Ripping Yarns: Difference between revisions

*Ripping Yarns*
Ripping Yarns
	Title card
Created by	Michael Palin; Terry Jones
Starring	Michael Palin
Country of origin	Vereinigtes Königreich
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	9
Production
Running time	~30 min
Production company	BBC
Original release
Network	BBC 2
Release	7 January 1976 –; 24 October 1979

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Ripping Yarns is a British television adventure comedy anthology series. It was written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones of Monty Python fame and transmitted on BBC 2. Following an initial pilot episode in January 1976, it ran for two series — five episodes in September and October 1977 and three episodes in October 1979. Each episode had a different setting and characters, looking at a different aspect of British culture and parodying pre-World War II literature aimed at schoolboys. In the title, "ripping" is a chiefly British slang colloquialism for "exciting" or "thrilling", with "yarn" used in the sense of a story.

Pilot episode

In 1975, the BBC commissioned a pilot episode from Palin and Jones, which was envisaged to be a light entertainment comedy piece. The result was Tomkinson's Schooldays (a title loosely inspired by Tom Brown's Schooldays and suggested by BBC director Terry Hughes). Palin and Jones both wrote and starred in multiple roles.^[1] Once the series was picked up, Jones did not appear in any further episodes, following a decision by Jimmy Gilbert that it should be a “Michael Palin series”.^[2]

Episodes

The nine episodes and their original airdates are:

First series

"Tomkinson's Schooldays" – pilot – 7 January 1976
"The Testing of Eric Olthwaite" – 27 September 1977
"Escape from Stalag Luft 112B" – 4 October 1977
"Murder at Moorstones Manor" – 11 October 1977
"Across the Andes by Frog" – 18 October 1977
"The Curse of the Claw" – 25 October 1977

Second series

"Whinfrey's Last Case" – 10 October 1979
"Golden Gordon" – 17 October 1979
"Roger of the Raj" – 24 October 1979

Production details

Tomkinson's Schooldays was shot on videotape in front of a studio audience, with filmed exterior scenes. The remaining episodes were all shot on film, and were originally shown with laugh tracks (recorded by showing each completed film to an audience), but with a couple of exceptions these have been omitted from reruns.^[3]

In 2014, the series was repeated on BBC4, commencing with Tomkinson's Schooldays on 3 April.^[4] This broadcast included a laugh track. The first episode was preceded by a documentary, Alexander Armstrong's Real Ripping Yarns, which examined the assumptions and outlook of the original boys' magazines of which Ripping Yarns were a parody. Both Palin and Jones contributed to the programme.

The theme tune for the series was Fanfare from the ‘Facade Suite No. 2', by Sir William Walton, played by the City of Birmingham Orchestra, conducted by Louis Frémaux.

Directors

Terry Hughes, who had directed The Two Ronnies and would later direct The Golden Girls and 3rd Rock from the Sun, directed early episodes of Ripping Yarns.^[3] Jim Franklin, known for The Goodies, directed other episodes and two episodes in the second series were directed by Alan J. W. Bell, known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Last of the Summer Wine.^[3] Bell used Michael Radford, who later became noted for the films Nineteen Eighty-Four, White Mischief and Il Postino, as cinematographer.^[3]

Cast

Each episode featured several guest character actors including Ian Ogilvy, Kenneth Colley, Isabel Dean, Liz Smith, Roy Kinnear, Frank Middlemass, Iain Cuthbertson, John Le Mesurier, Jan Francis, Denholm Elliott, Gwen Taylor, Harold Innocent, Richard Vernon, Gwen Watford, Barbara New, Gerald Sim, Gilly Flower, Joan Sanderson, Roger Sloman and David Griffin.^[1] John Cleese makes a cameo appearance in the episode "Golden Gordon".

