Monty Python’s Flying Circus turns 55 today.
(Image: BBC)
Flying Circus first aired on 55 years ago today (October 5). The iconic sketch comedy, written and starring , Eric Idle, , Graham Chapman, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam, ran for four series from 1969 until 1974.
The sketches have gone down in history as some of the best comedy material ever made. It was named Britain’s most influential comedy TV series of all time in 2007, beating and Blackadder, who came second and third respectively.
Flying Circus brought the troupe to prominence and their work was later developed into live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals. Their influence on comedy has even been compared to the Beatles’ influence on music.
One of the most memorable skits is the Dead Parrot Sketch. However, some may be surprised that it has not finished top of IMDb’s ranking of the best episodes.
As the famous sketch misses out on number one, Express.co.uk takes a look at the episodes which pipped it to the post.
10. The Money Programme
The Money Programme was the third episode of the third series. Its sketches feature a film director accused of impersonating Visconti, a husband requesting meals with less rat, and a client paying for a five-minute argument.
(Image: Getty)
9. The Cycling Tour
Mr Pither (Michael Palin) goes for a cycling tour around Cornwall and ends up in a completely different place, and a man who thinks he’s Clodagh Rogers (Terry Jones). The Cycling Tour is one of only two episodes in the series that have a linear storyline, rather than a series of sketches.
(Image: YouTube/BBC)
8. How Not To Be Seen
How Not to Be Seen purports to be a British government public information film in which a narrator, voiced by John Cleese, instructs viewers on the importance of not being seen. Other sketches in the episode include a coffee ad campaign in disaster and Ramsay MacDonald becoming prime minister for the second time.
(Image: YouTube/BBC)
7. The Naked Ant
The series one episode features the North Minehead by-election, the Upper Class Twit of the Year competition, Ken Shabby and a Party Political Broadcast on behalf of the Wood Party. Hitler and Himmler are also guests for tea in a boarding house.
(Image: YouTube/BBC)