News

Much of the event took place inside the disused Coles Brothers store in central Sheffield

The event was well-attended, with queues to get in

The festival's sponsor was BBC Sounds, the corporation's UK-only radio, music and podcast app

The hosts of the Making It with Audio Lab session (pic: @tom_sunderland)

Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett from the Dish podcast

BBC Radio 4 continuity announcers Viji Alles and Lisa Costello, who performed the "Sheffield Forecast" (pic: @p_e_d_a_l_o)

Alice Levine, the broadcaster and festival co-founder (pic: @p_e_d_a_l_o)

The presenters of the BBC's Newscast, including Chris Mason (left), and Adam Fleming (centre).

Michael Palin (pic: @p_e_d_a_l_o)

Nathan Shepard and Emily Pilbeam in BBC Radio 6 Music's Indie Forever session (pic: @tom_sunderland)

Jordan North, co-host of Help, I sexted my boss, did a faux-striptease on stage (pic:...

At the second day of the Crossed Wires Podcast Festival on Saturday 5th July, headliner Help I Sexted My Boss raised the roof with an on-stage proposal. Organised between William Hanson and the doting proposer in the interval, Tristan knelt on one knee as his now-fiancé Shona jumped with delight, before recounting the day he confessed his feelings in Wetherspoons as Jordan North ran around the stage with uncontrollable excitement.

Taking an unexpected turn in the second half, Jordan and ‘producer Ben’ stripped into gold hot pants for a Full Monty parody before William ‘stripped’ into a custom made Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday hybrid kit. A crowd sing-along to I Will Survive had all hands in the air, exuding true Saturday night fever from over 2,000 people at the sold-out show. On Instagram, fans are calling it the ‘best night ever’.

Bestselling author David Nicholls captivated listeners as he joined...

The Crossed Wires Podcast Festival opened with a bang yesterday as thousands gathered in Sheffield for the second edition of the UK’s biggest podcast festival, kicking off three days of live shows, exclusive audio moments and first-time surprises.

For the first time in over a decade, Michael Palin performed Monty Python material on stage in his hometown to a packed audience for Nobody expects The Michael Palin Podcast! hosted by long-time fan Greg James.

Palin treated Sheffield to a world-exclusive reading of a deleted end scene from Monty Python’s Life of Brian.Titled ‘The Martyrdom of St. Brian’, Palin struggled to get through the scene without laughing at Brian’s “fingers full of naughtiness”, which led to roars of laughter from the crowd.

With a spoof advert for protein powder setting the silliness for tales from Palin’s early dating days to Harry Nilsson’s Monty Python stage tumble,...

Star Wars icon Kenneth Colley has died aged 87.The late actor - who is best known for playing Admiral Piett in George Lucas’ sci-fi franchise - “peacefully” passed away on Monday (30.06.25) in Ashford, Kent, after contracting Covid and pneumonia, his agent Julian Owen has confirmed.In a statement, Owen said: “He had been admitted after a fall with an injured arm, however he quickly contracted Covid which developed into pneumonia. He passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside.“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years.“Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python's Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure for the BBC.”Colley appeared in 1980’s Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back as Admiral Piett,...

Even the most casual South Park fan knows that the show began as an animated short, or an animated “Christmas card,” as they referred to it. Created in 1992, when Matt Stone and Trey Parker were still students at the University of Colorado, The Spirit of Christmas featured Jesus fighting Frosty the Snowman.

They followed that up with another short three years later, also called The Spirit of Christmas, but this time Jesus fought Santa. This second short was the one that made Parker and Stone famous and led to the creation of South Park.

However, even some South Park die-hards don’t know that Parker and Stone never really stopped making shorts. From 1997 until 2000, they made roughly a dozen shorts for Comedy Central, then at least one short every couple of years thereafter. The most recent one premiered in 2020.

Here’s your guide to every one of these lost shorts — okay,...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

This July, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the much-anticipated release of the final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty to John Cena and Idris Elba‘s fun-looking action comedy film Heads of State. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 14 best films that are coming to Prime Video in July 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

A Fish Called Wanda (July 1) Rt Score: 96% Credit – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

A Fish Called Wanda is a heist comedy film directed by Charles Crichton, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Cleese. The 1988 film revolves around a group of diamond thieves who must backstab each other to get to the loot after their leader is jailed.

