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Python Night – 30 Years of Monty Python
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<h2 id="summary">Summary</h2> <ul><li><i>Introduction</i> – After a cameo from the Mouse Organist, John Cleese tries to introduce the show. While he has a big rant about the 'bloody BBC', Luigi Vercotti shows up, shocks Cleese and threatens him to do <a href="/facts/Sainsbury%27s_Supermarkets/wqVUEEhU">Sainsbury</a> commercials. Furthermore, Cleese suffers from the lack of budget at BBC2 (the lights go out), gets covered in blood and interrupted by <a href="/facts/Peter_Sissons/yrs9JfMb">Peter Sissons</a>.</li> <li><i>It's...The Monty Python Story</i> – A documentary hosted by <a href="/facts/Eddie_Izzard/9U47RT7H">Eddie Izzard</a> about the History of Monty Python, from their early lives and careers through the <i>Flying Circus</i> and movies to <a href="/facts/Graham_Chapman/bchpDSuv">Graham Chapman</a>'s death and the question of another reunion. Features interviews with <a href="/facts/David_Frost/XFkXPoj9">David Frost</a>, <a href="/facts/Frank_Skinner/lplMT2yl">Frank Skinner</a>, <a href="/facts/Robin_Williams/k7AUJhbX">Robin Williams</a>, <a href="/facts/Kevin_Kline/v0n7EwGC">Kevin Kline</a>, <a href="/facts/Trey_Parker/vQuYAgYJ">Trey Parker</a> and <a href="/facts/Matt_Stone/uehnrpUw">Matt Stone</a>.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Carol_Cleveland/AuzuqEXU">Carol Cleveland</a> clears up Python's "sexist" behaviour and introduces a focus group made up of several people (most of them played by the Pythons) including the Gumbys, an out-of-focus group of women and Gandhi.</li> <li><i>Mindless Violence</i> – M-PY-THON Sports presents a collection of clips of sporting accidents.</li> <li><i>Mindful Violence</i> – An animation by Terry Gilliam (his first since <i><a href="/facts/Monty_Python%27s_The_Meaning_of_Life/5a64oEl1">Monty Python's The Meaning of Life</a></i>) in which a Buddhist kills chickens through multiplication.</li> <li><i>Pythonland</i> – As a wish granted by a fairy (Eddie Izzard) to a bunch of pepperpots, Michael Palin hosts a travel documentary in which he visits places where Python sketches were filmed, such as <a href="/facts/The_Fish-Slapping_Dance/yvweuBoF">The Fish-Slapping Dance</a>, where the <a href="/facts/Ministry_of_Silly_Walks/Cp2608ns">Ministry of Silly Walks</a> started and Bicycle Repairman. The documentary ends with Palin trying to recreate the first "It's" man appearance by walking into the water, but he does not seem to come back up.</li> <li><i>Talking Apes</i> – A parody of <i><a href="/facts/Mastermind_(TV_series)/qqgVGqP8">Mastermind</a></i> is watched on television by three apes – one rants about the uselessness of sending apes human products like televisions but the other apes insist that they watch in case another 30 years later special airs.</li> <li><i>BBC?</i> – The BBC2 announcers, tired of being second best, change the station's name to BBC1.</li> <li>The Gumbys introduce a screening of <i><a href="/facts/Monty_Python%27s_Life_of_Brian/tmI0dJ3w">Monty Python's Life of Brian</a></i>.</li> <li><i>The REAL Monty Python</i> – Eric Idle gives a biography about the "real" Monty Python who started the comedy troupe before the other members turned on him.</li> <li>A succession of celebrities pay tribute to Monty Python, including <a href="/facts/Jeremy_Paxman/AXCTJbk7">Jeremy Paxman</a>, Kevin Kline, <a href="/facts/Dame_Edna_Everage/SAGz7xKA">Dame Edna Everage</a>, Robin Williams, <a href="/facts/Melinda_Messenger/WYBz9jJT">Melinda Messenger</a>, <a href="/facts/Thora_Hird/AwQg6eEn">Thora Hird</a>, <a href="/facts/Michael_Parkinson/MjVPCFGV">Michael Parkinson</a>, <a href="/facts/Phil_Collins/fJ4ccc0D">Phil Collins</a>, <a href="/facts/Hugh_Laurie/2DSKudYK">Hugh Laurie</a>, <a href="/facts/Gary_Lineker/tQI2SD7Q">Gary Lineker</a>, <a href="/facts/Roger_Moore/He2TuQsG">Roger Moore</a> and finally <a href="/facts/Dawn_French/Ao4VQ6nr">Dawn French</a>, who is interrupted by archive footage of Graham Chapman as <a href="/facts/The_Colonel_(Monty_Python)/ujDpJ8E2">the Colonel</a>.</li> <li><i>May Day 1971</i> – While searching through the trash behind BBC2 studios, Ken Shabby and John Cleese unearth a lost sketch contributed from a British May Day special (with a newly recorded audio track). Afterwards, Cleese accompanies Shabby back to his place.</li> <li><i>The Dead Friend Sketch</i> – <i><a href="/facts/South_Park/1gvjuzwN">South Park</a></i> creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone screen a tribute to Monty Python. The sketch is a thorough remake of the <a href="/facts/Dead_Parrot_sketch/TFTxFD5l">Dead Parrot sketch</a>, with <a href="/facts/Eric_Cartman/TAJd0A8K">Eric Cartman</a> as <a href="/facts/Mr._Praline/BY7KH3JG">Mr. Praline</a>, <a href="/facts/Kyle_Broflovski/bKVKJVGF">Kyle Broflovski</a> as the shopkeeper and <a href="/facts/Kenny_McCormick/pIsBF5vL">Kenny McCormick</a> as the parrot. The sketch is interrupted by a giant cut out of Terry Gilliam picking up Cartman and the Python foot crushing everything. When Parker and Stone come back, they reveal that they have kidnapped Terry Gilliam's mother, Beatrice, in hopes to use her DNA to make Gilliam clones to work for them. Three policemen then announce the kidnapping of Gilliam's mother and ask for help.