Reception

The series was nominated for a BAFTA award in 1978 for 'Best Film Cameraman' (Peter Hall)^[5] and won in 1980 for 'Best Light Entertainment Programme/Series'.^[6]

Books

The scripts were published in book form, with sepia-tinted stills, as Ripping Yarns (1978; ISBN 0-413-46250-1) and More Ripping Yarns (1980; ISBN 0-413-47530-1) and later collected in an omnibus volume, The Complete Ripping Yarns (1999; ISBN 0-413-77360-4).

Across the Andes by Frog originally appeared in Bert Fegg's Nasty Book for Boys and Girls, co-authored by Palin and Jones.

Home media

The series was released on three VHS tapes in the UK in the 1990s. Two of these compilations were reissued by Revelation Films on Region 0 (worldwide) DVD in 2000, though the six episodes included were not remastered.

The fully restored series was released in October 2004 as The Complete Ripping Yarns. This two-disc Region 2 DVD set included commentaries on all nine episodes by Palin and Jones and a deleted scene (without soundtrack) from Murder at Moorstones Manor. All of the episodes, except Tomkinson's Schooldays and Murder at Moorstones Manor, have optional laugh-free soundtracks.

The DVD set also includes the only surviving (and rather poor quality) recording of Palin and Jones's comic BBC play Secrets from 1973, as well as a documentary by Michael Palin entitled Comic Roots in which he goes back to visit his home town. Not linked in the menu are scans of the first drafts of the scripts for six episodes (Tomkinson's Schooldays, The Testing of Eric Olthwaite, Murder at Moorstone Manor, Across the Andes by Frog, The Curse of the Claw and Whinfrey's Last Case), type-written with Palin's handwritten comments and changes in the margin. There is an informative booklet enclosed. This set was also released in Region 1 with all of the above included, apart from Secrets. A further box set, fully remastered, including the directors commentary, was released in 2004.

The DVD was re-released in March 2012. To publicise the event, Network hosted a "Hopathon" to recreate the "Tomkinson's School Days" episode. The intention was to break a Guinness World Record, but not enough people took part.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b Palin, Michael; Terry Jones (1980). Ripping Yarns. London: Eyre Methuen. ISBN 0-413-46250-1.
^ Palin, Michael (3 October 2006). Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 26 January 1977. ISBN 978-0-297-84436-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Zeta Minor DVD Review - Ripping Yarns". www.zetaminor.com. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
^ Harvey, Gary. "BBC 4 Rediscovers Ripping Yarns". Retrieved 3 April 2014.
^ "BAFTA Awards (1978)". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
^ "BAFTA Awards (1980)". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
^ "Ready, Steady …. Hop! | It's all Michael Palin's fault". Michaelpalinsfault.wordpress.com. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2014.

External links

[Palin-1] Palin, Michael; Terry Jones (1980). Ripping Yarns. London: Eyre Methuen. ISBN 0-413-46250-1.

[2] Palin, Michael (3 October 2006). Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 26 January 1977. ISBN 978-0-297-84436-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

[Zeta-3] "Zeta Minor DVD Review - Ripping Yarns". www.zetaminor.com. Retrieved 10 July 2010.

[4] Harvey, Gary. "BBC 4 Rediscovers Ripping Yarns". Retrieved 3 April 2014.

[5] "BAFTA Awards (1978)". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 10 July 2010.

[6] "BAFTA Awards (1980)". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 10 July 2010.

