrens’ series ‘Quick Before They Catch Us’ and starred in Thames TV’s ‘The Tinagree Affair’ as Martin Ferrera in May 1969, as well as pursuing fame as a budding pop star.  His first single, ‘I Can’t Express It’ outperformed David Bowie’s ‘Can’t Help Thinking About Me’ – Ballantyne’s single peaked at Number 2 on the Melody Maker chart while Bowie’s disc slummed it at Number 34.  David’s second single, ‘Love Around The World’, was heavily promoted by Radio London.

“I did several promotional appearances with Bowie for Radio London. The release of my first single coincided with his second as David Bowie and my second came out at the same time as his next single so I used to see him quite often at Radio London promotional events. The thing I remember most about him was his sense of humour.  I always thought he was a very charismatic performer, even in the days of the beehive hairdo and the outrageously large flares made of lining material – more like a flamenco dancer's skirt than a pair of trousers.”

Later singles included ‘Crazy Crazy’ in 1971, as part of Just Plain Jones, ‘Roof Above My Head’, credited to David Ballantyne & Solitude and released by Regal Zonophone in 1972 to support the homeless charity Shelter, and 1972’s ‘If’ by Esprit De Corps, now considered a freakbeat classic.

In 1974, David studied English, French, German, Music and Psychology at Ealing College of Higher Education (now Thames Valley University) and made a sideways move into computing in the early days of the IT revolution, developing software for Comtec in the ‘80s. Later TV credits included appearing in the BBC’s 1981 historical drama ‘The Borgias’ and alongside Michael Gambon in ‘De Profundis’, part of the BBC’s 1985 trilogy of Oscar Wilde plays.  David then travelled around the world and for the last eleven years has been the morning voice of classical music radio station WPCE-FM Radio, hosting ‘Rise and Shine’.

"When Monty Python's Flying Circus first started I had just finished making a little-known series for Thames TV called The Tingaree Affair, in which I played the leading role.  The Pythons kind of adopted me and sheltered me from the storms of life, temporarily.

"I worked with Katya Wyeth well before either of us appeared in Monty Python’s Flying Circus and I was a personal friend of Ian MacNaughton and his wife, Rita Davies, who also appeared in several episodes. I also did the 'studio warm-up', armed only with a guitar and a few songs.

"I was on reasonably friendly terms with Eric Idle and Michael Palin by the time I had worked with them on a couple of programmes. Eric was a music fan and Michael was the most gregarious of the team.  I suspect Michael Palin might have known me from several things – he introduced a pop music show early in his career and he was also working on Do Not Adjust Your Set at Thames TV while I was there making The Tingaree Affair.  Sadly, the Tingaree Affair seems to have vanished into the mists of time.

"I appeared with Flanagan in one episode.  That was the 'mad psychiatrist' episode with Carol Cleveland, Flanagan and others. I rehearsed it at a church hall in Hammersmith, top of Fulham Palace Road. I remember it well because it was the start of a new year (1970) and I didn't dare ask for the time off to attend my brother's wedding, which was taking place about a mile up the road at Kensington Registry Office.  Several bits of this episode were later cut – one of the scenes I remember clearly was a whole preamble about the police using magic to detect crime. (A very Cleesian notion, if I may say so). I was sitting at a desk in a police uniform with my ridiculously long hair staring into a crystal ball. My line was something along the lines of: "I see a cyclist proceeding along the Balls Pond Road without a rear light", which was more Terry Jones-ish. Parts of this sketch survive in the episode available on DVD, but I can assure you that all the original material was included in the first showing.

"I appeared several times in the ‘Timmy Williams’ episode – two roles in the same sketch, obviously quite a quick-change artiste!  Curiously enough, my name does not appear on the credits like it did for other Monty Python appearances. No repeat fees, either.  My gripe about repeat fees was with the BBC, not with the Pythons themselves. They, unashamedly, 'did a Dave Clark' and bought the world rights, for which they paid me a small blanket fee. I certainly never imagined it would take off anywhere other than England. The BBC, however, made numerous edits to the original episodes and refused to pay me and others legitimate UK repeat fees.