</li> <li><i>From Spam to Sperm – Monty Python's Greatest Hits</i> – Pop rocker <a href="/facts/Meat_Loaf/hW0INp0r">Meat Loaf</a> hosts a documentary detailing the inspiration for the songs of Monty Python such as <a href="/facts/The_Lumberjack_Song/ogbN2sWx">The Lumberjack Song</a>, <a href="/facts/Eric_the_Half_a_Bee/46l1kb97">Eric the Half a Bee</a> and <a href="/facts/Always_Look_on_the_Bright_Side_of_Life/KXs9P3S8">Always Look on the Bright Side of Life</a>. The documentary also discusses their albums and world sketch tours. Features interviews with <i>Flying Circus</i> extra Mark Brown, music producer Andre Jacquemin, <a href="/facts/Steve_Martin/oIVUvuq3">Steve Martin</a>, Gary Lineker, <i><a href="/facts/Monty_Python%27s_The_Meaning_of_Life/5a64oEl1">Meaning of Life</a></i> child actor David Pickering and choreographer <a href="/facts/Arlene_Phillips/vQ6U8THx">Arlene Phillips</a>.</li> <li><i>Peter Sissons Interview</i> – After being advertised all night, Peter Sissons finally sits down with the surviving Monty Python members. After introducing all five members, the interview ends.</li> <li><i>Closing Bits</i> – The Gumbys wander off and the BBC announces it is closing. Forever.</li></ul> <h2 id="origins">Origins</h2> <p>After the success of their <a href="/facts/Monty_Python_Live_at_Aspen/u7pDLJ8o">Aspen</a> appearance in 1998, the group discussed doing something for the 30th anniversary. At one point there was a stage show planned, but some members were uneasy about the idea and felt that Eric Idle's agent had done a poor job of preparations.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> By the time of the 30th anniversary in 1999, it was decided to produce a TV special with new material, which most of the group agreed on. Idle, in rebuttal was not keen on doing new material, and did not participate in it. As a result, his only contributions were filmed in Los Angeles and Eddie Izzard replaced him in group scenes with the other Pythons. </p> <h2 id="group-reaction">Group reaction</h2> <p>The group were divided on the merits of the new material. Idle was scathing about the new sketches the other four members had filmed, while Cleese thought they were very funny but complained that the BBC did too little promotion for the programme. Overall the group felt that, though the material wasn't their strongest, it held a nostalgic quality because almost everyone from <i>Flying Circus</i> was working on the programme. Terry Jones, who directed the new sketches, later showed regret for the fact that he was doing it for free and didn't get paid.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="cast">Cast</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/John_Cleese/ULkFcKVC">John Cleese</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Terry_Gilliam/oHY9a7FS">Terry Gilliam</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Eric_Idle/8zfXrh4j">Eric Idle</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Terry_Jones/WzUj6Gyu">Terry Jones</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Michael_Palin/fWgDKcc0">Michael Palin</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Carol_Cleveland/AuzuqEXU">Carol Cleveland</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Ian_Davidson_(scriptwriter)/uAn1RXBq">Ian Davidson</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Eddie_Izzard/9U47RT7H">Eddie Izzard</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Ian_MacNaughton/v3Dn7aUj">Ian MacNaughton</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Peter_Sissons/yrs9JfMb">Peter Sissons</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Trey_Parker/vQuYAgYJ">Trey Parker</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Matt_Stone/uehnrpUw">Matt Stone</a></li> <li>Beatrice Gilliam</li></ul> <h2 id="credits">Credits</h2> <ul><li>John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin – Writers</li> <li>Terry Jones – Director</li> <li>Terry Gilliam – Special Animation</li> <li>Andre Jacquemin – Music</li> <li>Hazel Pethig – Costume Design</li> <li>Elaine Shepherd – Producer</li> <li>Clare Rudkin, Rosie Thomas – Art Directors</li> <li>Darren Phillips, Deborah Jarvis – Make-up Artists</li> <li>Mike Tucker – Visual Effects</li> <li>Martin Trevis – Sound</li> <li>Brian Sykes – Production Design</li> <li>John Rhodes – Director of Photography</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408128/"><i>Python Night – 30 Years of Monty Python</i></a> at <a href="/facts/IMDb_(identifier)/uWrqVYVy">IMDb</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20061210024729/http://orangecow.org/pythonet/bbc2pythonnight1999.html">Website with transcript, summary and pictures</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>“Python Night“. BBC. Retrieved 19 August 2019 <a href="http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/cce5b11885f24b708cc195c106f497fa" target="_blank">http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/cce5b11885f24b708cc195c106f497fa</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>McCall, Douglas (12 November 2013). Monty Python: A Chronology, 1969–2012, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9780786478118. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons, 2003, p. 345, Orion <a href="/wiki/The_Pythons_Autobiography_by_The_Pythons" target="_blank">/wiki/The_Pythons_Autobiography_by_The_Pythons</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons, 2003, p. 349, Orion <a href="/wiki/The_Pythons_Autobiography_by_The_Pythons" target="_blank">/wiki/The_Pythons_Autobiography_by_The_Pythons</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>