Shout! TV presents a special 24-hour presentation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail streaming exclusively on Shout! TV and Shout! Movies June 21, to commemorate the film’s 50th anniversary. Throughout the 24-hour marathon, fans can enjoy appearances from Python legends John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Michael Palin as they reflect on their favorite memories from making the film. These newly filmed interstitials are exclusive to Shout! TV and Shout! Movies feature the cast reflecting on the movie’s lasting impact — from Terry Gilliam talking about his dual role as director and actor, John Cleese sharing what quotes he still gets to this day, Michael Palin saying it was all a bit silly, and plenty more behind-the-scenes stories and laughs along the way.

The marathon will be available to stream on Shout! TV and Shout Movies, as well as the Shout! TV app on Roku, Android, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.

Through its wildly comic, furiously creative, and intensely moving facade, Terry Gilliam’s 1985 film Brazil ponders a future made to sustain a draconian past molded by inequality. In this dystopia, the rich, having long knelt at the altar of radical capitalistic tyranny, spend their days having their flesh stretched, sliced, and injected with ultraviolet potions, while the working class types, files, signs, and stamps its way through pointless paperwork.

Overrun by communicative ducts, coated wires, cement and metals, and magnified, miniature computer screens, the future conjured up here averts the familiar prophecy of an anaesthetized, plastic world overrun by rampantly advancing technology. Indeed, men—who see such technology as an affront to their fiscal station and take the pecuniary gain of the morbid, perverse 1% as their modus operandi—unmistakably run the future of Gilliam’s film. New technology is expensive, and paper is cheap.

Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is in the thick of it,...

It’s the comedy classic that may have annoyed you with fans’ endless quoting and impressions. But there is no doubt that Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a staple in the culture of the genre, with one of the most famous comedy troupes taking their brash, unhinged and cartoonish humor and satirizing King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail on the big screen. Monty Python and the Holy Grail will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary with special 4K remastered screenings and a new 4K Blu-ray.

Blu-ray.com has announced that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is unveiling a new 50th Anniversary 4K restoration Blu-ray with a batch of special features, which include the shortened VHS cut (which is remastered in HD) and a “special Japanese version.” This new physical media release is due to hit retailers on August 26.

The description reads,

“Once in a lifetime there comes a...

As we’ve mentioned already, this year marks the 50th anniversary of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Perhaps predictably, in addition to John Cleese’s pricey screening tour, we’re also getting a brand new physical release of the movie from Sony.

This time, the movie is being issued in 4K for the very first time, which will either look great, or make it very apparent that the film was made on a shoestring budget and had to keep using the same castle over and over again.

While Python fans and physical media enthusiasts are clearly excited about this news, one detail in the press release is a little confusing. The disc will contain the “feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision,” as well as a “Near-Theatrical Version of the Film (in HD resolution)” which will allow viewers to “experience a slightly shorter version of the film, as seen on VHS!

Synopsis

Once in a lifetime, there comes a motion picture that changes the whole history of motion pictures. A picture so stunning in its effect, so vast in its impact that it profoundly affects the lives of those who see it. That picture might well be Monty Python & The Holy Grail, featuring the entire Python gang in this hilarious retelling of the Knights of King Arthur and their quest for the Holy Grail.

Disc Details & Bonus Materials

4K Ultra HD Disc

• Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision

• English Dolby Atmos + English 5.1 + English Mono

• Special Features:

o Near-Theatrical Version of the Film (in HD resolution) – Experience a slightly shorter version of the film, as seen on VHS!

o ‘Tis But A Tribute – 50 Years of Monty Python and the Holy Grail – Over 25 comedy luminaries share their memories of, affection for, and continued fascination with the film

Blu-ray Disc

• Feature presented...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The Buccaneers is a historical drama series created by Katherine Jakeways. Based on the unfinished novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, the Apple TV+ series is set in the 1870s and revolves around five young and ambitious American women who arrive in London to find husbands, but their personalities result in an immensely entertaining Anglo-American culture clash. The Buccaneers stars Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Matthew Broome, Josh Dylan, Barney Fishwick, Aubri Ibrag, Guy Remmers, Mia Threapleton, Josie Totah, Imogen Waterhouse, Christina Hendricks, Leighton Meester. So, if you loved the period setting, romantic drama, and compelling characters in The Buccaneers, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The Buccaneers (The Roku Channel) Credit – BBC

The Buccaneers is a period romantic drama miniseries written by Maggie Wadey. Based on the unfinished novel by Edith Wharton,...

BBC Sounds and Audible have joined forces with Crossed Wires, the UK’s biggest podcast festival, taking place in Sheffield between 4th-6th July 2025.

