And Now for Something Completely Different….

Monty Python began on 5 October 1969. 47 television episodes, 5 movies, 19 albums, 3 sketch-based live stage shows, 1 Broadway/West End special, 20 books and 9 games later, Monty Python ended on 20 July, 2014 at the O2 Arena with the final performance of Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go. With the UK premiere of Monty Python: The Meaning Of Live: UK Premiere – One-Off Film Special, set for this Thursday (13 November) on Gold, the story of the Python’s ground-breaking live performances, including rarely seen footage from their earliest stage shows in 1971 and “Live At The Hollywood Bowl” in 1980 will, at long last, be told.
 

It’s….

Monty Python: The Meaning Of Live: UK Premiere – One-Off Film Special, the specially commissioned documentary, is co-directed by BAFTA award-winning Roger Graef OBE (The Secret Policeman’s Ball) and James Rogan (Blog Wars). Graef’s relationship with the Python’s dates back to the early 70’s when he filmed rehearsals, backstage and performances of their 1976 Amnesty International benefit show for his critically-acclaimed documentary, Pleasure At Her Majesty’s. Thursday’s documentary also includes behind-the-scenes features leading up to the 2014 Monty Python reunion show, Monty Python Live (Mostly). Here, physicist, former musician, professor and Royal Society university research fellow, Brian Cox, and Eric Idle talk as they work on a sketch for the live show with theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, contributing to the script.
 

 
Produced for Gold by Phil McIntyre Television in association with the group’s own production company, Python (Monty) Pictures Ltd., Roger Graef summed up the documentary about the a group that is arguably the most influential comedy troupe the world has ever known saying, “…making comedy is hard work, and the anxiety of doing it live is even harder. As they build up to their last ever performance, there will be laughter, reflection and tears. It’s the Pythons as never seen before, and will never be seen again.”

Monty Python: The Meaning Of Live: UK Premiere – One-Off Film Special will air Thursday, 13 November at 9pm on GOLD in the UK. Let’s hope for an American premiere in the not-too-distant future.