"I was one of the gasmen, part of the episode known to the BBC accounts department as Silly Walks. This episode was originally aired "as was" but was heavily edited before it was aired again.  I was in the 'original' Gasmen sketch, it was remade for the Montreux special.  By the time the Montreux special came around I was in the musical Canterbury Tales at the Phoenix Theatre. The Python office called my agent and asked for me to take part in the 'new, improved' version. Obeying professional etiquette, I asked the company manager if it would be OK to fulfil their request. Permission was denied, not for any good reason I could work out. It would have been a very simple shoot and I'm sure I would have got to the theatre in time for the evening performance. Shafted again!"

Monty Python vision mixer Bill Morton remembers...

My first meeting with the Pythons took place in the main lift at Television Centre.  I was waiting on the fourth floor when the doors opened onto a lift full of people, so I stepped back to wait for the next one.  Then I recognised John Howard Davies, the producer for whom I’d been working and who had booked me for Python, and he said “Come in, I want you to meet the people you’ll be working with.”  Presumably they were on their way down from a sixth floor meeting.  So I squeezed in and was introduced to the Python cast, which was a bit awkward in the compressed confines of a crowded lift, particularly with other people in there who were nothing to do with it.  Some of the team I recognised from their work on ITV, especially John Cleese, but others I didn’t know.  By the time JHD had got round all the names, the doors opened and we all spilled out on the ground floor.  They all set off in one direction and me in another and I didn’t see them again until the first day in the studio.

Vision Mixers don’t attend outside rehearsals, or filming, so the first I knew of the show was walking into the studio and picking up the camera script.  John Howard Davies had warned me that it was quite complicated and a bit off-the-wall, but I was fairly new to vision mixing, having only been doing the job for just over a year, and I found it a bit scary.  However, I liked the show from the start, it chimed with my sense of humour and I enjoyed the challenge.  I don’t remember a great deal about individual studio days as the nature of the job is to forget everything as soon as the day is over, as the next day you could be doing Grandstand, Blue Peter, Z-Cars or whatever.  I do remember always looking forward to the Python studios, they were fun shows to work on, with wonderfully inventive sketches and situations and all carefully scripted and rehearsed – nothing was ad-libbed.  There was not much VT editing in those days so there was strong incentive to get things right first time – especially as it was recorded in front of a live audience.  We always recorded in sequence, playing in the Gilliam cartoon links and film inserts in the right place.  Sometimes we had to have two telecine machines for the film, as Terry Gilliam was always up against the clock and sometimes his inserts were not ready soon enough to be spliced into the main film.  There had to be a number of recording breaks, for with a small cast playing all the parts, costume and set changes were necessary.  We started with cameras at 10.30am and the aim was to have staggered through by lunchtime, then in the afternoon have a run-through at pace, then a dress-run with costumes.  Sometimes there would be a pre-record sequence to do in the morning, for if you have, say, someone in full Viking regalia who only says one word, like “Stop!” or “What?” then to save costume change time in the evening in front of the audience we would record it in the morning and play it in.  Pre-records would inevitably eat into camera rehearsal time and there were some days when we didn’t even have time for a dress-run, which would be an added strain when it came to the evening recording.  There were often technical difficulties to overcome; I remember the problem we had in getting the roller caption with the end credits (in those days a black paper roll with white letteraset) to run at the right speed.  It was a notoriously fickle machine and the credits had to fit exactly the film over which it was superimposed, because that was the joke – but it did finally work on the night.  It was for the end of the ‘Spanish Inquisition’ sketch, which finished with the Cardinals on top of a London bus, trying to reach their destination before the credits got to the end.  Of course they run out and I cut to black, or to a caption saying ‘The End’, I can’t remember which, and you hear Michael Palin’s voice saying “Oh, bugger!”, which was very daring in those days.  Python was known for pushing the comedy envelope and it is to the credit of the BBC that they allowed it.  Where else would they have been able to make a comedy show like this?  I think the Pythons were the first show to hijack the BBC Network symbol, at that time a revolving globe, to put comedy voice-overs on, much to the confusion of the continuity announcers.  We had to finish camera rehearsals by 6.30pm and the recording would be from 8.00 till 10.00pm. It was always a very full day.