All weekend, fans will be able to attend special live shows featuring some of the BBC’s most popular podcasts and radio programmes, including Football Daily, Newscast and Evil Genius with Russell Kane – all of which will be recorded for BBC Sounds. Literary lovers can settle down with Sara Cox and bestselling author David Nicholls for a live edition of Radio 2 Book Club, and in Radio 4’s Rewinder, Greg James will be joined by a very special guest to dig deep into the BBC Archives and uncover an array of audio gems.

Fans of Radio 4’s epic investigative series will be able to go behind the scenes of their favourite narrative podcasts with Gabriel Gatehouse (The Coming Storm) and Sue Mitchell (To Catch a Scorpion...

While John Cleese has been behind some of the greatest comedies of all-time, the latter phase of his career has been a tad more questionable. In recent years, Cleese has starred in a Rob Schneider vanity project, participated in a cringey Australian roast and hosted an anti-woke talk show set in a medieval castle for some reason.

But even given those baffling career decisions, his latest gig was about as expected as the Spanish Inquisition.

Cleese is currently the face of The Revelation of the Andalusian Crush, which, per EuroWeekly News, is a “new international tourism campaign video launched by the Andalusian regional government” in order to “promote Holy Week,” timed to coincide with this past weekend’s Procesión Magna.

The ad, which runs for over a minute and was recently shared by Cleese on social media, finds the Fawlty Towers star visiting a Catholic confessional. He then mumbles vague...

Mackenzie Crook is back in the director’s chair for the BBC, this time blending the mystical with the mundane in Small Prophets (working title), a six-part comedy series just commissioned by the UK pubcaster. Crook—best known for Detectorists and Worzel Gummidge—created, wrote, and will direct the series, which centers on Michael Sleep, an unassuming man […]

BBC Greenlights Mackenzie Crook’s ‘Small Prophets’ With Sir Michael Palin, Pearce Quigley Set to Star...

Cunk star Diane Morgan, Monty Python‘s Michael Palin and Pirates of the Caribbean actor Mackenzie Crook all feature in a 10-strong comedy slate at the UK’s BBC.

BBC Director of Comedy Jon Petrie unveiled the shows today the BBC Comedy Festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where is also revealed more than £500,000 in additional funding for new comedy.

The slate includes Ann Droid (working title), a sitcom vehicle for Morgan; Small Prophets, which is from BAFTA winner and Detectorists star Crook, and stars the likes of Palin and recent BAFTA winner Sophie Willan among others.

Also on the slate is supernatural family sitcom Reluctant Vampire, starring Am I Being Unreasonable?‘s Lenny Rush and from the writers of Alan Partridge; Bill’s Included, a comedy starring Gavin and Stacey‘s Rob Brydon about a middle-aged divorcee renting rooms to students; Christmas special Stuffed, starring Man Like Mobeen star and creator Guz Khan.

Cara Delevingne and her pregnant older sister Poppy hold hands while attending the premiere of the documentary Ocean with David Attenborough held at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday (May 6) in London.

The sisters joined many other celebrities at the premiere, celebrating the upcoming National Geographic documentary.

Also in attendance were King Charles, who posed with his longtime friend and the man of the hour, David Attenborough, as well as Felicity Jones and husband Charles Guard, Georgia May Jagger, Geri Horner, Sir Tim Peake, Secretary John Kerry, Sir Michael Palin, Ben Goldsmith, Jemima Jones, Sanjeev Bhaskar OBE, Meera Syal OBE, James Blunt and Penny Lancaster.

The upcoming film “takes viewers on a breathtaking journey showing there is nowhere more vital for our survival, more full of life, wonder, or surprise, than the ocean.”

Ocean with David Attenborough will debut on June 7th on National Geographic in the US...

Just recently, we heard a nice little anecdote about how the surviving members of Monty Python are still there for one another during life’s hard times. But now it seems that they’re already back to their regular routine of petty grudges and hurt feelings.

Last weekend, Monty Python and the Holy Grail returned to movie theaters thanks to Fathom Events and Shout! Studios. The screening, which was intended to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary, also included “an exclusive special introduction from Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and John Cleese.”

Notably absent from that list of names is the only other living ex-Python: Eric Idle. Why was the guy who played Brave Sir Robin and Roger the Shrubber not part of this new intro? Well, according to Idle, it’s because nobody actually invited him to participate.

Fielding questions from fans, who were naturally curious about his absence,...

Monty Python has been in the news a lot lately, partly thanks to the 50th anniversary of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but mostly because the surviving members of the iconic comedy troupe just can’t stop publicly berating one another.

Eric Idle and John Cleese obviously have their long-running social media feud, which led to Cleese claiming that the Pythons “always loathed and despised each other” in a 2024 post.