[7] "Ready, Steady …. Hop! | It's all Michael Palin's fault". Michaelpalinsfault.wordpress.com. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2014.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|British television series (1976–1979)}}
+{{EngvarB|date=December 2020}}
 {{Infobox television
-| name    = Ripping Yarns
+| image         = Ripping 01title000.jpg
-| image        = Ripping 01title000.jpg
+| caption       = Title card
-| caption      = Title card
+| runtime       = ~30 min
+| creator       = [[Michael Palin]]<br/>[[Terry Jones]]
-| runtime      = ~30 min
-| creator      = [[Michael Palin]]<br/>[[Terry Jones]]
+| starring      = Michael Palin
-| starring     = Michael Palin
+| country       = United Kingdom
-| country      = United Kingdom
+| company       = [[BBC]]
-| company      = [[BBC]]
+| network       = [[BBC 2]]
+| first_aired   = {{start date|1976|1|7|df=y}}
-| distributor  = [[BBC Worldwide]]<br />[[2entertain]]<br />Network (DVD)
+| last_aired    = {{end date|1979|10|24|df=y}}
-| network      = [[BBC 2]]
+| num_series    = 2
-| first_aired  = {{start date|1976|1|7|df=y}}
+| num_episodes  = 9
-| last_aired   = {{end date|1979|10|24|df=y}}
-| num_episodes = 9
 | list_episodes =
-| followed_by  =
+| opentheme     =
-| opentheme =
 }}
-'''''Ripping Yarns''''' is a [[Television in the United Kingdom|British television]] adventure [[comedy]] anthology series. It was written by [[Michael Palin]] and [[Terry Jones]] of [[Monty Python]] fame. It was transmitted on [[BBC 2]]. Following an initial pilot episode in January 1976, it ran for two series — six episodes in September and October 1977 and three episodes in October 1979. Each episode had a different setting and characters, each looking at a different aspect of [[British culture]] and [[parody]]ing pre-[[World War II]] literature aimed at schoolboys. In the title, "ripping" is a chiefly British slang colloquialism for "exciting" or "thrilling", with "yarn" used in the sense of a story.
+'''''Ripping Yarns''''' is a [[Television in the United Kingdom|British television]] adventure [[comedy]] anthology series. It was written by [[Michael Palin]] and [[Terry Jones]] of [[Monty Python]] fame and transmitted on [[BBC 2]]. Following an initial pilot episode in January 1976, it ran for two series — five episodes in September and October 1977 and three episodes in October 1979. Each episode had a different setting and characters, looking at a different aspect of [[British culture]] and [[parody]]ing pre-[[World War II]] literature aimed at schoolboys. In the title, "ripping" is a chiefly British slang colloquialism for "exciting" or "thrilling", with "yarn" used in the sense of a story.
 ==Pilot episode==
-In 1975, the [[BBC]] commissioned a pilot episode from Palin and Jones, envisaged to be a light entertainment comedy piece. The result was ''Tomkinson's Schooldays'' (a title loosely inspired by ''[[Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' and suggested by BBC director [[Terry Hughes (director)|Terry Hughes]]). Palin and Jones both wrote and starred in multiple roles.<ref name = Palin>{{Cite book| last = Palin| first = Michael| authorlink = Michael Palin| author2 = [[Terry Jones]]| title = Ripping Yarns| year = 1980| publisher = [[Eyre Methuen]]| location = London| isbn = 0-413-46250-1| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/rippingyarns00pali}}</ref> Once the series was picked up, Jones did not appear in any further episodes.
+In 1975, the [[BBC]] commissioned a pilot episode from Palin and Jones, which was envisaged to be a light entertainment comedy piece. The result was ''Tomkinson's Schooldays'' (a title loosely inspired by ''[[Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' and suggested by BBC director [[Terry Hughes (director)|Terry Hughes]]). Palin and Jones both wrote and starred in multiple roles.<ref name = Palin>{{Cite book| last = Palin| first = Michael| author-link = Michael Palin| author2 = Terry Jones| author2-link = Terry Jones| title = Ripping Yarns| year = 1980| publisher = [[Eyre Methuen]]| location = London| isbn = 0-413-46250-1| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/rippingyarns00pali}}</ref> Once the series was picked up, Jones did not appear in any further episodes, following a decision by [[James Gilbert (producer)|Jimmy Gilbert]] that it should be a “Michael Palin series”.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Palin |first=Michael |title=Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years |date=3 October 2006 |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-297-84436-5 |pages=26 January 1977}}</ref>
