I watched the entire SERIES 4 in one sitting recently: the opener 'Golden Age of Ballooning' drags on a bit, but overall there's enough satisfactory surrealism throughout the series to fit the bill. 'Mr Neutron' the episode-length sci-fi farce 'sort of' works, but it's no classic. The episode set around a department store is okay, with the multiple 'different endings'.

The very last Python show starts off brilliantly, with the 'Most Awful Family in Britain": a grotesque, Grand Guingoil feast for the senses.

Series 4 is a pretty patchy affair, but there are shards of comedy class for the comedy conniseur in there.

Quote: Rico El Vista @ January 18 2011, 4:26 AM GMT

The very last Python show starts off brilliantly, with the 'Most Awful Family in Britain": a grotesque, Grand Guingoil feast for the senses.

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A sort of precursor to The Young Ones.

Or even the Queen video from 1984 'I want to Break Free' with Freddie and the boys in drag!

Quote: MrIntelligent Dude @ December 11 2010, 3:37 PM GMT

The following is an opinion on perhaps the most overrated show to ever grace British TV...

I have a group of colleagues who never stop quoting Monty Python (which is pitiful in itself). They are obsessed with the show/movies and constatntly tell me I'm 'sad' for not liking it.

Here's the thing: I've watched Python when it used to be on all the time on British TV. I even watched the spin-off films too. They just aren't funny. Not one bit.

I watched Life of Brian and Holy Grail and almost fell asleep because they bored me to tears. I've noticed one thing with the Python team: they try too hard to be funny. As a result, the 'comedic' deliveries look forced and unnatural, and, therefore, not humourous at all.

Genuinely funny comedy (British) would be the likes of The Office, Blackadder or Only Fools and Horses. These have good writing, excellent delivery and are sheer brilliance.

The only reason people like Python is because they're trying to impress their friends that they have 'sophisticated' wit (aka 'I don't find the sketches funny but I'll pretend to because that means I'm cool, right?').

I can't think why anyone would find Life of Brian or Holy Grail funny and it is disgraceful these films are listed in the imdb top 250. Then again, the list has films like Kick Ass and Inception amongst the 'greatest' films so it's hardly surprising a lot of weak movies make the list.

Anyone who claims to enjoy Python, in my opinion, only does so in a pathetic effort to impress their peers. Which is disgraceful.

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I can understand why you think Monty Python is dreadful - I do think it is more silly than funny (though I do love the Ministry of Silly Walks sketch).

First time around (1969-74), Python were definitely 'doing something a bit different' with TV conventions in general. ('Surrealism' as it later turned out, although I never understood this term at the time.) This was the quality that made it stand out for me. Yes, some sketches are not all that good, and the silly voices can get grating if you're not in the mood for it: but there's definitely grains of goodness in there if you appreciate originality in comedy outlook.

I have had a read through all of this thread and the early stages are very entertaining indeed, but on the main point I have to agree with Chappers. In its day MP was innovative and ground-breaking and at its best sublime, but my God there was some monumental dross in there too.

Agreed it was an undoubted launchpad for so much good stuff that followed directly afterwards, and overall I'm still a big fan.

I think the films stand the test of time a lot better than the series and when watching late night repeats of the TV shows a while back I gave it 10 mins before switching off. Maybe because as a spotty teen I had watched them all 40 years ago and back then I thought that the MP team could do no wrong. And yes, at break time we repeated the sketches to one another as best we could remember (pre home VCRs). When VCRs did come in then I had ample opportunity to watch them loads and loads of times, so I know a lot of the material verbatim.

But when I watched on telly recently it had been probably twenty five or more years since I'd last watched them, and now in the cold light of modern and more sophisticated offerings they just looked a bit naff and extremely rickety in places. So I have no desire to own the DVDs or watch the repeats. I'd prefer run them in my mind's eye and that way won't fall out of love with them.

Interestingly and although not strictly a fair comparison, two sitcoms that I have on DVD and that I do watch a lot of (Hancock & Bilko), and that pre-date MP by over ten years, are still as sharp as they were over fifty years ago and probably will be in another fifty.

I think that the argument that MPFC were trying too hard to be edgey is pretty accurate. (Though I'd say the mix of good and bad is about 30/70 myself.) It's why I prefer the movies really, it's so much more consistant.

Of course, even in the segments you don't really like, you can find funny stuff. I dislike Gilliam's animations for the most part, but I love Conrad Poohs and his Dancing Teeth. Don't ask me why... I just crack up laughing.

According to John Lloyd, nearly every sketch is genius.

Dear MrIntelligent Dude,

Given your opinion on Monty Python's Flying Circus I would like to argue that your username does not suit you at all.

Quote: Ian Wolf @ February 6 2011, 10:20 AM GMT

Dear MrIntelligent Dude,

Given your opinion on Monty Python's Flying Circus I would like to argue that your username does not suit you at all.

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As he's a long-banned multi-account troll... I'd agree.

Unfortunately some "wits" had recited the "Dead Parrot" sketch in my company on numerous occasions before I ever got to see it. Many people on these Talking Head things on the telly say how much it made them laugh, but maybe I can't see this because I had it spoiled for me in advance.

The one Python sketch that had me and my father in stitches was the courtroom sketch, the last (and best) minute of which is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCpyZ6d3dO4

I can't remember whether we found it so funny as a contrast to what had gone before (the full sketch is over 8 mins long) or just of and in itself.

I guess it takes all sorts!

This one's OK, Clint, but I personally preffered the Series 3 opener 'multiple murderer' sketch, where Idle is let off excessive murderous crimes by an appallingly lenient judge. (A bit like British Justice in 2011!)

The sketches are really bad, the films are genius especially Life of Brian and The Holy Grail.

Quote: ARMS @ February 7 2011, 11:26 PM GMT

The sketches are really bad, the films are genius especially Life of Brian and The Holy Grail.

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I don't think you can distinguish the style between the TV series and the films that readily I'm afraid. Both Life of Brian and Holy Grail are made up of what seem to be individual sketches joined together. (This can be seen by picking a scene at random and seeing if you can follow what's going on).

Quote: Tim Azure @ February 8 2011, 10:17 AM BST

I don't think you can distinguish the style between the TV series and the films that readily I'm afraid. Both Life of Brian and Holy Grail are made up of what seem to be individual sketches joined together. (This can be seen by picking a scene at random and seeing if you can follow what's going on).

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Yes Eric Idle himself said the Pythons never really made a film, they were just skits linked together and they got away with it by having recurrent characters. That ain't a criticism, it's just a fact!
I love Python. Sure it's hit and miss but they make me laugh now, God knows what it must've been like back then!