King Swamp

admin January 8, 2023 Biography Leave a comment

Biography

Produced in 1988 in London, Ruler Swamp released their self-titled debut album the next year. Because of their second record, Wiseblood, in 1990, they added guitarists Mike Cozzi and Nick Lashley. After two albums, Ruler Swamp disbanded.

Quick Facts

Full Name King Swamp

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/kingswamp

IMDB http://imdb.com/name/nm0001589

Allmusic http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000081540

Music Songs Is This Love?, Widders Dump, Year Zero, Louisiana Bride, Motherlode, Man Behind the Gun, Kiss the Sun, Original Man, Floating World, The Sacrament, Walk the Knife, Nightfall Over Eden, One Step Over the Line, Redemption Day, Walk on Gilded Splinters, Can’t Be Satisfied, Wiseblood, Blown Away, Some Kind of Love, The Mirror, Glow

Albums Wiseblood, King Swamp

#	Fact
1	Credits fellow Python Terry Gilliam with getting him to quit smoking. Gilliam had been having dinner with Palin and his wife Helen at the Palins' home one evening in April 1969. Afterwards, Michael discovered he had run out of cigarettes and became increasingly panicky when he failed to find coins for the cigarette slot machine up the road anywhere. Gilliam, half joking, half worried, called Michael an addict, resulting in Michael denying himself a cigarette and never buying a pack again.
2	Son of Edward and Mary Palin. He had one sister called Angela.
3	Knew Eric Idle and Terry Jones from university.
4	Wrote and acted for Oxford's equivalent of the Cambridge Footlights.
5	While a majority of his ancestry is English, one of his paternal great-grandmothers was Irish.
6	London, England: Publication of his memoir 'Halfway to Hollywood: Diaries 1980-1988' [August 2011]
7	After Sarah Palin's nomination for John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential elections got announced, someone made a YouTube video saying that the wrong Palin got chosen. It proposed Michael Palin, jokingly using clips of him from movies and skits as evidence that he was right for the nomination.
8	Was born the son of an engineer in the industrial city of Sheffield, and remains a supporter of Sheffield United Football Club.
9	In addition to attending the exclusive Shrewsbury School, and later, the University of Oxford; as a lad, he also attended Birkdale School in Sheffield.
10	His wide travels are so well known that he now has his own travel website called "Palin's Travels.".
11	The Pythons had little idea how fanatical their American audience had become until they performed the live Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982) live shows that were soon immortalized. According to Carol Cleveland, as the group were exiting backstage one night, a 20-something girl ran up to Palin, screamed "Oh, Michael!", and promptly fainted in his arms. Palin had to pass the girl to others to help, as he was literally shocked into speechlessness.
12	In a quest for a "Peter Jonesy sort of voice", the casting crew for the original radio series, "The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy" approached Palin to play the part of The Book (he turned the part down). The part was eventually given to the very "Peter Jonesy" Peter Jones.
13	His father had a rather serious stutter. This came in handy when he played Ken (the stuttering thief) in A Fish Called Wanda (1988).
14	The public voted him the best-looking member of the Python troupe.
15	The Virgin Super Voyager train number 221 130 named after him.
16	He is an old boy of the ultra-exclusive and expensive English public school, Shrewsbury School. The section of Monty Python's Meaning of Life (1983) set in the school of "Sudbury" is a reference to his time there.
17	Whilst filming Full Circle with Michael Palin (1997), Palin helped to hatch a baby crocodile and asked the crew to get a shot of himself with a crocodile in his hand.
18	Attended Brasenose College, Oxford University.
19	Left the Reform Club in London on September 25 1988 for a journey Around the World in 80 Days (1989), accompanied by a BBC TV team.
20	Children: Thomas (b. 1969), William (b. 1971) and Rachel (b. 1975)
21	Member of Monty Python's Flying Circus along with John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam.
22	He is a graduate of Oxford with a degree in History.
23	He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2000 Queen's Millennium Honors List for his services to television drama and travel documentaries.