John Howard Davies was the first Producer/Director on the series, which is why I came to be doing it.  I had been working with John on a comedy series called ‘All Gas and Gaiters’ and he had asked for me to do Monty Python when it came to the studio.  I didn’t realise at the time, but John was only filling in for a Producer called Ian MacNaughton, who I think was the Pythons’ choice, and John only did the first four or five shows.  Ian’s arrival was rather a surprise, because John was a calm and thoughtful director and Ian was the opposite, loud, flamboyant and restlessly energetic – so it was quite a culture shock.  Fortunately, I got on well with Ian and remained with him for the rest of the various series.  Both he and John brought a great deal of expertise and control to the show, and made a major contribution to it’s success, a fact that does not seem to me to be fully recognised in what I’ve read in the Python autobiography.  John is briefly referred to there as rather too gentlemanly and old-fashioned, while Ian is painted as a wild alcoholic who was quite often missing during filming.  This drinking was never apparent to me during the studio days, Ian was always in control and had done his homework – there was always a camera script ready for each studio.  The drinking didn’t become evident to me until the later series, then not so much Ian but Graham Chapman.

I never really got to know the Pythons themselves very well, the nature of a VM’s job is that you are up in the gallery all the time, never getting to the studio floor except perhaps for camera notes after a run, so didn’t often get to mingle with the cast.  After the show there was always a coterie of friends and admirers around them in the Club, so I seldom chatted to them.  Michael Palin was the most approachable, the others I found a bit distant.  John Cleese I got to know much better at a later date when I was doing ‘Fawlty Towers’.  Once, he was talking to me about Vision Mixing and asked me if VMs got credits at the end of the show.  At that time we did not, so he said he would give me a verbal credit and there it is, in the ‘Hotel Inspectors’ episode – but that’s another story. 

One sketch from the fourth series stays in my mind because it was so fast.  I think Ian was testing me as he had a good laugh about my discomfort afterwards.  It was called ‘Finishing the Sentences’ with Terry Jones and Eric Idle in a conversation that involved each of them finishing each other’s sentences.  The cutting got faster and faster, until they were down to two words, then one word, then half a word.  The line “No, round the bend” had 5 shots in it alone:  “No, R.. / ound the b.. / en.. / d.. / Yes.”  It was a sketch which ran just under two minutes, but had 33 shots in it, something like a change of shot every 3 seconds.  I actually have the camera script of that show to remind me of that day!

When the series started, I don’t think I realised what a hugely popular programme it was going to become.  I had been a keen ‘Goon Show’ listener and had enjoyed Spike Milligan’s Q-5 series, so the Python humour was right up my street and I found it a great show to work on.  So I am quite proud of being in on the ground floor and contributing in a small way to what was to become the Monty Python phenomenon. 

Dr. Paul Baker on Monty Python and homosexual characters

 I canvassed the opinion on  how Python used gay stereotypes in their sketches. to an old friend of mine, Dr. Paul Baker of Lancaster University, whose specialist areas include linguistics and gender. Oftentimes it was simply nothing more beyond laughing at campness and effeminacy, just occasionally there was a more liberal agenda - such as in 'The Mouse Problem', a sketch which was an asburd parody of a genuine documentary ('Man Alive: Consenting Adults', from 1967) - and sometimes they had baiting the attitudes of the older generation by  'queering' establishment or traditionally masculine preoccupations, but by the same token there's no escaping that, whereas their sending-up other social types derived from exaggerating certain attributes (greed, pretentiousness, obsessive behaviours, pedantry, etc.), the 'joke' in using stereotypical gay characters is that effeminacy is funny - something common to humour of the 60s and 70s in particular, when PC stood for Police Constable.   Python's use of homosexual stereotypes is something you could contextualise and analyse all day, and there is certainly an argument for both sides but it is quite contentious all the same.