Cleese also randomly dunked on the “boring” Michael Palin in an interview, prompting his A Fish Called Wanda co-star to later defend himself during a talk show appearance. And when one interviewer asked Palin whether or not he can rely on the Pythons for emotional support, he offered a pretty dispiriting response. “No, I don’t anymore. Whether I ever did, I don’t know,” Palin stated. Similarly, Idle once claimed that the Pythons were never friends, only “colleagues” who “worked together very well.

In order to exploit celebrate the 50th anniversary of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, John Cleese is embarking on Holy Grail-themed live tour, which will include a screening of the film, a Q&a about its production history and the regret that comes with spending $70 on a movie ticket so that Cleese can make his alimony payments.

But just because Monty Python and the Holy Grail is regarded as one of the greatest comedies of all-time, doesn’t mean that Cleese won’t be taking the opportunity to criticize it. Specifically, he isn’t a big fan of the ending.

The movie memorably ends with King Arthur and Sir Bedevere leading an attack on the Castle Aaargh, only to be arrested by a squad of modern police officers who have been investigating the murder of the film’s historical commentator. The final shot of the movie is a cop...

Reflecting on the 50th anniversary of one of the best comedy films in history in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, British actor John Cleese had quite a lot to say about the legendary film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The star and co-writer of the comedy ensemble film set in the time of King Arthur, witch hunts, and the plague recalled how BBC executives thought their sketch comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus was awful and how the group complemented each other's strengths, and weaknesses, perfectly. However, Cleese had a fresh and classically humorous answer to the often asked question: If you made Holy Grail today, would you have less comedic freedom?

Released by Emi Films in the U.S. on Apr. 28, 1975, Holy Grail has not suffered the same fate as so many other comedies made during that time and for good reason. It's genuinely funny. Being the...

Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the pinnacle of British comedy and possibly all comedy if you’re a fan of more nonsensical humor, is returning to cinemas in celebration of its 50th anniversary. There’s even a brand new introduction from original members of the Monty Python troupe, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and the legend that is John Cleese. When it was released back in 1975, Monty Python and the Holy Grail quickly became the highest-grossing British film in the US. It’s a cult classic at this point, and it will be back in theaters between May 4 and May 7. This will give old fans the chance to relive the excitement while offering new fans a chance to discover the brilliance of Monty Python. If you were born at any point after 1975, there’s a chance that you’ve never had the opportunity to see the absolutely genius movie on the big screen.

Even at the age of 85, John Cleese is hard at work announcing new versions of classic comedies he was involved with, then never actually making them. Remember the Fawlty Towers reboot starring Cleese and his daughter? How about the Life of Brian stage show that Cleese refused to censor even though no one had actually asked him to?

One of Cleese’s oldest ill-conceived, yet-to-be-produced reboot pitches is a proposed musical version of A Fish Called Wanda, the acclaimed 1988 comedy that he both starred in and scripted.

Cleese has been working on the Wanda musical since at least 2008, which, perhaps not coincidentally, wasn’t long after Cleese’s frenemy Eric Idle achieved Broadway success with his own musical adaptation of an old movie: Spamalot.

Regardless of whether or not it was motivated by spite, Cleese’s musical has yet to come to fruition because, according to the 85-year-old comedian, it...

British Breakthrough

BBC Two and iPlayer will air a night of Bruce Springsteen programming in May to commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Boss’s first U.K. concert. The centerpiece, “When Bruce Springsteen Came To Britain,” features a world-exclusive interview where Springsteen recounts his 1975 Hammersmith Odeon debut. “I had Ptsd from the first Hammersmith show,” Springsteen reveals in the documentary, describing how he fled his own celebration party.

The one-hour film, produced by Wise Owl Films, includes interviews with E Street Band‘s Stevie Van Zandt, Sting, Peter Gabriel, and manager Jon Landau. Michael Palin, who documented the original concert in his diary, also appears.

The special night will include “Hammersmith Odeon ’75,” featuring the full concert with classics like “Born to Run,” and a new compilation of Springsteen’s BBC performances spanning six decades.

Studio Showcase

NATPE Budapest has locked major studio screenings from A+E Global Media, Lionsgate,...

It’s officially been five decades since Monty Python and the Holy Grail first delighted audiences and boosted the coconut shell industry. To celebrate the iconic 1975 comedy’s 50th anniversary, the BBC recently chatted with every surviving member of Monty Python, minus John Cleese and Eric Idle, who were presumably too busy rage-tweeting about the U.S. president and/or each other.

But just because they’re available for interviews doesn’t mean that fans should be expecting another Python reunion any time soon, as one member made clear.