Actor

Title	Year	Status	Character
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote	2018	pre-production	Don Quixote
The Death of Stalin	2017	post-production	Vyacheslav Molotov
Clangers	2015-2016	TV Series	Narrator
Absolutely Anything	2015		Kindly Alien (voice)
Remember Me	2014	TV Mini-Series	Tom Parfitt
Monty Python Live (Mostly)	2014		Spanish Man Fourth Yorkshireman Harry Blackitt ...
The Wipers Times	2013	TV Movie	General Mitford
A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman	2012		Michael Palin / Graham's Father / Interview Don #1 / ... (voice)
Arthur Christmas	2011		Ernie Clicker (voice)
Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy	2010		Mrs. Betty Palin Julius Caesar Bevis
The Last Day of WW1	2008
Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind	2007	TV Short	Gariiiiiii (voice)
The Mystery of the Missing Morsel of Murder at Moorstones Manor	2004	Video short	Comedy Role
Education Tips No. 41: Choosing a Really Expensive School	2003	Video short	Mr. Thistlewaite / Narrator
Python Night: 30 Years of Monty Python	1999	TV Movie documentary	Luigi Vercotti / BBC Crewmember / Himself / ...
The Meaning of Life	1997	Video Game	Various
Home and Away	1996-1997	TV Series	Surfer
Fierce Creatures	1997		Bugsy Malone
Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail	1996	Video Game	First Game Announcer Swallow-Savvy Guard Dennis ...
The Willows in Winter	1996	TV Movie	Rat (voice)
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride	1996		The Sun
The Wind in the Willows	1995	TV Movie	Rat (voice)
Tracey Ullman: A Class Act	1993	TV Movie	Various
Nicholas Craig, the Naked Actor	1992	TV Series
G.B.H.	1991	TV Mini-Series	Jim Nelson
American Friends	1991		Reverend Francis Ashby
The Witches	1990		Witch at Meeting (uncredited)
Inar gahined	1989		Man in elevator (uncredited)
A Fish Called Wanda	1988		Ken Pile
Brazil	1985		Jack Lint
A Private Function	1984		Gilbert Chilvers
The Dress	1984	Short	Howard
The News Is the News	1983	TV Series	London correspondent
The Crimson Permanent Assurance	1983	Short	Workman
The Meaning of Life	1983		Window Washer / Harry / Fish #5 / ...
The Missionary	1982		The Reverend Charles Fortescue
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl	1982	Documentary	Polinski Emcee Third Bruce ...
OTT	1982	TV Series
The Innes Book of Records	1981	TV Series	Policeman
Time Bandits	1981		Vincent
The Box	1981	Short voice
Saturday Night Live	1980	TV Series	Dick Savage
Henry Cleans Up	1979	Short	Henry
Ripping Yarns	1976-1979	TV Series	Roger / Gordon Ottershaw / Gerald Whinfrey / ...
Life of Brian	1979		Wise Man #3 Mr. Big Nose Francis ...
Jackanory	1979	TV Series	Reader
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash	1978	TV Movie	Eric Manchester, Rutle Corp. Press Agent / Lawyer
Red Dress	1977	TV Movie
Jabberwocky	1977		Dennis Cooper
Three Men in a Boat	1975	TV Movie	Harris
Monty Python and the Holy Grail	1975		First Swallow-Savvy Guard Dennis Peasant 2 ...
Full House	1973	TV Series	Actor in sketches
Is This a Record?	1973	Short
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus	1972	TV Series	Third Bruce / Second Frenchman / Rapist / ...
And Now for Something Completely Different	1971		Gumby Man with tape recorder Phrasebook Author ...
Euroshow 71	1971	TV Movie	Various (as Montypython Flyingcircus)
Ending It All	1970	Short
A Christmas Night with the Stars	1969	TV Series	Various - Monty Python's Flying Circus segment
Hark at Barker	1969	TV Series
Do Not Adjust Your Set	1967-1969	TV Series	Various Characters
Marty	1969	TV Series	Various Characters
Complete and Utter History of Britain	1969	TV Series	Various James I Charles II ...
David Frost Presents	1969	TV Series	Malcolm / Bona Fide Movie-Goer / Head Waiter / ...
Broaden Your Mind	1968	TV Series	Various Characters
Frost on Sunday	1968	TV Series	Various
Twice a Fortnight	1967-1968	TV Series	Various Characters
A Series of Bird's	1967	TV Series

