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Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)

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Poster for Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)

About this film

Monty Python's Flying Circus (also known as simply Monty Python ) is a 50- year old (as of 2024) British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman , John Cleese , Eric Idle , Terry Jones , Michael Palin , and Terry Gilliam , who became known collectively as " Monty Python ", or the "Pythons". The first episode was recorded at the BBC on 7 September 1969 and premiered on 5 October on BBC1 , with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV. A feature film adaptation of several sketches, And Now for Something Completely Different , was released in 1971. The series stands out for its use of absurd situations , mixed with risqué and innuendo-laden humour, sight gags , and observational sketches without punchlines . Live-action segments were broken up with animations by Gilliam, often merging with the live action to form segues . The overall format used for the series followed and elaborated upon the style used by Spike Milligan in his groundbreaking series Q... , rather than the traditional sketch show format. The Pythons play the majority of the series's characters themselves, along with supporting cast members includ…

Directors & creators

BBC Two

Subjects

monty python, flying circus, comedy, british, holy grail, dead parrot

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