Michael Palin noted that The Holy Grail very nearly didn’t happen because not everyone in the group was into the idea of following up Monty Python’s Flying Circus with a movie. “It was by no means unanimous that we should do a film after the television series,” Palin recalled, pointing out that two of the Pythons were busy working on their own TV projects,...

As of this week, it’s officially been 50 years since Monty Python and the Holy Grail first hit theaters. While some Python fans may choose to celebrate this milestone by paying nearly $300 to ask John Cleese questions about the production after watching the movie for the billionth time, here’s another idea: Why not visit the castle where much of The Holy Grail was filmed?

The building itself dates back to the 14th century, as The Daily Telegraph recently reported, but Scotland’s Doune Castle has fully embraced the fact that it’s become a tourist destination for Monty Python obsessives who are eager to visit the spot where King Arthur was taunted by an outrageous French soldier.

Play

Doune Castle wasn’t actually the Pythons’ first choice for a filming location. “We’d picked all these wonderful castles,” Terry Jones explained in Monty Python Speaks: The Complete Oral History,...

Quick LinksA Man Died From Laughing While Watching A Fish Called WandaThe Role of Wanda in A Fish Called Wanda Was Written for Jamie Lee CurtisKevin Kline Won His First and Only Oscar for a Fish Called Wanda

1998's A Fish Called Wanda was a zany heist comedy starring Jamie Lee Curtis as the title character. It had a script written by Monty Python alumni John Cleese, who also featured in a lead role opposite Curtis. The movie was a major success in its time and led to accolades for almost all of its major players. Screenwriter Robert McKee references it multiple times in his script-writing manifesto: Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting. To this day, it's considered by many to be a near-perfect comedy.

Curtis would eventually win an Oscar for the comedy-drama Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), but her performance in A Fish Called Wanda showcases her comedic prowess perfectly.

Eric Idle isn’t exactly known for holding back his opinions on social media. After all, he’s been spilling digital tea relating to Monty Python for quite a while now. Most recently, Idle took the opportunity to blast an old TV special that, in his opinion, represents the troupe’s creative rock bottom.

A Python fan shared a clip in which “seventh Python” Carol Cleveland asks if the BBC is “dumbing” their programming down, before introducing a panel of brick-toting Gumbys. The scene was an excerpt from 1999’s Python Night, which Idle was quick to dismiss as “unquestionably the worst Python show ever.”

Python Night was an evening of programming on BBC Two that included documentaries and clip shows, all intended to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Most significantly, it actually featured new material from the Pythons. Well, some of the Pythons.

Obviously Graham Chapman wasn’t around,...

Good news for comedy fans — and terrible news for English-French relations — Monty Python and the Holy Grail will be returning to theaters this spring in order to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary. Yes, it’s been five whole decades since the Pythons somehow convinced a bunch of rock stars to fund their groundbreaking parody of Arthurian legends.

On May 4th, the legendary comedy will return to theaters thanks to Fathom Events and Shout! Studios, who acquired the Monty Python catalog last fall. They’ll also be screening it on May the 7th, presumably in case some Python fans already have “Star Wars Day” plans that can’t be canceled.

But the press release makes no mention of whether or not these screenings will include any complimentary coconuts. Famously, Monty Python and the Holy Grail substituted coconuts for real horses because the production couldn’t afford them. According to John Cleese,...

Monty Python famously reunited in 2014 for a series of concerts at London’s O2 Arena, thrilling fans and, more to the point, allowing them to pay off their staggering legal debts.

Apart from archival footage, the reunion obviously didn’t feature the late Graham Chapman. It also didn’t contain any new material, merely familiar songs and sketches from pre-existing Python projects. Which does beg the question: What exactly was the final Monty Python sketch?

While the last significant Python project was 1983’s Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, all six original members did get together one last time to celebrate the troupe’s 20th anniversary. And they did end up filming a new sketch. Unfortunately, it never ended up seeing the light of day, apparently, because it sucked so hard.

1989’s Parrot Sketch Not Included – 20 Years of Monty Python was a TV special, hosted by Steve Martin, which...

A running gag in Monty Python’s Flying Circus found the show occasionally cutting away to old stock footage of an audience of elderly women tepidly applauding.

Well, it turns out that this joke may have been closer to the truth than we thought.

According to The First 28 Years of Monty Python by Kim “Howard” Johnson, the clip was really “stock footage of a Women’s Institute meeting.” Michael Palin noted that it was likely pulled from the BBC’s vast library of footage by their researcher, but confessed that “it was rather like our own audiences (at the start).”