Writer

Title	Year	Status
Monty Python Live (Mostly)	2014
Michael Palin in Wyeth's World	2013	Documentary uncredited
Brazil with Michael Palin	2012	TV Mini-Series documentary written by - 4 episodes
Around the World in 20 Years	2008	TV Movie documentary written by
New Europe	2007	TV Mini-Series documentary writer - 7 episodes
The Mystery of the Missing Morsel of Murder at Moorstones Manor	2004	Video short
Himalaya with Michael Palin	2004	TV Series documentary written by - 3 episodes
Education Tips No. 41: Choosing a Really Expensive School	2003	Video short
The Best of the Two Ronnies: Volume 2	2003	Video
Sahara with Michael Palin	2002	TV Mini-Series documentary
Eric Idle: Exploits Monty Python	2002
The Best of the Two Ronnies	2002	Video
Michael Palin on... the Colourists	2000	TV Movie documentary uncredited
Python Night: 30 Years of Monty Python	1999	TV Movie documentary
Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure	1999	TV Series documentary written by - 4 episodes
Ex-S	1997	TV Series documentary 1 episode
Full Circle with Michael Palin	1997	TV Mini-Series documentary
Fierce Creatures	1997	idea for "The Fierce Animal Policy"
Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail	1996	Video Game screenplay "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"
Great Railway Journeys	1994	TV Series documentary writer - 1 episode
Pole to Pole	1992	TV Mini-Series documentary
American Friends	1991	screenplay / story
Around the World in 80 Days	1989	TV Mini-Series documentary writer - 7 episodes
Parrot Sketch Not Included: Twenty Years of Monty Python	1989	TV Special sketches
Number 27	1988	writer
Consuming Passions	1988	play "Secrets"
Screen Two	1987	TV Series writer - 1 episode
Bombardemagnus	1985	TV Mini-Series screenplay - 2 episodes
Comic Roots	1983	TV Series written by - 1 episode
The Meaning of Life	1983	written by
The Missionary	1982	written by
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl	1982	Documentary written by
Time Bandits	1981	written by
The Box	1981	Short
Great Railway Journeys of the World	1980	TV Series documentary writer - 1 episode
Henry Cleans Up	1979	Short
Ripping Yarns		TV Series by - 8 episodes, 1976 - 1979 written by - 1 episode, 1979
Life of Brian	1979	written by
Pleasure at Her Majesty's	1976	TV Movie documentary writer
The Two Ronnies		TV Series writer - 7 episodes, 1971 - 1972 written by - 6 episodes, 1973 - 1976
The Punch Review	1975	TV Series
Monty Python and the Holy Grail	1975	written by
Monty Python's Flying Circus		TV Series written by - 44 episodes, 1969 - 1974 creator - 1 episode, 1973 additional material - 1 episode, 1969
Black and Blue	1973	TV Series writer - 1 episode
Full House	1973	TV Series sketch writer - 1 episode
Is This a Record?	1973	Short additional material
A Christmas Night with the Stars		TV Series 1 episode, 1969 script: The Two Ronnies - 1 episode, 1972
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus	1972	TV Series written by
And Now for Something Completely Different	1971	screen foreplay & conception
Percy	1971	key writer - uncredited
Marty Amok	1970	TV Movie
Frost on Sunday	1970	TV Series script - 2 episodes
Do Not Adjust Your Set		TV Series written by - 12 episodes, 1967 - 1968 writer - 1 episode, 1969
Marty		TV Series additional material - 4 episodes, 1968 written by - 1 episode, 1969
Complete and Utter History of Britain	1969	TV Series writer - 2 episodes
Broaden Your Mind	1968	TV Series additional material - 2 episodes
Horne A'Plenty	1968	TV Series writer
Twice a Fortnight	1967	TV Series writer - 10 episodes
A Series of Bird's	1967	TV Series additional material - 8 episodes
The Late Show	1966	TV Series
The Frost Report	1966	TV Series

Soundtrack

Title	Year	Status
A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman	2012	writer: "Christmas in Heaven Song - Swing"
The Amazing Race Australia	2012	TV Series writer - 1 episode
Monty Python: Almost the Truth - The Lawyer's Cut		TV Mini-Series 1 episode, 2009 writer - 1 episode, 2009
Timeshift		TV Series documentary performer - 1 episode, 2008 writer - 1 episode, 2008
Himalaya with Michael Palin		TV Series documentary performer - 1 episode, 2004 writer - 1 episode, 2004
S.P.U.N.G	2002	TV Series lyrics - 1 episode
Full Circle with Michael Palin	1997	TV Mini-Series documentary performer - 1 episode
The Meaning of Life	1983	lyrics: "Every Sperm Is Sacred" / performer: "Oh Lord Please Don't Burn Us", "Every Sperm Is Sacred"
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl	1982	Documentary writer: "The Lumberjack Song"
Monty Python's Flying Circus		TV Series 1 episode, 1970 performer - 4 episodes, 1969 - 1974 writer - 2 episodes, 1969 - 1970
And Now for Something Completely Different	1971	performer: "The Lumberjack Song" / writer: "The Lumberjack Song"

Miscellaneous

Title	Year	Status
Fierce Creatures	1997	idea
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl	1982	Documentary stage director - as Monty Python
And Now for Something Completely Different	1971	presenter - as Monty Python

Producer

Title	Year	Status	Character
Benjamin Huntsman	1992	executive producer
The Missionary	1982	producer

Music Department

Title	Year	Status	Character
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus	1972	TV Series composer: song "Holzfallerliederhosen"

Thanks

Title	Year	Status
Tommy Oliver and the Fighting Spirit	2015	Short inspiration
Writing the Film That Dares Not Speak Its Name: Michael Palin on Writing 'Time Bandits'	2013	Video short special thanks
Edición Especial Coleccionista	2010	TV Series dedicatee - 1 episode
The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen	2008	Video documentary special thanks
Virgin Territory	2007	special thanks
The Secret Life of Brian	2007	TV Movie documentary thanks