 ==Episodes==
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 ==Production details==
-''Tomkinson's Schooldays'' was shot on [[videotape]] with filmed exterior scenes. The remaining episodes were all shot on [[film stock|film]]. They were also originally shown with laugh tracks, but with a couple of exceptions these have been omitted from reruns.<ref name = Zeta>{{cite web|url=http://www.zetaminor.com/dvd/dvdreviews/ripping_yarns.htm |title=Zeta Minor DVD Review - Ripping Yarns |publisher=www.zetaminor.com |accessdate=10 July 2010 }}</ref>
+''Tomkinson's Schooldays'' was shot on [[videotape]] in front of a studio audience, with filmed exterior scenes. The remaining episodes were all shot on [[film stock|film]], and were originally shown with laugh tracks (recorded by showing each completed film to an audience), but with a couple of exceptions these have been omitted from reruns.<ref name = Zeta>{{cite web|url=http://www.zetaminor.com/dvd/dvdreviews/ripping_yarns.htm |title=Zeta Minor DVD Review - Ripping Yarns |publisher=www.zetaminor.com |access-date=10 July 2010 }}</ref>
-The series was repeated on BBC4 commencing with ''Tomkinson's Schooldays'' on 3 April 2014.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harvey|first=Gary|title=BBC 4 Rediscovers Ripping Yarns|url=http://home.bt.com/entertainment/tv/tvfeatures/bbc-4-rediscovers-ripping-yarns-11363889914030|accessdate=3 April 2014}}</ref> This broadcast included a laugh track. The first episode was preceded by a documentary, ''[[Alexander Armstrong (comedian)|Alexander Armstrong]]'s Real Ripping Yarns'', which examined the assumptions and outlook of the original boys' magazines of which ''Ripping Yarns'' were a parody. Both Palin and Jones contributed to the programme.
+In 2014, the series was repeated on BBC4, commencing with ''Tomkinson's Schooldays'' on 3 April.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harvey|first=Gary|title=BBC 4 Rediscovers Ripping Yarns|url=http://home.bt.com/entertainment/tv/tvfeatures/bbc-4-rediscovers-ripping-yarns-11363889914030|access-date=3 April 2014}}</ref> This broadcast included a laugh track. The first episode was preceded by a documentary, ''[[Alexander Armstrong (comedian)|Alexander Armstrong]]'s Real Ripping Yarns'', which examined the assumptions and outlook of the original boys' magazines of which ''Ripping Yarns'' were a parody. Both Palin and Jones contributed to the programme.
 The theme tune for the series was ''Fanfare'' from the ‘Facade Suite No. 2', by Sir [[William Walton]], played by the City of Birmingham Orchestra, conducted by [[Louis Frémaux]].
 ===Directors===
-[[Terry Hughes (director)|Terry Hughes]], who had directed ''[[The Two Ronnies]]'' and would later direct ''[[The Golden Girls]]'' and ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'', directed early episodes of ''Ripping Yarns''.<ref name = Zeta/> [[Jim Franklin (director)|Jim Franklin]], known for ''[[The Goodies]]'', directed other episodes and two episodes in the second series were directed by [[Alan J. W. Bell]], known for ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' and ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]''.<ref name = Zeta/> Bell used [[Michael Radford]], who later became noted for the films ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984 film)|Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', ''[[White Mischief (film)|White Mischief]]'' and ''[[Il Postino]]''.<ref name = Zeta/>
