You just think programs like America’s Funniest Home Videos or full-blown channels such as YouTube are new and original ideas. Not so, say Dan Cruickshank and Kirsty Wark, who are out to prove that shooting a video and showing it off to the public isn’t a new thing. Beginning this week, on BBC Two, Home Movie Roadshow presents 100 years of Britons’ lives filmed on home movie cameras.

What does this have to do with British comedy, you ask?

Glad you asked. British comedy fans worldwide will get to see some very cool early home movies, shot by Terry Jones, that show the Pythons during scripting and rehearsals and just general screwing around long before they hit the big time. The bit towards the end with Cleese doing his best to imitate Anthony Perkins is priceless.

For those of you outside the UK, Northern Ireland and Scotland….here’s the clip from the 2nd episode of Home Movie Roadshow featuring the Pythons at play. Enjoy.

Pythons invade the U.S. in 1975

Speaking of early Python video where you truly get the sense that these are just 6 guys having fun and not realizing just how big they are about to get…here’s the 1975 footage of when they were in the KERA Dallas studios during a membership campaign just after arriving in the U.S. for the premiere of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mhcsm6CNqI

In: Comedy