Self

Title	Year	Status	Character
50 Films to See Before You Die	2006	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Monty Python's Personal Best	2006	TV Series	Himself / Various Characters
Mark Lawson Talks to...	2006	TV Series	Himself
The 50 Greatest Comedy Films	2006	TV Movie documentary	Himself
The 50 Greatest Documentaries	2005	TV Movie documentary	Himself
What Did ITV Do for Me?	2005	TV Movie documentary	Himself (as Michael Palin CBE)
Michael Palin & the Mystery of Hammershøi	2005	TV Movie documentary	Host
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross	2005	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Late Night with Conan O'Brien	1997-2005	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Britain's 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches	2005	TV Movie documentary	Himself
I Told You I Was Ill: The Life and Legacy of Spike Milligan	2005	Documentary	Himself
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments	2004	TV Movie documentary	Himself
The Late Late Show	2004	TV Series	Himself
Good Morning Australia	2004	TV Series	Himself - Guest
The Panel	2004	TV Series	Himself
Rove Live	2004	TV Series	Himself
Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and Dr. Strangelove	2004	Video documentary short	Himself
Richard & Judy	2004	TV Series	Himself - Guest
George Harrison: The Dark Horse Years 1976-1992	2004	Video documentary	Himself (segment "Crackerbox Palace")
Ronnie Barker: A BAFTA Tribute	2004	TV Movie	Himself
Himalaya with Michael Palin	2004	TV Series documentary	Host / Himself
Concert for George	2003	Video documentary	Himself / Bevis
The Meaning of Making 'The Meaning of Life'	2003	Video documentary	Himself
BBC London News	2003	TV Series	Himself
Something Fishy	2003	Video documentary short	Himself
The Fat	2003	TV Series	Himself
Billy Connolly: A BAFTA Tribute	2002	TV Movie documentary	Himself
V Graham Norton	2002	TV Series	Himself - Guest
The British Comedy Awards 2002	2002	TV Special documentary	Himself - Lifetime Achievement Award
Life on Air	2002	TV Movie documentary	Himself - Presenter
The Grierson Documentary Awards 2002	2002	TV Movie documentary	Himself - Presenter
Sahara with Michael Palin	2002	TV Mini-Series documentary	Host
Spike Milligan: I Told You I Was Ill... - A Live Tribute	2002	TV Movie	Himself
Heroes of Comedy	1997-2002	TV Series documentary	Himself
This Is Your Life	2002	TV Series documentary	Himself
The British Comedy Awards 2001	2001	TV Special	Himself
The 100 Greatest Films	2001	TV Movie documentary	Himself
The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations	2001	Video documentary	Himself
How to Use Your Coconuts	2001	Video short documentary	Minister of Foods
The Human Face	2001	TV Mini-Series documentary	Applicant / Peasant / Himself
From Spam to Sperm	2000	TV Movie	Himself
Michael Palin on... the Colourists	2000	TV Movie documentary	Himself - Presenter
The Unknown Peter Sellers	2000	TV Special documentary	Himself
2000 Today	1999	TV Movie	Himself
Pythonland	1999	TV Movie	Himself
30 Years of Monty Python, a Revelation	1999	TV Movie documentary Himself
Clive Anderson All Talk	1997-1999	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure	1999	TV Series documentary	Himself
Comic Relief: The Record Breaker	1999	TV Special	Himself
Live from the Lighthouse	1998	TV Special	Himself
Fantasy World Cup	1998	TV Series	Himself
Spike Night	1998	TV Series	Himself
Monty Python's Flying Circus: Live at Aspen	1998	TV Special	Himself / Various Roles
The Unseen Frank Skinner TV Show	1997	Video	Himself
Ex-S	1997	TV Series documentary	Himself - Presenter
The Daily Show	1997	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Full Circle with Michael Palin	1997	TV Mini-Series documentary	Himself
Mundo VIP	1997	TV Series	Himself
Richard and Judy Exclusive	1997	TV Series	Himself
TFI Friday	1997	TV Series	Himself
The Frank Skinner Show	1997	TV Series	Himself
Saturday Night Live	1978-1997	TV Series	Various / Himself - Host / Himself / ...
Auntie's All-Time Greats	1996	TV Movie	Himself - Presenter
Comic Relief	1995	TV Special segment "Oliver 2: Let's twist Again"
Palin's Column	1994	TV Series	Himself
Pebble Mill at One	1994	TV Series	Himself
Clive James	1994	TV Series	Himself
Great Railway Journeys	1994	TV Series documentary	Himself - Presenter
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno	1993	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Late Night with David Letterman	1982-1993	TV Series	Himself / Himself - Guest
Bore of the Year Awards	1993	TV Special	Himself ('Michael Palin's Curb To Curb' segment)
Pole to Pole	1992	TV Mini-Series documentary	Himself
Aspel & Company	1990-1991	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Everyman	1991	TV Series documentary	Himself - Introduction
1001 Nights of TV	1991	TV Movie documentary	Himself - Presenter
Omnibus	1976-1990	TV Series documentary	Himself
Viz: The Documentary	1990	Video documentary	Himself
Life of Python	1990	TV Special documentary	Himself / Various Roles
The Movie Life of George	1989	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Around the World in 80 Days	1989	TV Mini-Series documentary	Himself - Presenter
Parrot Sketch Not Included: Twenty Years of Monty Python	1989	TV Special	Himself (cameo) / Various Roles (achive footage)
Wogan	1986-1989	TV Series	Himself - Guest
The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball	1989	TV Movie documentary	Himself
A Night of Comic Relief 2	1989	TV Special	Himself
Freedomfest: Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Celebratation	1988	TV Special documentary	Himself
The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross	1987	TV Series	Himself
The Grand Knockout Tournament	1987	TV Special	Himself
Comedians Do It on Stage	1986	TV Movie	Himself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson	1985-1986	TV Series	Himself - Guest / Himself
Comic Relief	1986/II	TV Special documentary	Himself (scenes deleted)
Spike	1986	TV Movie documentary	Himself
The London Standard Film Awards	1986	TV Special	Himself
What Is Brazil?	1985	TV Short documentary	Himself
