This is the first independent film review of the roots of Monty Python exploring how the unique comedy of Python grew out of At Last The 1948 Show and Do Not Adjust Your Set.

The film assesses in detail the reasons for Pythons' successes and failures and surveys the lasting impact of this British institution. Also featured are extensive insights from Neil Innes, the Pythons' warm up man, stand-in and minstrel. Neil, along with Douglas Adams, was one of the only two outsiders to contribute material to the Python TV series. The DVD compares extensive surviving examples of the early work of the Pythons working in separate camps with the mature TV series and films produced by the group as a whole.

The DVD draws on rare archive footage alongside analysis from a leading team of comedians, journalists and critics including Alexi Sayle, Tom Binns, Ian Stone and of course, Neil Innes.

The DVD is accompanied by a highly detailed 72 page book featuring a thorough review of the work of Monty Python on television, on record, on stage and on film, tracing the group's profound influence upon British and American comedy.

First released: Monday 10th August 2009

• DVD