#21

already have :slight_smile:

#22

Michael Palin’s my favourite of the Pythons given that Around the World in 80 Days and Pole to Pole are two of my all-time favourite TV series. Ripping Yarns is good as well, especially the episode about the world’s worst football team

#23

Gave Holy Grail and Life of Brian 5 but overall it’s a 3. The sketch series was quite shit and a bit dodgy at times. And in my youth it was massively over-quoted by dicks, a bit like Little Britain was years later.

I think Terry Jones is a bit under-rated - (solo-material alert) he did some good documentaries about the crusades and mediaeval life.

That Michael Palin though, what a lovely man.

#24

The original TV series (as they admitted themselves) is massively hit and miss. You’d have one or two classic sketches, some fairly good stuff and some real duds all mixed together, although I think that’s part of the appeal in a way.

I can totally see why a lot of people would struggle with it now (the portrayal of women especially hasn’t aged well, although it’s aged better than a lot of things of that vintage (and later in fact) in some respects. There’s one racial punchline in ‘The Good Life’ that made me suck my teeth on re-watching those).

That said, I do think they massively changed the landscape of comedy and I love both a lot of the stuff they did and that they inspired.

#25

Agree with all of this, except I don’t really like the third film. The best sketches, like Silly walks and the Philosophers Football Match, are enough for the series to get a four from me.

1 Like
#26

Interesting piece here

1 Like
#27

Got to be the only British comedy thing that actually improved with the move to the big screen. As has been noted and will continue to be noted because it is true, the sketch show is massively patchy. But Life of Brian and the Holy Grail are both flat out outstanding. Gave them a five just for those two, really.

2 Likes
#28

The third film is a mixed bag for sure, but I really like some of it, especially Every Sperm is Sacred, Mr Creosote and Death getting mad at the dinner party people. It won second prize at Cannes that year, robbed of the Palme d’Or I say!

1 Like
#29

All very Cambridge innit? Really bizarre that posh boys still have such a monopoly over comedy in Britain. And everything else really I suppose

#30
  • wallace and gromit
  • the wire

0 voters

7 Likes
#31

never liked the sketches I’ve seen but the Holy Grail and Life of Brian are really great

#32

Actually Palin and Jones went to Oxford

#33

YOUR MUM IS HAMSTER

1 Like
#34

HE IS NOT JESUS HE IS A NAUGHTY BRAIN

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#35

I AM DOING FUNNY WALK

1 Like
#36

I forgot that the DVD for Holy Grail has subtitles for people who don’t like the film, taken from Henry IV Part II.

3 Likes
#37

The TV show’s all right but Holy Grail is fantastic. One of my favourite comedy movies when I was younger. 3/5 for the show, 5/5 for HG

#38

3 out of 5 for the show. You can tell why they made And Now For Something… as it showcases the ones they got right.

Gave LOB 5/5 as its a much better made film than HG even if it doesn’t have quite the same laugh ratio. MOL is average but I do love Find the Fish.

#39

3/5.

#40

No controversial opinions to offer. The series was always massively overquoted by dicks in student unions but the good bits are hilarious and the overall sense of intellectually elitist daftness has shaped what I find funny.

Holy Grail & Life of Brian are great. Maybe even as good as Airplane.