A few years ago, Paul published 'Fantabulosa!', a Polari dictionary, and his knowledge and understanding on Polari and the gay subculture in the early to middle part of the last century have appeared in everything from The One Show to The Guardian.  I passed YouTube links of various Flying Circus sketches that featured gay or camp characters and invited him to share his reflections on the material, as part of my research.

I think it makes for interesting reading, and would be very interested if anyone wants to post their own responses.  Over to you, Paul...

When it comes to interpreting these clips, it’s worth bearing in mind that there are multiple interpretations – and it’s difficult to privilege any single interpretation as being the ‘right’ one. The writers obviously wanted to be funny, and clearly audiences did (and do) find the sketches funny, but they may be seen as funny for different reasons, or not funny at all. The sketches were written decades ago, when views of homosexuality were different to how they are now – what counted as humorous in those days is likely to have changed for some people.

So from an early 21st century ‘gay rights’ perspective, many of the sketches look old-fashioned, and key in to stereotypes about gay men as effeminate/camp. There stereotypes were popular at the time (also found in the Julian and Sandy sketches on Round the Horne, or Mr Humphries in Are You Being Served), and they are still around today (although tend to be less based on ‘characters’ but more embodied by real comedians like Alan Carr and Paul O’Grady. Society (both then and now) finds camp men funny – although now I think it’s more to do with camp men having a witty and outré sense of humour. Back then, I think camp men were seen as funny more because of their camp mannerisms, rather than their humour.

Some of these stereotypes rely on the idea that a man with a camp-sounding voice or feminine mannerisms is funny. In a notable number of cases, camp mannerisms, feminine tastes, gossipy conversations, cross-dressing etc. are attributed to men who are normally seen as butch (e.g. boxers, knights, mountaineers, judges, soldiers or lumberjacks), and the humour is further derived from the discrepancy between the outer appearance and the unexpected behaviour. This could be interpreted as shocking and even subversive . However, the sketches still equate homosexuality with camp behaviour – so there are less subversive elements to them, depending on your point of view.

Camp mannerisms are not the only aspect of these gay characters though – sexual desire for other men (which is perhaps the only generalisable trait associated with being gay), is also shown. The camp newsreader character is seen reading Physique magazine, while the boxers in the Magic Christian kiss rather than fight (although this scene was based on the book by Terry Southern). The man who successfully picks up a policeman after reporting his wallet is stolen, is meant to be funny because the sexual turn of the sketch is unexpected – yet this requires the two men not to be ‘obvious’ (e.g. camp) so also has the potential to be subversive, even homoerotic. Such sketches are perhaps the most subversive types and could even be educational to some members of the audience – a teenage boy who was starting to experience attraction to other males, might have found the existence of Physique magazine to be extremely interesting, for example. However, there is still the ‘problem’ that anything gay is seen as automatically funny.

However, the writers show that they are aware of prejudice, and in some sketches they make fun of it – the gameshow, Prejudice, makes fun of bigoted people who are against “stinking homosexuals” and has a section called “shoot the puff”, while another sketch parodies a serious documentary about homosexuals, instead focussing on men who want to be mice. While some audience members will have interpreted these sketches as progressive, others may focussed more on the use of a phrase like ‘stinking homosexuals’ as reaffirming their own views. 

Any comments gratefully received.

Focus pulling - memories of filming Python

More lovely new quotes on Python, this time from a member of the film crew on the first series...

I worked with Jimmy Balfour who was the film cameraman on a lot of Python in ‘69 & ‘70. I do remember lots of the individual sketches we did on film. We did a lot near Batley and Ilkley Moor.  Ian MacNaughton as director was a hoot, he was probably responsible for letting them do what they wanted and thus a lot of the success.  Ian was a dream to work for, laidback and relatively undemanding.

The filmed sketches were generally set up quickly and looking back were very staid, in that Jimmy et al lit it with huge "brutes" and shadows reigned, especially as the afternoon went on and the light dimmed. Shot very much to a formula, tableau-like with all the action happening within a generally static frame.

If I remember correctly we started the shooting the series in 35mm, which probably accounts for the static nature of a lot of the shooting. The crews were small then and 35mm made it bloody hard work, especially lugging the stuff up and down lIkley Moor. The four undertakers sketch involved a lot of shifting… like turning 90 degrees for a shot and a further 90 degrees for the next, etc.

