Pythons' Autobiography By The Pythons

Bob McCabe broadcasts on film for Radio 1 and is associate editor of 'Film Guide'. He contributes to 'Empire', and 'Q' magazines and has also contributed to 'Premier', 'Film Review', 'Evening Standard', 'Daily Mirror', 'The Express' and was film editor of 'Vox'. He is the author of the BFI book on 'The Exorcist'. Eric Idle is a comedian, actor, author and singer-songwriter who found immediate fame on television with the sketch-comedy show MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS. Following its success, the Pythons began making films that include MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975), MONTY PYTHON'S LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) and THE MEANING OF LIFE (1983). Eric also wrote the award-winning musical SPAMALOT. He lives in Los Angeles. Terry Jones was a member of the legendary Monty Python team and has directed three highly successful films - Erik the Viking, Consuming Passions, Personal Services, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as well as scripting and performing in The Life of Brian, Jabberwocky and a number of Monty Python films. A previous book The Saga of Erik the Viking won the 1984 Children's Book Award. He is also the author of (for adults) Chaucer's Knight: Portrait of a Medieval Mercenary, Crusades and The Knight and the Squire as well as many other books for children. He read English at Oxford and retains a passion for medieval literature. Michael Palin has written and starred in numerous TV programmes and films, from Monty Python and Ripping Yarns to The Missionary and The Death of Stalin. He has also made several much-acclaimed travel documentaries, his journeys taking him to the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe and Brazil. His books include accounts of his journeys, two novels (Hemingway's Chair and The Truth), three volumes of diaries, Erebus, the Story of a Ship and Great Uncle Harry. From 2009 to 2012 he was president of the Royal Geographical Society. He received a BAFTA fellowship in 2013, and a knighthood in the 2019 New Year Honours list. He lives in London. Bob McCabe broadcasts on film for Radio 1 and is associate editor of Film Guide. He contributes to Empire and Q magazines and has also contributed to Evening Standard, Daily Mirror and Daily Express, and was film editor of Vox. He is the author of The Pythons by The Pythons and numerous other books, most recently the authorised biography of Ronnie Barker.

'As this unique glimpse into the minds of Palin, Cleese, Idle, Gilliam, Jones and Chapman demonstrates, Monty Python's peculiar brand of animation and philosophy remains a one-off comic phenomenon that changed the course of comedy... Irreverent and hilarious... This energetic insight into their collaboration is a peculiarly Pythonesque testimony to the most influential British satire of all time.' OBSERVER 'There is ... some wonderful material in here. If you're the kind of person who entertains friends with word-perfect renditions of Python sketches, you'll love this book.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'This hefty tome includes individual biographies of the Pythons, making the tale of their rise and fall more surreal and interesting.' THE HERALD