+[[Terry Hughes (director)|Terry Hughes]], who had directed ''[[The Two Ronnies]]'' and would later direct ''[[The Golden Girls]]'' and ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'', directed early episodes of ''Ripping Yarns''.<ref name = Zeta/> [[Jim Franklin (director)|Jim Franklin]], known for ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'', directed other episodes and two episodes in the second series were directed by [[Alan J. W. Bell]], known for ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' and ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]''.<ref name = Zeta/> Bell used [[Michael Radford]], who later became noted for the films ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984 film)|Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', ''[[White Mischief (film)|White Mischief]]'' and ''[[Il Postino]]'', as cinematographer.<ref name = Zeta/>
 ===Cast===
-Each episode featured several guest character actors including [[Ian Ogilvy]], [[Kenneth Colley]], [[Liz Smith (actress)|Liz Smith]], [[Roy Kinnear]], [[Frank Middlemass]], [[Iain Cuthbertson]], [[John Le Mesurier]], [[Jan Francis]], [[Denholm Elliott]], [[Gwen Taylor]], [[Harold Innocent]], [[Richard Vernon]], [[Gwen Watford]], [[Barbara New]], [[Gerald Sim]], [[Gilly Flower]], [[Joan Sanderson]], [[Roger Sloman]] and [[David Griffin (actor)|David Griffin]].<ref name = Palin/> [[John Cleese]] makes a [[cameo appearance]] in the episode "Golden Gordon".
+Each episode featured several guest character actors including [[Ian Ogilvy]], [[Kenneth Colley]], [[Isabel Dean]], [[Liz Smith (actress)|Liz Smith]], [[Roy Kinnear]], [[Frank Middlemass]], [[Iain Cuthbertson]], [[John Le Mesurier]], [[Jan Francis]], [[Denholm Elliott]], [[Gwen Taylor]], [[Harold Innocent]], [[Richard Vernon]], [[Gwen Watford]], [[Barbara New]], [[Gerald Sim]], [[Gilly Flower]], [[Joan Sanderson]], [[Roger Sloman]] and [[David Griffin (actor)|David Griffin]].<ref name = Palin/> [[John Cleese]] makes a [[cameo appearance]] in the episode "Golden Gordon".
 ==Reception==
-The series was nominated for a [[BAFTA]] award in 1978 for 'Best Film Cameraman' (Peter Hall)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000123/1978 |title=BAFTA Awards (1978) |publisher=www.imdb.com |accessdate=10 July 2010 }}</ref> and won in 1980 for 'Best Light Entertainment Programme/Series'. Although not as well received as [[John Cleese]]'s ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'', ''Ripping Yarns'' has developed a cult status since the beginning of the twenty-first century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000123/1980 |title=BAFTA Awards (1980) |publisher=www.imdb.com |accessdate=10 July 2010 }}</ref>
+The series was nominated for a [[BAFTA]] award in 1978 for 'Best Film Cameraman' (Peter Hall)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000123/1978 |title=BAFTA Awards (1978) |publisher=www.imdb.com |access-date=10 July 2010 }}</ref> and won in 1980 for 'Best Light Entertainment Programme/Series'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000123/1980 |title=BAFTA Awards (1980) |publisher=www.imdb.com |access-date=10 July 2010 }}</ref>
 ==Books==
@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 ==Home media==
-The series was released on three [[VHS]] tapes in the UK in the 1980s. Two of these compilations were reissued by Revelation Films on [[Region 0|Region 0]] (worldwide) [[DVD]] in 2000, though the six episodes included were not [[Remaster#Remastering|remastered]].
+The series was released on three [[VHS]] tapes in the UK in the 1990s. Two of these compilations were reissued by Revelation Films on [[Region 0|Region 0]] (worldwide) [[DVD]] in 2000, though the six episodes included were not [[Remaster#Remastering|remastered]].
-The fully restored series was released in October 2004 as ''The Complete Ripping Yarns''. This 2-disc [[DVD region code#2|Region 2]] DVD set included commentaries on all nine episodes by Palin and Jones and a deleted scene (without soundtrack) from ''Murder at Moorstones Manor''. All of the episodes, except ''Tomkinson's Schooldays'' and ''Murder at Moorstones Manor'', have optional laugh-free soundtracks.