I don’t remember the boys getting involved in the look of the film. I think Jimmy, being old school, would've thrown a fit anyway.  What we did were usually standalone sketches that would be inserted throughout the series.  One of my best of all time was the one (shot in Skipton I think) where Michael played a slightly camp victim of a robbery, with John as the gruff cop Michael approached for help.  It was so funny.  On take one, Mike broke down into a fit of giggles at the punchline.  Take two and John corpsed, then Ian on three, and someone else on four.  For take five I was stood with a hankie rammed into my mouth by this time, ribs aching and managing to hold it in until I thought Ian said "cut" and I let it all out - but he hadn't and we went into take six.

The boys themselves were very responsive to suggestions on visuals, and I do remember them being very open to suggestions that might make a gag better.  I've known lots of comedians that were bloody impossible if anyone tried to get involved or indeed cracked a joke on set.  Not the boys.

I have very fond memories of Terry, Eric, and Michael.  Terry was especially generous in spirit as was Eric. Mike as we all know was a gent.

Off-camera, John was intense, and sometime aloof – and sometimes hilarious. One day way up on the moors in a dead moment he saw two old dears driving slowly along the road below. He borrowed a magaphone from the PA and in his best "official" voice broadcast "If you see the lion…".  I swear the car nearly left the road.

Graham was very distant.  At one point we were shooting in London and I'd gone to the location in my pride & joy – my red MGB.  I foolishly allowed it to be used in a sketch and Graham plonked an old-fashioned gramophone on the bonnet and scratched it.  Never forgave him for that.

Flanagan

I had a lovely letter today from 'Flanagan' aka Maureen Flanagan, where she shared her memories of her brief appearances in early episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus, and thought it would be nice to preview it for anyone interested as it was a delightful letter.  It should make a nice little entry in the bok!

Dear James, how nice to receive your letter and to remind myself, I was a part of TV history!

I first went for an audition at BBC Shepherds Bush and met five crazy men.  I think I hit it off at once with John Cleese, I’m a bit gobby and like a laugh.  He asked me why I was known as just ‘Flanagan’ and I told him I’d married into a crazy Irish family in 1961 and their lives would have made some terrific sketches, not what they usually heard from a glamorous blonde model!

They took me to Southend to do the Hell’s Grannies sketch, people walking along thought they were ‘old thugs’ riding and roaring on bikes, the police were out and about and watching.  I chewed gum in my leathers, great fun!  The following month I was asked by my agent if I’d do a bed scene with Michael Palin, I said yes straight away.  I knew all the boys and the crew and Palin was much more embarassed than me!  I did have a sheet over my boobs as I hadn’t done Page 3 of The Sun till 1972!  No topless girls had appeared on TV in 1969.

They booked me for a sexy nurse, which we did in front of a live audience at TV Centre, afterwards Cleese brought us all out and introduced us as three sexy models who made them look good.

I met Terry Gilliam and always thought he was the brains behind Monty Python.  When they wanted six glam girls for a beauty paegant line-up, I was booked as one and knew then I was one of their favourites.  Being upfront and a Cockney I asked Cleese if I could possibly say “and now for something completely different”.  He spoke to the director and I got my wish, I have it on video and now DVD.

We drank in the BBC bar where they introduced me to Dave Allen. I think he liked my looks, but really liked my name, so three months later my agent said I’d been booked for a bed scene with Dave Allen for a sketch on his show.  Remember, he was very handsome and full of blarney, I got on so well he booked me for six more shows!  I went on to do six Benny Hill shows after Benny saw my Monty Pythons so really, the crazy lads started me on another career, on top of modelling!

Good luck with your book!

Love, Flanagan x

The 25th Anniversary Sweepstake - Who'll Snuff It This Year?