The Secret Policeman's Private Parts	1984	Documentary	Himself
Comic Roots	1983	TV Series	Himself / Various Characters
The Meaning of Monty Python's Meaning of Life	1983	TV Short documentary	Himself
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball	1982	Documentary	Himself / Various Roles - Special Guest Appearance
OTT	1982	TV Series	Himself
Clapper Board	1981	TV Series	Himself
Great Railway Journeys of the World	1980	TV Series documentary	Himself - Presenter
Top of the Pops	1980	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Les rendez-vous du dimanche	1980	TV Series	Himself
The Pythons: Somewhere in Tunisia, Circa A.D. 1979	1979	TV Movie documentary	Himself
The Secret Policeman's Ball	1979	TV Movie documentary	Various Roles
Friday Night, Saturday Morning	1979	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Pleasure at Her Majesty's	1976	TV Movie documentary	Pet Shop Owner
Monty Python & the Holy Grail Location Report	1974	TV Short documentary	Himself (uncredited)
The Midnight Special	1973-1974	TV Series	Himself
Now!	1965	TV Series	Himself - Presenter
Living with Parkinson's		TV Movie documentary filming rumored
ITV Lunchtime News	2016	TV Series	Himself
Six O'Clock News	2016	TV Series	Himself
25th British Academy Cymru Awards	2016	TV Movie documentary
Richard E. Grant on Ealing Comedies	2016	TV Mini-Series documentary	Himself
Who Is Dervla Murphy? Special Edition	2016	Documentary	Himself
The One Show	2008-2016	TV Series	Himself - Guest / Himself
Go' morgen Danmark	2016	TV Series	Himself
Generation '66	2016	TV Movie documentary
Michael Palin's Quest for Artemisia	2015	Documentary	Himself - Presenter
The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One	2015	TV Movie	Himself
Talking Books: Travel Writer Specials - Michael Palin	2015	TV Movie documentary	Himself
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon	2015	TV Series	Himself - Monty Python
Mel & Sue	2015	TV Series	Himself
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year	2014	TV Movie	Himself
Rik Mayall: Lord of Misrule	2014	TV Movie	Himself
Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace	2014	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Monty Python: The Meaning of Live	2014	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Imagine	2014	TV Series documentary	Himself
50 Years of BBC2 Comedy	2014	TV Movie documentary
The Graham Norton Show	2009-2013	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Michael Palin in Wyeth's World	2013	Documentary	Himself - Presenter
Sir David Frost: That Was the Life That Was	2013	TV Movie documentary	Himself - Writer, 'The Frost Report'
The Meaning of Monty Python	2013	Video documentary	Himself
David Frost: Hello, Good Evening & Farewell	2013	TV Movie documentary	Himself - Writer, The Frost Report
Writing the Film That Dares Not Speak Its Name: Michael Palin on Writing 'Time Bandits'	2013	Video short	Himself
The Agenda with Steve Paikin	2013	TV Series	Himself
Politics on Track	2013	TV Movie documentary	Himself - Broadcaster
Frost on Sketch Shows	2013	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Arqiva British Academy Television Awards	2013	TV Special	Himself
Skavlan	2013	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Just Dandy	2012	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Brazil with Michael Palin	2012	TV Mini-Series documentary	Himself - Narrator
The Late Great Eric Sykes	2012	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Anatomy of a Liar	2012	Documentary	Himself
The Alan Titchmarsh Show	2009-2012	TV Series	Himself
Daybreak	2012	TV Series	Himself
John Le Mesurier: It's All Been Rather Lovely	2012	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Perspectives	2012	TV Series documentary	Himself
Empire	2012	TV Mini-Series documentary	Himself - Co-Writer, Ripping Yarns
The Secret Policeman's Ball	2012	TV Movie	Himself
The Kid's Speech	2011	TV Movie documentary	Himself
QI Genesis	2011	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Arena	2004-2011	TV Series documentary	Himself
My Life	2011	TV Series documentary	Himself
That Sunday Night Show	2011	TV Series	Himself
Breakfast	2004-2010	TV Series	Himself - Guest / Himself - President, Royal Geographical Society
Not the Messiah: The Road to the Albert Hall	2009	Documentary short	Himself
Around the World in 80 Days	2009	TV Mini-Series	Himself
Monty Python: Almost the Truth - The Lawyer's Cut	2009	TV Mini-Series	Himself
This Morning	2009	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Fawlty Exclusive: Basil's Best Bits	2009	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Monty Python in Aberystwyth	2009	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened	2009	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Timewatch	2008-2009	TV Series documentary	Himself - Host / Himself
Movie Connections	2009	TV Series documentary	Himself
Around the World in 20 Years	2008	TV Movie documentary	Himself - Narrator
The Man Who Made Eric & Ernie	2008	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Timeshift	2008	TV Series documentary	Himself
Get Up and Go: The Making of 'The Rutles'	2008	Video documentary short	Himself
Comedy Connections	2005-2008	TV Series documentary	Himself / Various Characters
The Seventh Python	2008	Documentary	Himself
Sunday AM	2008	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Legends	2008	TV Series documentary	Himself
The Frost Report Is Back	2008	TV Movie	Himself
New Heroes of Comedy	2008	TV Series documentary	Himself
New Europe	2007	TV Mini-Series documentary	Himself - Presenter
Parkinson	1982-2007	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Tiswas Reunited	2007	TV Special	Himself
Comic Relief 2007: The Big One	2007	TV Special	Himself
The Comedy Map of Britain	2007	TV Series documentary	Himself
The Secret Life of Brian	2007	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Richard & Judy's Christmas Books	2006	TV Movie	Himself
The South Bank Show	2005-2006	TV Series documentary	Himself
The Culture Show	2006	TV Series documentary	Himself
TV's 50 Greatest Stars	2006	TV Movie documentary	Himself