+The fully restored series was released in October 2004 as ''The Complete Ripping Yarns''. This two-disc [[DVD region code#2|Region 2]] DVD set included commentaries on all nine episodes by Palin and Jones and a deleted scene (without soundtrack) from ''Murder at Moorstones Manor''. All of the episodes, except ''Tomkinson's Schooldays'' and ''Murder at Moorstones Manor'', have optional laugh-free soundtracks.
-The DVD set also includes the only surviving (and rather poor quality) recording of Palin and Jones's comic BBC play ''[[Secrets (Black and Blue)|Secrets]]'' from 1973, as well as a documentary by Michael Palin entitled ''Comic Roots'' in which he goes back to visit his home town. Not linked in the menu are scans of the first drafts of the scripts for six episodes (''Tomkinson's Schooldays'', ''The Testing of Eric Olthwaite'', ''Murder at Moorstone Manor'', ''Across the Andes by Frog'', ''The Curse of the Claw'' and ''Whinfrey's Last Case''), type-written with Palin's handwritten comments and changes in the margin. There is an informative booklet enclosed, written by [[Andrew Pixley (historian)|Andrew Pixley]].
+The DVD set also includes the only surviving (and rather poor quality) recording of Palin and Jones's comic BBC play ''[[Secrets (Black and Blue)|Secrets]]'' from 1973, as well as a documentary by Michael Palin entitled ''Comic Roots'' in which he goes back to visit his home town. Not linked in the menu are scans of the first drafts of the scripts for six episodes (''Tomkinson's Schooldays'', ''The Testing of Eric Olthwaite'', ''Murder at Moorstone Manor'', ''Across the Andes by Frog'', ''The Curse of the Claw'' and ''Whinfrey's Last Case''), type-written with Palin's handwritten comments and changes in the margin. There is an informative booklet enclosed. This set was also released in [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] with all of the above included, apart from ''Secrets''. A further box set, fully remastered, including the directors commentary, was released in 2004.
+The DVD was re-released in March 2012. To publicise the event, Network hosted a "Hopathon" to recreate the "Tomkinson's School Days" episode. The intention was to break a [[Guinness World Record]], but not enough people took part.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://michaelpalinsfault.wordpress.com/2012/03/04/ready-steady-hop/ |title=Ready, Steady …. Hop! &#124; It's all Michael Palin's fault |publisher=Michaelpalinsfault.wordpress.com |date=4 March 2012 |access-date=14 May 2014}}</ref>
-This set also saw release in [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] with all of the above included, apart from ''Secrets''.
-A further box set, fully remastered, including the directors commentary, was released in 2004.
-The DVD was re-released in March 2012. To publicize the event, Network hosted a "Hopathon" to recreate the "Tomkinson's School Days" episode. The intention was to break a [[Guinness World Record]], but not enough people took part.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://michaelpalinsfault.wordpress.com/2012/03/04/ready-steady-hop/ |title=Ready, Steady …. Hop! &#124; It's all Michael Palin's fault |publisher=Michaelpalinsfault.wordpress.com |date=2012-03-04 |accessdate=2014-05-14}}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 80: / Line 76: @@
 *{{BBC programme}}
 *[https://everything2.com/title/Ripping+Yarns?searchy=search Episode guide]
-*{{IMDb title|id=0075568|title=Ripping Yarns}}
+*{{IMDb title}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2012}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
 {{Terry Jones}}
@@ Line 94: / Line 90: @@
 [[Category:British adventure television series]]
 [[Category:British parody television series]]
-[[Category:English-language television shows]]
+[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
 [[Category:Eyre Methuen books]]
 [[Category:Works by Michael Palin]]