Much of Monty Python’s Flying Circus was filmed in front of a live audience, but this wasn’t their choice. According to producer and director Ian MacNaughton “that was BBC policy, to have a studio audience.” And that policy didn’t always work out for the Pythons. As they were...

While the Academy Awards don’t often honor actors for comedic work, over the decades a few funny performances have still slipped through the cracks, such as Marisa Tomei, who won for My Cousin Vinny. And even then, some people tried to claim that her well-deserved win was really due to some kind of La La Land-esque screw-up.

One memorable comedy win came in 1989, when Kevin Kline took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing the psychotic dum-dum Otto in A Fish Called Wanda. This probably would have been the biggest shock of the night, if not for the fact that it was the same ceremony that opened with a trainwreck of a musical number starring Rob Lowe and Snow White.

During his speech, Kline shouted out the film’s screenwriter John Cleese, who he jokingly claimed once told him, “I want to write a movie where you get...

A lot of attention has been paid to the recent squabbles between the surviving members of Monty Python, but they’ve been clashing with each other long before the days of social media.

In addition to the time Terry Jones threw a typewriter at John Cleese’s head, not everyone in the group was too thrilled with Spamalot, Eric Idle’s Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Michael Palin’s latest installment of his published diaries, There and Back, covers the years 1999 to 2009, which includes the time that Idle first began working on Spamalot. According to the book, when the idea was first floated, Cleese and Palin objected to Idle using “Monty Python” in the musical’s title, and Palin had “vaguely disquieting misgivings about the project as a whole.”

Once Spamalot was completed, Palin didn’t hate it, but still wasn’t a huge fan.

Since 1975 nearly a thousand hosts have graced the stage at Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center for “Saturday Night Live.”

Actors, comedians, musicians and even politicians have taken the stage to make America laugh on Saturday night for 50 seasons. Twenty five of these hosts have been inducted into the “Five Timers Club.” The club was first introduced during Tom Hanks’ 1990 monologue, featuring Steve Martin, Elliott Gould and Paul Simon.

During Martin Short’s December 2024 appearance, several Five Timers Club members popped up on the show to welcome him into the club, including Emma Stone, Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Kristen Wiig and more, to give him the ceremonial robe.

Alec Baldwin has hosted the show 17 times, the most in the series’ history, with Martin, Hanks, Buck Henry and John Goodman following close behind.

As the show celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, we have rounded up every person who has hosted the sketch show.

While nobody should be looking to cartoon TV shows — the same medium behind the suggestion that a sea sponge could wear slacks — for scientific accuracy, we demand more from The Simpsons. After all, the show has been on for decades at this point, and has been a reliable source of information on topics ranging from nuclear energy to the lives of former presidents.

But for those fans who grew up with The Simpsons, it may be downright shocking to learn that one of its key geoscientific lessons was total bullshit.

In Season Six’s “Bart vs. Australia,” Lisa informs her brother that, due to the Coriolis effect caused by the rotation of the Earth, all toilets located below the equator flush clockwise. This prompts Bart to check on her theory with a hugely expensive collect call down under, which then sparks an international incident.

While Lisa’s claim is ultimately...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

This February, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the return of beloved shows like Invincible and Reacher to the much-anticipated teen romantic drama film My Fault: London. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 10 best films that are coming to Prime Video in February 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

A Fish Called Wanda (February 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96% Credit – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

A Fish Called Wanda is a heist comedy film directed by Charles Crichton from a screenplay by John Cleese. The 1988 film revolves around a group of thieves and con artists who team up to pull off the perfect heist, but things go horribly wrong because they all try to double-cross each other.

There have been a lot of stories over the past year about the various feuds between the surviving members of Monty Python. And while that may be kind of a bummer for fans to hear, Sir Michael Palin recently pointed out that one source of interpersonal friction was a key part of what made much of their comedy so great.

In a new interview with The New York Times, Palin discussed his career as a travel documentary host, as well as his published diaries, which chronicled the early years of Monty Python. When the Times suggested that Eric Idle was “upset” by the diary’s release, Palin explained that none of these public beefs would last long if the Pythons were in closer proximity to one another. “The great thing about Python was, when we were all together, any disputes we had were dealt with fairly briskly,” Palin clarified. ”I...

Two comedies. Two difficult productions. One flat-out classic. The stories of The Producers and Fierce Creatures are explored in this episode.

When it comes to making your feature directorial debut, The Producers isn’t a bad way to get off the mark! But Mel Brooks’ now much-loved comedy faced a bumpy path to the screen, not least the struggle to write it in the first place. That, and the kind of subject matter that Hollywood studios didn’t have much desire to go near.