Archive Footage

Title	Year	Status	Character
Victoria Derbyshire	2016	TV Series	Himself
Edición Especial Coleccionista	2010-2014	TV Series	Sir Galahad the Pure Dennis Peasant 2 ...
Family Guy	2013	TV Series	'It's' Man
The Graham Norton Show	2009	TV Series	Himself
Comedy Songs: The Pop Years	2008	TV Movie documentary	Himself (as Monty Python)
Comedy Connections	2007-2008	TV Series documentary	Mr. P. Forbes
Morir de humor	2008	TV Movie
The Comedy Map of Britain	2008	TV Series documentary	Various
50 Greatest Comedy Catchphrases	2008	TV Movie documentary	Various (uncredited)
The Story of Jackanory	2007	TV Movie documentary	Himself - 'Jackanory' Storyteller
Hitler: The Comedy Years	2007	TV Movie documentary	Heinrich Himmler (uncredited)
Room 101	2007	TV Series	Flight Attendant
What the Pythons Did Next...	2007	TV Movie documentary	Various Characters (uncredited)
The Comedians' Comedian	2005	TV Movie documentary
Sendung ohne Namen	2002	TV Series documentary
Timeshift	2002	TV Series documentary	Himself - Monty Python
George Harrison - Der sanfte Beatle	2001	TV Short documentary	Himself
The Sketch Show Story	2001	TV Series documentary	Himself / Various Characters
The Directors	2000	TV Series documentary	Himself
John Cleese & Anders Lund Madsen	1999	TV Short documentary	Himself
SNL: 25 Years of Music	1999	TV Movie	Mr. Jenkins / Tim Allen (uncredited)
Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time	1994	Video Game	Various
Funny Business	1992	TV Series documentary
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary	1989	TV Special	Miles Cowperthwaite (uncredited)
That's the Way the Money Goes	1978	TV Series	Shopkeeper - Dead Parrot Sketch
To See Such Fun	1977	Documentary	Himself
The Dean Martin Comedy World	1974	TV Series	Himself

Won awards

Year	Award	Ceremony	Nomination	Movie	Award shared with
2013	Academy Fellowship	BAFTA Awards		BAFTA Television
2005	Special Award	BAFTA Awards
2002	Lifetime Achievement Award	British Comedy Awards
1994	CableACE	CableACE Awards	Recreation and Leisure Special or Series	Pole to Pole (1992)	· Anne James (executive producer) · Clem Vallance (producer/director) · Roger Mills (director)
1991	Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award	Writers' Guild of Great Britain	Film - Screenplay	American Friends (1991)	· Tristram Powell
1989	BAFTA Film Award	BAFTA Awards	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
1989	ACE	CableACE Awards	Writing a Movie or Miniseries	Screen Two (1985)
1986	Peter Sellers Award for Comedy	Evening Standard British Film Awards