v t e Terry Jones
Books written	Bert Fegg's Nasty Book for Boys and Girls (1974) Fairy Tales (1981) The Saga of Erik the Viking (1983) Nicobobinus (1985) Douglas Adams's Starship Titanic: A Novel (1997) Evil Machines (2011)
Films directed	Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) Personal Services (1987) Erik the Viking (1989) The Wind in the Willows (1996) Absolutely Anything (2015)
Films written only	And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982) Labyrinth (1986) Monty Python Live (Mostly) (2014)
TV series created	The Complete and Utter History of Britain (1969) Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus (1972) Ripping Yarns (1976–1979) Crusades (1995) Blazing Dragons (1996–1998) Ancient Inventions (1998) Terry Jones' Medieval Lives (2004) The Story of 1 (2005) Terry Jones' Barbarians (2006) Boom Bust Boom (2016)
Video games	Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail (1996)

v t e Monty Python
Graham Chapman John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones Michael Palin Carol Cleveland Neil Innes
Television series	Flying Circus episodes Fliegender Zirkus Personal Best
Films	And Now for Something Completely Different Holy Grail Life of Brian Live at the Hollywood Bowl The Meaning of Life The Crimson Permanent Assurance
Studio albums	Another Record Previous Record Matching Tie and Handkerchief Holy Grail Life of Brian Contractual Obligation The Meaning of Life
Compilation albums	Instant Record Collection Final Rip Off Sings Ultimate Rip Off Instant CD Collection Total Rubbish
Live albums	Flying Circus Live at Drury Lane Live at City Center
Specials	Parrot Sketch Not Included Live at Aspen Python Night
Documentaries	The Pythons Life of Python Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut) And Now for Something Rather Similar The Meaning of Live
Stage productions	Spamalot Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) An Evening Without Monty Python Live (Mostly)
Literature	Big Red Book Brand New Bok Holy Grail (Book) Life of Brian/SCRAPBOOK The Meaning of Life Just the Words Song Book A Pocketful of Python The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons Live!
Video games	Flying Circus Complete Waste of Time Quest for the Holy Grail The Meaning of Life Cow Tossing The Ministry of Silly Walks
Characters	Mr Praline The Colonel Mr Creosote Rabbit of Caerbannog Other characters
Sketches	Albatross! Anne Elk's Theory on Brontosauruses Architects Argument Clinic Bruces Cheese Shop Colin "Bomber" Harris vs Colin "Bomber" Harris Crunchy Frog Dead Parrot Dirty Fork Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook Election Night Special Fish Licence Fish-Slapping Dance Four Yorkshiremen The Funniest Joke in the World How Not to Be Seen Kilimanjaro Expedition Lifeboat Marriage Guidance Counsellor Ministry of Silly Walks Mouse Problem Nudge Nudge Patient Abuse Philosophers' Football Match Piranha Brothers Sam Peckinpah's "Salad Days" Seduced Milkmen Spam Spanish Inquisition Undertakers Upper Class Twit of the Year Vocational Guidance Counsellor World Forum/Communist Quiz
Songs	"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" "Brian Song" "Bruces' Philosophers Song" "Decomposing Composers" "Eric the Half-a-Bee" "Every Sperm Is Sacred" "Finland" "Galaxy Song" "I Bet You They Won't Play This Song on the Radio" "I Like Chinese" "I've Got Two Legs" "The Lumberjack Song" "Medical Love Song" "Oliver Cromwell" "Sit on My Face"
Related	List of Monty Python projects The Foot of Cupid Cambridge Circus I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again The Frost Report At Last the 1948 Show Twice a Fortnight Do Not Adjust Your Set We Have Ways of Making You Laugh Broaden Your Mind How to Irritate People The Complete and Utter History of Britain The Fred Tomlinson Singers Teach Yourself Heath Python (Monty) Pictures Tiny Black Round Thing Bert Fegg's Nasty Book for Boys and Girls Rutland Weekend Television Fawlty Towers Ripping Yarns Out of the Trees A Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick) Monty Python v. ABC Python On Song All You Need Is Cash The Secret Policeman's Ball A Liar's Autobiography: Volume VI The Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck Album The Wind in the Willows Monty Python Live Concert for George Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years The Seventh Python Holy Flying Circus A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman Absolutely Anything