Plus, it turned out that the fate of the film owed a bit of a debt to Peter Sellers.

After the success of A Fish Called Wanda meanwhile, the question was asked: would John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin and Kevin Kline come back for a sequel? Well, not quite: and despite Fierce Creatures being billed as an ‘equal not a sequel’, the comedy had a very,...

Proving that Canadian news shows aren’t always hopelessly dull, a vintage clip of the Monty Python gang improvising shtick for a Vancouver news crew recently resurfaced on social media. The young Pythons approach a “man on the street” reporter who’s holding a sign informing passersby that they can “say anything they want.”

Terry Jones proclaims that the show is doing a “real service to the community” by allowing people to say words like “grunties” on TV, but Michael Palin bops him on the head and then encourages Canadians to patronize the arts. Specifically by buying tickets to their show: “Remember a full theater is a happy promoter– theater!”

Meanwhile, Eric Idle propositions Neil Innes (“Do you want to come back to my place?”), and John Cleese makes a royal plea. “I’d like to say that I think Prince Philip should come clean about his toupee,” Cleese deadpans,...

"Monty Python's Flying Circus" was a tough sell in the United States, and it's easy to see why. Many of the TV shows and media tropes that the Pythons lampooned on their famously absurd sketch comedy show were unbearably insular to British audiences. There were jokes about local television personalities, spoofs of English news programs, and send-ups of the BBC's tendency to cram dry, not-at-all-entertaining documentaries into their programming blocks.

The BBC had made a deal with Time-Life Television to broadcast reruns of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" in the United States, but after a deal had been struck, Time-Life deemed the series to be "too British" for U.S. audiences. Ultimately, it was shelved. Time-Life's suspicions about the Pythons were proven true when the troupe's 1971 anthology film "And Now for Something Completely Different" tanked at the box office. Additionally, the six silly men performed a 30-minute block of material...

Everybody has their own personal favorite Monty Python sketch. For some, it’s the famous “Dead Parrot” routine; for others, it’s “Nudge Nudge” (though I’m guessing no one will claim the cannibalistic undertaker bit).

Then there’s the iconic “Ministry of Silly Walks,” in which John Cleese plays an absurdly flexible civil servant working within the titular ministry, where he oversees grant applications for the development of new wacky ambulatory methods. According to Michael Palin, the idea began as a phrase he jotted down in his notebook. When he wasn’t able to figure out what to do with the concept, he handed it off to Cleese’s writing partner, Graham Chapman, who told Palin, “I think we could do something with that.”

There are no bigger fans of the sketch than the residents of Brno, Czech Republic. This coming Saturday, the city will hold a “Silly Walks March,...

As fans are well aware, a number of famous rock stars contributed to Monty Python projects — Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd all helped to finance Monty Python and the Holy Grail, George Harrison mortgaged his home to pay for Life of Brian and, more recently, Mick Jagger introduced the troupe’s reunion show press conference while implicitly poking fun at his own career.

Despite this cozy relationship, few musicians took any direct artistic inspiration from the sketch comedians — although Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson did name-check Monty Python while attempting to explain the album Thick as a Brick.

But in 1988, one of the biggest rock supergroups in music history, The Traveling Wilburys, included more than one shout-out to the Pythons in their debut album.

The group’s stacked lineup included George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne and the legendary Roy Orbison. According to Orbison’s son,...

Monty Python isn’t exactly known for creating the most festive content, with the possible exception of the first five minutes of Life of Brian, and the “Christmas in Heaven” musical number that wraps up The Meaning of Life.

But, oddly enough, one Python member secured their role in the troupe by finding a creative use for an old holiday tradition.

Back in 1968, Terry Gilliam was having trouble getting work. He had previously made photographic comic strips for a magazine called Help!, including one in which a horny John Cleese hits on his kid’s Barbie doll.

When Help! went under, Cleese told Gilliam to get in touch with the people making Do Not Adjust Your Set, a children’s comedy series featuring Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones, which had become a surprise hit with adults. Gilliam later wrote that he was only hired because producer Humphrey Barclay “took pity on me,...

Perhaps the most underrated, star-studded Christmas movie, Arthur Christmas, is now streaming on Paramount+. When concerning the best Christmas movies of all time, Arthur Christmas is not one that would commonly appear on every list alongside the likes of It's A Wonderful Life, Elf, or Home Alone. For this reason, Arthur Christmas can certainly be classed as underrated despite having a 92% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as many would agree it is the stark opposite of the worst Christmas movies ever made.

