Monty Python’s Flying Circus was a British satirical television program originally broadcast from 1969 to 1974. The series became a cult hit in the United States, and episodes are still shown on cable and public television.
The Monty Python ensemble consisted of Graham Chapman (1941-1989), John Cleese (1939-…), Terry Gilliam (1940-…), Eric Idle (1943-…), Terry Jones (1942-2020), and Michael Palin (1943-…). All were British except for Gilliam, who was born in the United States. The group members wrote the material for the show. They created Monty Python’s Flying Circus as a nonsense title.
“Monty Python’s Flying Circus” was a collection of comic skits, sometimes with music, and short animated scenes directed by Gilliam. The programs ranged from controversial satire to broad farce. Many of the sketches lampooned establishment targets, such as the government, business bureaucracies, organized religion, and the military. The fresh and unorthodox format had a strong influence on television and film comedy.
The Monty Python ensemble made several motion pictures that reflected the madcap style of the TV programs. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) satirized life in the Middle Ages. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) had a Biblical theme. Two anthologies of company sketches were issued as And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983).
Chapman died in 1989. The other members of the ensemble have all achieved successful TV and motion-picture careers as actors, writers, or directors. An autobiographical history of the group was published as The Pythons (2003). Monty Python’s Spamalot, a musical comedy based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, became a major hit on Broadway in 2005. A six-part documentary series, Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer’s Cut), celebrated the 40th anniversary of the troupe. The documentary aired on cable television in 2009. In 2014, the troupe’s remaining members reunited for a live show in London.
See also Cleese, John .
