Monty Python's Flying Circus
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Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)
Seasons: 4,
episodes: 45
Average rating:
8.8/10
94 070
Production
Status
Completed
Creators
Scenario
Producer
Actors
John Cleese
Various / Announcer
Graham Chapman
Various
Michael Palin
Various / "It's" man
Terry Jones
Various
Eric Idle
Various
Terry Gilliam
Various
Ian Davidson
Various
Carol Cleveland
Various
Short description
A British sketch comedy series with the shows being composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines.
Seasons
| Season | Episodes | Release date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1969-10-05 | 7.5 | |
| 13 | 1970-09-15 | 7.5 | |
| 13 | 1972-10-19 | 7.3 | |
| 6 | 1974-10-31 | 6.7 |
What's left behind the scenes
- The complete video library of Monty Python's performances was once nearly destroyed when the BBC began clearing out old archives as part of cost-cutting measures. At the time, no one had any idea of the commercial success that awaited these Monty Python projects. Fortunately, Terry Gilliam learned about the BBC's plans, bought all the video materials, and moved them to his home for storage. Later, when it was decided to broadcast the series again due to Monty Python's growing popularity, the BBC had to approach Gilliam for permission.
- The first few episodes were filmed in the presence of an older audience. As it turned out, many viewers actually believed they were going to see a circus performance; they didn't understand what was happening and didn't laugh where the actors and crew expected them to. For this reason, the actors and crew asked friends and relatives to attend the filming. Only later did they begin inviting a younger audience.
- After completing three seasons of thirteen episodes each, John Cleese refused to participate in the filming of the fourth season, stating that the show's writers had run out of steam and were beginning to repeat themselves. Without him, the remaining members of Monty Python produced only six episodes for the fourth season. Despite this, Cleese was credited as one of the writers in most of these episodes, as the sketches used contained ideas he had proposed before his departure. He appeared in a cameo role in one episode and subsequently worked with various members of Monty Python on numerous occasions.
- The phrase "And now we move on to the next story" is borrowed from BBC television reports and radio broadcasts.
- Almost all the stunts were performed by the members of Monty Python themselves. Experienced climber Graham Chapman (1941-1989) actually hung upside down from a rope, and Michael Palin actually fell from a height of over 4 meters into water after John Cleese hit him on the head with a fish.
- As a rule, the role of the main character in a sketch went to the Monty Python member who first came up with the central idea of the plot. According to Michael Palin, had he known in advance the abuse his characters would ultimately endure in a number of sketches, he would have kept his mouth shut more often.
- Among the draft titles for the show were "Baron von Tuck's Flying Circus" (after Barry Tuck, who did a lot to bring the series to life) and "Gwen Dibley's Flying Circus" (after a woman whose name Michael Palin happened to come across in a newspaper).
- Thanks to this series, the English word 'spam' (short for spiced ham) acquired a second meaning: 'extremely intrusive advertising.' This is precisely why any unwanted mass emails were later termed 'spam'.
- The Python programming language was named in honor of the show.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