Another reason for Arthur Christmas' status as an underrated movie is its box office. Rather than be ranked among the highest-grossing Christmas movies of all time, Arthur Christmas was only moderately well received. The film earned a worldwide total of only $147 million, which many would agree is not reflective of its critical reception. Now, though, Arthur Christmas has a second chance at redemption. Along with the many Christmas movies streaming on Netflix,...

Whether he likes it or not, Terry Gilliam is smack-dab in the middle of a Monty Python feud. While Eric Idle and John Cleese are doing the public mud-slinging, Gilliam and his offspring are at the heart of the conflict. Idle can’t believe the Python comedians don’t have more money in the bank, blaming Gilliam’s daughter, Holly (who runs the group’s business affairs), for financial mismanagement.

“Python is a disaster,” Idle tweeted earlier this year. “If you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised. One Gilliam is bad enough. Two can take out any company.”

Oof. Cleese has fired back on multiple occasions, including earlier this year.

“I have worked with Holly for the last 10 years, and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard working, and pleasant to have dealings with,” Cleese tweeted. “Michael Palin has asked me to...

Americans likely know David Frost best as the TV host who took on Richard Nixon in the landmark interview that served as the basis for Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon — a film that earned rave reviews from everybody except those who went in thinking it was a sequel to Michael Keaton’s harmonica-playing snowman movie.

Frost also had a huge impact on the comedy world, thanks to his 1960s satirical news program The Frost Report, which, along with the Frost-hosted That Was the Week That Was, inarguably paved the way for future news parodies such as The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update.”

The Frost Report’s supporting cast included Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett (who later starred in The Two Ronnies) as well as a young performer named John Cleese. The show’s writing staff also included future Monty Python members Graham Chapman, Michael Palin and Terry Jones.

Channel 5 remains part of the Paramount “ecosystem” as the Skydance sale progresses and the network’s American owners are even “envious” of its model, according to UK chief Sarah Rose.

Speaking at the Vlv Conference, Rose stressed she can’t comment on the ongoing $8B sale, which should complete in the first half of next year, but posited: “Paramount is being sold to another owner and therefore Channel 5 is being sold with it, we are part of that ecosystem.” Chatter has abound since Paramount went on the block over the future of the American giant’s local international channels, which includes Australia’s Network 10.

Under content boss Ben Frow, Channel 5 has nurtured a reputation for punching above its weight with hits including All Creatures Great and Small and Michael Palin in North Korea. Rose, who is also Paramount Global regional lead, said her American owners recognize this and...

A lot of comedy fans love both Mel Brooks and Monty Python, and would presumably be thrilled if they all got along splendidly. Unfortunately, one of the very first meetings between the Blazing Saddles director and a Python member didn’t go so well.

Back in 1987, Brooks met Michael Palin, while the latter was in Los Angeles making A Fish Called Wanda. At the same time, Palin was trying to hire Brooks’ wife Anne Bancroft to star in his film American Friends, which eventually came out in 1991 (with no Anne Bancroft). Palin ran into Brooks at the studio commissary, and they immediately got off on the wrong foot.

As Palin wrote in his diary at the time, Brooks was “chunky, rack-like, barrel chest, with a firm, no-nonsense light paunch.” He then grabbed Palin’s hand and shook it “probably five or six times.” Then he affably implied that Monty Python...

Eric Idle is struggling to see the bright side of his estrangement from John Cleese.

In an interview on the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast, the Monty Python star reflected on his public feud with Cleese over the British comedy troupe’s management.

Asking about the disagreement — and likely voicing what many Monty Python fans are thinking — O’Brien told Idle that he doesn’t want “mommy and daddy to fight.”

Idle replied: “We don’t disagree about comedy, this is only about money. This is only about business. I mean, a fool and his money are easily parted — six of us, much more quickly.

“There’s no right or wrong way to deal with business, and if somebody has one view of it, and somebody doesn’t, and somebody has another, those can lead to very bad arguments.

“Unfortunately, we don’t see each other enough. I haven...

The ongoing feud between Eric Idle and John Cleese has gotten a lot of attention this year. It’s basically the Drake-Kendrick beef, but for comedy lovers who can’t sleep through the night without getting up to pee at least once.

Monty Python fans who have been disappointed by their comedy heroes’ incessant online squabbling aren’t alone. Idle appeared on the most recent episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and the former Late Night host revealed that, he too, has been bummed at the troupe’s recent acrimony.

Conan is obviously a huge Python fan, so it’s perhaps no surprise that, during his chat with Idle, he brought up the spat. Prefacing his line of inquiry by noting “we don't have to talk about this,” he admitted that as someone who’s been “influenced and awed by Python, I think of it as sort of (like) Santa Claus.