Nominated awards

Year	Award	Ceremony	Nomination	Movie	Award shared with
2001	Video Premiere Award	DVD Exclusive Awards	Best Audio Commentary	Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)	· John Cleese · Eric Idle
1994	CableACE	CableACE Awards	Informational or Documentary Host	Pole to Pole (1992)
1992	BAFTA TV Award	BAFTA Awards	Best Actor	G.B.H. (1991)
1984	BAFTA Film Award	BAFTA Awards	Best Original Song	The Meaning of Life (1983)	· André Jacquemin · Dave Howman · Terry Jones
1982	Saturn Award	Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA	Best Writing	Time Bandits (1981)	· Terry Gilliam
1982	Hugo	Hugo Awards	Best Dramatic Presentation	Time Bandits (1981)	· Terry Gilliam (written by/director)
1976	Hugo	Hugo Awards	Best Dramatic Presentation	Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)	· Terry Gilliam (written by/director) · Terry Jones (written by/director) · Graham Chapman (written by) · John Cleese (written by) · Eric Idle (written by)

Title	Salary
Jabberwocky (1977)	£6,000

#	Quote
1	I'm a Wallander (2008) fan. Another favourite is Mad Men (2007) and, on radio, almost anything on BBC 6 Music, which takes me out of my musical comfort zone.
2	[on the different kinds of fans he meets] One are the people who know me from Python, and want a bit of a laugh, especially if they've had a drink or two. A lot of the others now are people who've seen me traveling, and they're slightly more sober, and they're just interested in travel, where I've been, all that sort of thing. And the third lot are the people who've seen Ripping Yarns, who, like George Harrison, I revere.
3	[Explaining how Terry Gilliam, unlike himself, has carved out a film career] Gilliam is a battler. He's like some sort of samurai warrior; wherever he goes, there are corpses.
4	Being feted in Hollywood is quite irresistible. They are very warm and very generous. But as soon as the takings go down and you have a bad third week, the calls aren't returned.
5	[on Robin Williams] He could do it all, he could do absolutely everything, and he could do everybody.
6	[on the thought of performing with Robin Williams] It would have been like being invited to play in a jazz band when you couldn't play an instrument.
7	[on the death of Robin Williams] His ear for mimicry was superb and he could do parody brilliantly. I can imagine that having that ability is a bit like being possessed - the devil of comedy is in you and it must have been hard to live with.
8	Fame really is a trap. When I start complaining about this, [my wife] Helen quite rightly says: 'Well, here's an idea: don't make another 10-part television series.' But fame would cut anybody off from the kind of things that I like to do, [such as] observing the world. Learning about trains. Discovering new music. You also find yourself bearing other people's expectations. I don't want to bear anybody's expectations. I just want to do... what I can do. And to be judged on that. All of this comes back to what Ernest Hemingway said: 'Don't talk about writing; just write.' And I sometimes tend to think: 'Don't talk about living; just live.'
9	When I read profiles of myself I sometimes think: I have spent my whole life struggling to understand my motivations and impulses, and I've never quite sorted them out. To be absolutely frank with you, I'm still not sure I understand them. Then these people wander in, and suddenly they've cracked it in half-an-hour. I always assumed that, with age, I would understand myself better. Unfortunately, it's proving to be quite the opposite. I'm no closer to defining what it is that I really am than I ever was - other than somebody who is intensely curious about life.
10	I loved Spike Milligan, yet I never realised, until I got to know him, that this person, who made me so happy, was desperate, and that writing the comedy I adored was tearing his life apart. When I interviewed him for Comic Roots (1982), I asked him what it felt like to work on The Goon Show (1968). He said, 'It was like one good summer.'" What a moving phrase that is. 'One good summer'. Something fleeting, that you can never recapture. That sense of: was it all just a dream? I think it was extremely perceptive of Spike to say that.
11	People look for patterns in everything. It's what keeps us sane, I suppose. I struggle to see any patterns in my life. I think I can understand depression a bit because of my sister. My own feelings of ... I'm aware that, if you feel down, it can be strangely unrelated to circumstances around you. That's just the way life is.
12	[Michael's sister Angela] so much wanted to act. She never got big parts; it didn't really work out for her. But I think she had depression going way back. She was gifted, intelligent and very funny. But for some reason she just couldn't value herself enough.
13	No, I don't think [my father] quite... got Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969). Also, he was developing Parkinson's and the medication was giving him hallucinations. Graham Chapman was a medical man, as you know. He was fascinated by the fact that my father was seeing hamsters running up his trouser leg. In fact, my mother would have to retrieve them and put them in a bag ... I was grateful then that we could laugh, and Graham found it extraordinary that it was so surreal and Pythonic. My mother, bless her, defended Python. I don't know how much she understood it.
14	We did enjoy writing sketches about Marcel Proust. And we were actually trying to debunk that sort of elitism. But you do have to know about something, in order to debunk it. Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969) has suffered from very high praise. There were some things that quite laboriously didn't work. The television shows were, as you suggest, uneven. Really good material was in there, among a lot of dross. I still think some of the obscure stuff is good, and often needed to be there.
