Monty Python

Monty Python, also known as the Pythons, were a British <a href="/facts/Comedy_troupe/Tx73vGS3">comedy troupe</a> formed in 1969 consisting of <a href="/facts/Graham_Chapman/bchpDSuv">Graham Chapman</a>, <a href="/facts/John_Cleese/ULkFcKVC">John Cleese</a>, <a href="/facts/Terry_Gilliam/oHY9a7FS">Terry Gilliam</a>, <a href="/facts/Eric_Idle/8zfXrh4j">Eric Idle</a>, <a href="/facts/Terry_Jones/WzUj6Gyu">Terry Jones</a> and <a href="/facts/Michael_Palin/fWgDKcc0">Michael Palin</a>. The group came to prominence for the <a href="/facts/Sketch_comedy/o2lkGS6z">sketch comedy</a> series <a href="/facts/Monty_Python%2527s_Flying_Circus/9HlYg0er">Monty Python's Flying Circus</a>, which aired on the <a href="/facts/BBC/qFateIz8">BBC</a> from 1969 to 1974. Their work then developed into a larger collection that included live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals; their influence on comedy has been compared to <a href="/facts/The_Beatles/2syHWLcM">the Beatles</a>' influence on music. Their sketch show has been called "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy".
Monty Python's Flying Circus was loosely structured as a sketch show, but its innovative <a href="/facts/Stream_of_consciousness_writing/wjWFwBp6">stream-of-consciousness</a> approach and Gilliam's animation skills pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in style and content. A self-contained comedy unit, the Pythons had creative control that allowed them to experiment with form and content, discarding rules of television comedy. They followed their television work by making the films <a href="/facts/Monty_Python_and_the_Holy_Grail/X0PxP2HA">Monty Python and the Holy Grail</a> (1975), <a href="/facts/Monty_Python%2527s_Life_of_Brian/tmI0dJ3w">Life of Brian</a> (1979), and <a href="/facts/Monty_Python%2527s_The_Meaning_of_Life/5a64oEl1">The Meaning of Life</a> (1983). Their influence on <a href="/facts/British_comedy/hxI5dfTw">British comedy</a> has been apparent for years, while it has coloured the work of the early editions of <a href="/facts/Saturday_Night_Live/LM8etPx8">Saturday Night Live</a> through to absurdist trends in television comedy.
At the <a href="/facts/41st_British_Academy_Film_Awards/TF0qGrWf">41st British Academy Film Awards</a> in 1988, Monty Python received the <a href="/facts/British_Academy_Film_Awards/GszEPR7E">BAFTA Award</a> for <a href="/facts/BAFTA_Outstanding_British_Contribution_to_Cinema_Award/NyR9Dy0M">Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema</a>. In 1998, they were awarded the AFI Star Award by the <a href="/facts/American_Film_Institute/DhNpmV60">American Film Institute</a>. Holy Grail and Life of Brian are frequently ranked on lists of the <a href="/facts/List_of_films_voted_the_best/pGV2gfUG">greatest comedy films</a>. A 2005 poll asked more than 300 comedians, comedy writers, producers, and directors to name the greatest comedians of all time, and half of Monty Python's members made the top 50.

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Monty Python