Overview
Palin records the evolution of Monty Python’s comic style, the
moments of creative inspiration as well as discord, the persistent
self-doubt, and the happy accidents that shaped what are now classic
comedy moments.
He captures too the group’s many anarchic exploits (John Cleese in a
bikini; driving a Budget Rent-a-Van up Glencoe in full chainmail;
filming ‘Scott of the Sahara’ on the beach at Torquay…), as well as
their battles with BBC suits, budget-conscious film producers and
self-appointed censors.
Thanks to Palin’s as-it-happened accounts, we are taken behind the
scenes to watch with unrivalled intimacy the creative processes that led
to the finished work, seeing how it was actually put together. By
distilling everything about the Pythons at work, this edition
of Palin’s diaries serves as an intimate guide to the legendary shows,
films, books and albums. It will delight Python fans everywhere, and be a
source of instruction and inspiration to those who seek to follow in
their footsteps.
‘No writer-performer has combined professional hilarity and
personal sanity more successfully than Michael Palin. Anyone interested
in how comedy happens should hang on his every word.’ David Mitchell