Monty Python Speaks! Revised and Updated Edition

The complete oral history of Monty Python – one of comedy's most legendary and influential troupes – publishing to coincide with the 50th anniversary of their BBC debut.

With a foreword by John Oliver from Last Week Tonight

‘Some people think it’s very clever and intelligent, and some people say it’s extremely silly and inconsequential, but not many people ignore it’ Michael Palin

With their dead parrots, holy grails and spam, Monty Python revolutionised comedy for the rest of the world. They paved the way for everything from Saturday Night Live to The Young Ones and The Simpsons, ushering in a new brand of surrealist comedy: a stream-of-consciousness sketch show that pushed the boundaries of format, style and content. Its legacy is not only important; it’s monumental.

In Monty Python Speaks!, David Morgan has extensively interviewed the entire world of Python – from producers and collaborators like Douglas Adams and Hank Azaria to the founding members themselves – to create the ultimate record of Britain’s most rebellious and successful comedy act. Packed with rare and never-before-seen photographs, and told with the group’s customary wit and irreverence, this newly updated edition, published to o is the inside story of a comedy phenomenon.

Reviews

'The nearest thing imaginable to a group autobiography' San Francisco Chronicle

‘[A] witheringly honest oral history of the brilliant comedy troupe’ Entertainment Weekly

‘Insightful and entertaining perspectives on comedy writing, television and film’ Publishers Weekly

‘A rare opportunity to look behind the scenes at the inner workings of the comic process’ Kirkus

About the author

David Morgan is an editor and journalist who has written for the Los Angeles Times, New York Newsday, The Hollywood Reporter, Sight and Sound and Empire, amongst many others.