15	Well, John Cleese, of course, is from Weston-super-Mare. So he knows all about pleasure and fulfillment. I think he set himself a very high standard of achievement and possibly feels he never quite attained it. He's always moving: first to New York, then to California, now Monaco. Where next? I always wanted to say to him: 'John, you're so talented. You have a lovely wife and kids; just relax.' But there was always something more that he wanted, to a point that was almost destructive.
16	Something about John Cleese was always very unsettled, I felt. There was always something else he wanted to do. He seemed constantly driven by this sense that there was a nirvana somewhere; some unique place where mind, body and soul would be utterly satisfied.
17	I met [John Cleese] on The Frost Report (1966), after which he was offered all sorts of things, but he rang me up instead, and decided to do Python. Which was quite a risk, for a man so driven by success. When we were collaborating, the only question was: does this work or not? He was very funny, and he appreciated good writing from others. So that was fine. Until the third series, when John clearly wanted to go, and people started to ask why. Whenever humour is taken out of the equation, the Pythons don't necessarily get along that well. Comedy brought us together.
18	I just loved acting with [John Cleese]. Perhaps because there was no competition between us. I was short and he was tall. He was imperious and I was defensive. He needed me and I needed him. It made those shop sketches, like the dead parrot, extremely enjoyable to do. Me trying to be endlessly obliging, him being increasingly aggressive.
19	Yes. Until [meeting the future members of Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969) I had been a very obliging kind of a guy. Having to defend your material, in that company... you just couldn't be diffident. Also, I realised that I was quite good at it. They gave me great confidence.
20	[I'm] one of that cursed generation doomed to take nothing seriously.
21	[My father] was always confronting people. Bus conductors, waitresses: he felt everyone was laying traps and should be treated with suspicion. There was always tension when he was around. I found it deeply embarrassing. That's why I hate rows and try to avoid confrontation.
22	I couldn't say that I was frightened of my father. But I never felt totally comfortable with him. Perhaps because of his stammer. When you just can't get the words out, it distances you. And it placed you - as an articulate child - in the awkward position of being able to do something which he, the adult, couldn't. I imagine that could be enervating. That might have been it. My father did have a slight tendency to put down anything I did. I don't think he meant it.
23	I have never claimed to be the nicest man in the world. That's a cliché that has somehow come to be widely accepted. It drives [wife] Helen mad. As she and my children [Tom, Will and Rachel, now all grown-up] will testify, I have a short fuse over certain things. Like if the one-inch nails are not where they should be in the box, and they've been moved to the three-inch section. [Pantomime bellow] Who did this?
24	I am certainly more interested in interviewing than being interviewed. Sometimes you find yourself attacked from the start.
25	Fame changes everything. When you're well-known, you're expected to be different. Some people assume you must have a yacht, and four homes. Or that you're famous because you are 'A Decent Man'. Just think of the number of people who do selfless work in this country every day; nobody has even heard of them.
26	I don't see why it should be remarkable that you can acquire a reputation for fairness and decency. Those are qualities shared by so many people. And the great majority of people I meet are decent people, just trying to navigate their way through the world without causing too much trouble.
27	I thought the Fish Called Wanda (A Fish Called Wanda (1988)) script was awful when John (John Cleese) first showed it to me ... and it's the most successful film I've ever done.
28	People tend to think that those in showbiz are awful, apart from a couple of us like Gary Lineker and myself, who are nice. I think Gary is married to a younger woman now so he's lost a few points and doesn't have to be nice anymore. Lucky him!
29	I'm not that ambitious. I didn't have a goal. I wanted to write well, act well and bring up my family well and sometimes you couldn't do one and the other at the same time.
30	The freedom to do what I wanted to do was much more important to me than the shackles of stardom. The more money you earn, the higher your status, the more people are around you. I don't know how people like Johnny Depp operate. He's got about 40 or 50 people who look after his life. My people are my wife and my kids and my grandsons.
31	We've had disagreements over the years about lifestyle and business and money, and all the things peripheral to what we do best of all, which is produce comedy. The one thing that hasn't changed is our enjoyment of each other's sense of humour. I've always been wary of a Python reunion because we don't have Graham Chapman, who was such an important part of Python. He had his problems - he was a self-confessed alcoholic - but, God, he was a good actor and an odd, eccentric writer, too. We'd miss him if we got back together.
32	I was an enormous fan of The Beatles. When Terry Jones and I were writing together during the 60s, whenever a new Beatles album came out we were at the shop first thing to get our copy. We put off a day's writing to get to grips with the White Album. It influenced us very much, not just the music but what The Beatles stood for, a quality they had in their music and their writing that was so different to the pop we'd grown up with in the 50s and early 60s. We loved the lyrics and the poetry, as well as the humour in it. The Beatles represented something sort of young and fresh that we hoped we were also a part of.
33	[From an interview about the late Graham Chapman]: "He always regarded death as highly overrated and could never understand why anybody made such a fuss about it".