In the run-up to Monty Python's 25th Anniversary celebrations in 1994, Alan Jones penned this article in Issue 10 of 'And Now For Something Completely Different', dismissed by journalist Mark Paytess as being "not as controversial as it thinks it is, and not entirely in the spirit of the original shows."  Did rather spoil the joke for all the chaps up at BALPA House.  Fortunately for all involved the five remaining Pythons are all too lively, many years on.

The 25th Anniversary Sweepstake - Who'll Snuff It This Year?

When Graham Chapman died one day before the 20th Anniversary, the cause was recorded as cancer.  Rubbish.  He died 'cos it was FUNNY.  To keep the joke running along one of the Pythons is undoubtedly going to take out his mortal coil on the 4th October, 1994, but WHICH ONE?  Well, the one for whom it'll be funnier...

ERIC IDLE (16-1)

As far as anyone knows, Eric Idle is currently doing bugger all.  The only people who liked Splitting Heirs were all French.  He was in Missing Pieces.  He was in Too Much Son.  He was in Mom & Dad Save The World.  He's hardly riding on the crest of a wave, in fact a recent Deadpan article on Monty Python described him as 'the other one'.  Since his finest half-hour was sixteen years ago, he can be compared unfavourably to Orson Welles.  Since his death won't result in an uncompleted yet brilliant film, nor would it destroy a career that is being carried along at a frenetic rate, his death just would not be funny, although he was the one that said that after the 25th it would "just be a matter of attending each other's funerals."

TERRY JONES (14-1)

Terry Jones is currently working on a major four part documentary on the Crusades for the BBC, and it would be fairly amusing if he suddenly dropped dead with no warning, leaving the series unfinished.  However, since it's a history programme, no one would care except rather dull people.  Apart from that, the likelihood is that the series will be completed by October 4, so instead of being funny, his death would be poignant.

Despite this, a lot of people would remember that he recently stated "Hamer's make the world's best pork and game pies.  It would be an honour to be put in one of their meaty delights when I go."  It would certainly cause giggling and guffawing if someone tried to do this.

MICHAEL PALIN (10-1)

'Mellow Mike' (vive le tabloid journalisme) is currently mother's favourite - my mother, your mother, Tarquin's mother, everyone's mother.  They love him for his charm, his niceness, his friendly wit, his niceness, his optimistic confidence, his niceness, his clean cut image, his niceness and the eager way he takes an interest in other people's problems.  It would therefore be absolutely hilarious if he died of a sexually transmitted disease after being caught naked at an orgy in Soho, in the company of six call girls, three Nicaraguan sailors, an Anglican vicar and Frank Bough.  But it ain't gonna happen.  I hear he's working on a novel though, so it'd be funny if he died just before the last and vitally important page was written.

TERRY GILLIAM (6-1)

Vance has been desperately trying to get at least one of his films off the ground for some time now.  However, since none are past the development stage it would not be particularly funny if he died now.  But if, on October 3 1994, he gets confirmation that Universal are giving him $50million to make A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, MGM/UA are giving him $60million to make The Defective Detective and that Warners are giving him $70million to make Don Quixote and then, the next day, he stands in the middle of Highgate dancing in jubilation, and then a bus knocks him down killing him stone dead, then I'd laugh myself silly.

JOHN CLEESE (3-1)

As everybody knows, John Cleese is currently wriring 'Death Fish II' and 'III'.  The incredible success of A Fish Called Wanda means that exorbitant amounts of money are riding on it, people's careers may came or go on the success of it, and already a repulsive number of critics have their hands down their trousers and up Cleese's arse. It would therefore be side-splittingly hilarious if he suddenly decided that pushing up the daisies was a far more viable vocation.

GRAHAM CHAPMAN (2-1)

Let's take a few moments to analyse the humour of Python.  What virtually all Python hinges on is the unexpected - a Viking in a cafe, an announcer in the sea, an old lady tripping up a bus, a hairdresser who wants to be a lumberjack, etc.  A vast number of Python sketches are not based on being clever or incisive or witty or sardonic or satirical, they're based on presenting the viewer with an image or an idea that he or she is no expecting.  Now, all things considered, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say that if Graham Chapman were to be suddenly reincarnated and then somehow killed again, that would be fairly unexpected...

© Alan Jones, 1994.