Monty Python's Flying Circus. Image shows from L to R: Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam. Copyright: BBC
Monty Python's Flying Circus

Monty Python's Flying Circus

  • TV sketch show
  • BBC Two / BBC One
  • 1969 - 1974
  • 45 episodes (4 series)

Highly influential off-the-wall 1970s sketch series, starring John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman and Terry Jones. Also features Terry Gilliam and Carol Cleveland.

  • JustWatch Streaming rank this week: 1,460

Great scenes

Dead Parrot

A customer, Mr. Praline (John Cleese) enters a pet shop (run by Michael Palin) to complain about his parrot. Praline claims it was dead when he sold it, but the shopkeeper keeps trying to convince him that the parrot is alive.

Praline however keeps insisting that, "This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet his maker!"

The shopkeeper tells Parline to go to his brother's pet shop in Bolton. Doing so and meeting an almost identical pet shop, the shopkeeper tells him that he is in Ipswich. Parline goes to the station and talks to the guard (Terry Jones) who tells Parline that he is in Bolton.

Going back to the pet shop, the shopkeeper tells him he was confused because "Bolton" is a palindrome, but Parline tells him that a palindrome of "Bolton" would be "Notlob". Claiming that the sketch is getting to silly, a Colonel (Graham Chapman) steps in and tells everyone in the shop to move onto the next sketch.

This scene, featuring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones and Michael Palin is from Series 1, Episode 8.

The Spanish Inquisition

Whenever someone mentions that they, "didn't expect The Spanish Inquisition," three cardinals, Ximénez (Michael Palin), Biggles (Terry Jones), and Fang (Terry Gilliam) jump onto the scene, with Ximénez saying, "Nobody expects The Spanish Inquisition!"

However, as they go on it is clear that they are comepletely unprepared for anything. They get their lines mixed up, they don't have the right props and turn up late in the last scene.

In the episode they star in, Ximénez shouts out, "Oh bugger!" However, this was edited out of some broadcasts when it was first transmitted.

This scene, featuring Carol Cleveland, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Marjorie Wilde is from Series 2, Episode 2.

The Ministry of Silly Walks

John Cleese stars as the Minister for Silly Walks, a government department which is underfunded. Whilst it would like to help Michael Palin develop his silly walk into something sillier, it just does not have the money.

This scene, featuring John Cleese, Carol Cleveland, Terry Jones and Michael Palin is from Series 2, Episode 1.

Nudge Nudge

Eric Idle stars as a man disturbing Terry Jones by asking him question full of sexual innuendo such as "Does you wife 'go'?" and "Is she a sport?"

In the end, Jones asks him to be much more clear. It turns out that Idle wants to ask him what it is like to sleep with a woman.

This scene, featuring Eric Idle and Terry Jones is from Series 1, Episode 3.

The Lumberjack Song

Michael Palin plays a barber who has a phobia of hair. He tries to give Terry Jones a haircut but his fear takes control of him. Palin then goes onto say that he really wanted to be a lumberjack.

Palin then bursts into song along with a group of Canadian mounties about working as a lumberjack, but it is not long before Palin sings about something else - cross-dressing.

This scene, featuring Connie Booth, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin is from Series 1, Episode 9.

Share this page