Talk:List of Monty Python's Flying Circus episodes

The 7th Python

"American Astronaut Buzz Aldrin (and partly Neil Armstrong) wrote this episode." Are you really sure about that ? It's in fact certainly a joke : he appears in the credit but I don't see him write an episode for a series in the BBC. (not a registered user). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.204.75.236 (talk) 05:42, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Adding Minor Sketches

I would like to add some supplemental information about some of these slightly less well-known Python sketches, particularly the Death of Mary/Exploding Penguin bit. Would such sketches be best described in brief sections, having anchor links in the top shortcut to them, or would any merit their own full article? --Ipso-De-Facto 19:31, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Yummy, yummy

Does anybody know for sure who sang "Yummy, yummy, yummy" (Episode 24)? There's nobody credited for it. To me, it sounds a bit like Beatles, but I'm not at all sure... Somebody who knows? Jonathan Gr 09:11, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

It was performed by Ohio Express. Orca99usa 14:48, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Well, the original hit was, anyways. A cover band performed the televised version. -Vonbontee (talk) 09:09, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Sorry, the original Ohio Express version was the one used in the Python episode.PacificBoy 23:29, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Splitting this by season or by each episode

Has anyone considered splitting this up wither by each season or by each episode and creating a synopses of each episode? It is just a thought. Chris 20:26, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

cleaned a bit

I removed things in the Trivia sections that weren't trivia but opinions on quality, summaries, or lone quotes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Redrum Frank (talk • contribs) 11:11, 17 November 2007

Source for sketches listed within each episode?

Is there a source for the list of sketches within each episode (ie. do they appear as chapters on the DVD or anything?) Some seem rather arbitrary... —Preceding unsigned comment added by And4e (talk • contribs) 21:55, 15 December 2007 (UTC)

The index to All the Words would seem an authoritative list of skits. I don't know if this article reflects that, though. —Tamfang (talk) 18:01, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Assume that you mean Just the Words (see thread below). In that book, the contents pages (volume 1 pp. vii-ix; vol. 2 pp. vii-x) seem to have the best lists of sketch titles by episode. The sketch titles do also appear in the index, but that is better for locating which episode a particular sketch appears in, not the other way around. The index in vol. 2 is more complete than that in vol. 1, although both of them attempt to cover both volumes. --Redrose64 (talk) 19:54, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Er, yeah. (My copy is in a box.) In 2002 I copied the indices and sorted them by page number. Now that I've found the file again, comparing to our article:

index	our article
a [previous] Scotsman on a horse	(nothing; same page as "wrestling Epilogue")
Kenny Lust	Ken Buddha and His Inflatable Knees
	Brian Islam and Brucie (animation)
Arthur Tree	It's a Tree
letter (lavatorial humour)	Lavatorial Humour
Mr Hilter	Mr. Hilter and the Minehead by-election
the Minehead by-election
intermissions	(nothing; same page as Restaurant)
restaurant (abuse/cannibalism)	Restaurant Abuse/Cannibalism
Stonehenge	Stonehenge and Mr. Attila the Hun
Mr Attila the Hun
psychiatry - silly sketch	Psychiatry
operating theatre (squatters)	Operating theatre
(nothing)	La March[e] Futile
	Tax on Thingy
court (charades)	Court Charades
(nothing)	An apology
	Gumby announcement
architect	Architects Sketch
how to give up being a Mason	How to Recognize a Mason
(nothing)	An apology/Another Gumby announcement
	An Interview with a Nude Man
	The Bishop...Again?!
	An apology
	Gumby Frog Curse/Another Another Gumby Announcement
words not to be used again	An Apology/Words Not to be Used Again
(nothing)	Another Apology
	End Credits
	Last Gumby announcement (The end)
	The First Item...
	The Next Item (or dish)...
	Continued from the Escape from Film
	The Next Item (...Prawn Salad...?)...
	Interruption
	The Last Item (coffee)...
documentary on boxer	(nothing; same page as Ken Clean-Air System)

... Bored now, maybe I'll come back to this later. —Tamfang (talk) 02:44, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

I recently unpacked my copy of All the Words, whose credits page says "Published in the United Kingdom as Monty Python's Flying Circus: Just the Words, by Methuen London." —Tamfang (talk) 08:20, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

Grammar problem

Being not a native speaker I was wondering, is it "Fraud Film Director's Squad" or "Fraud Film Directors Squad" ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.189.39.37 (talk) 16:35, 27 April 2008

The questions are, (a) is "film directors" the plural of "film director", or is the squad owned by the director(s); and (b) if owned, how many directors own the squad? If one, it's "Director's Squad"; if several, it's "Directors' Squad".

• Chapman, Graham; Cleese, John; Gilliam, Terry; Idle, Eric; Jones, Terry; Palin, Michael (1990) [1989]. "Twenty-nine". Monty Python's Flying Circus: Just the Words. Vol. Volume Two. London: Mandarin. p. 78. ISBN 0-7493-0226-7. I am Inspector Leopard of Scotland Yard, Special Fraud Film Director Squad. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)

As shown above, the script states "Film Director Squad", so we must assume that "Director" is a singular noun (and not a possessive), used here as a noun adjunct (instead of using an adjective) to describe the noun "Squad". "Film" is also a noun adjunct. "Special" and "Fraud" are adjectives. --Redrose64 (talk) 11:02, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Naked Organist Paul Ehrenfest ?

The Python group was highly educated and given Ehrenfest was mentally ill and committed suicide, it seemed possible that they made the connection. See 1924 picture on p. 260 of John Wheeler's "Geons, Black Holes and Quantum Foam" of Ehrenfest sitting [clothed] at a piano/organ, turned sideway. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.105.104.198 (talk) 17:16, 2 April 2009

This is out of the blue! Are you saying Paul Ehrenfest was known for nudism, or merely that the Nude Organist was inspired by the idea of a depressive who played an organ? The latter would be a very tenuous "connection". —Tamfang (talk) 18:06, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, whether it adds to the subject at hand or not, in live performances of the “Blackmail Sketch”, Palin usually said “Thank you,Onan.” whenever the organ was played. ( That being a bible reference to Onan playing with his organ. ). 75.107.41.198 (talk) 00:28, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

Why are the episodes numbered like this?

1.1 1. Whither Canada?
1.2 2. Sex and Violence
etc.

Is there a particlular reason for this? I would have thought just 1.1, 1.2 and so on would do or even just 1, 2 etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SteveDavey (talk • contribs) 00:50, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

It's a side-effect of the way the table of contents is built (see Help:Section for details); the "1. Whither Canada?" part comes from the level 3 heading, whereas the "1.1" is part of the TOC. --Redrose64 (talk) 11:06, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

I see. Well, not really, but I'll take your word for it, thanks. Is there no other way of doing it? It looks pretty bad and it makes a right mess if all you want to do is copy and paste a list of the episodes. It makes my brain hurt, as Mr. Gumby would say. cheers 17:24, 6 July 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by SteveDavey (talk • contribs)

Sketch names

Where do the names of the sketches come from. There is no source. The lists differ slightly from the lists on the DVD box set. McLerristarr | Mclay1 15:26, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

One possibility would be

• Chapman, Graham; Cleese, John; Gilliam, Terry; Idle, Eric; Jones, Terry; Palin, Michael (1990) [1989]. Monty Python's Flying Circus: Just the Words. London: Methuen. ISBN 0 7493 0226 7.

--Redrose64 (talk) 15:57, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

That source is listed but for one specific sketch. I've never read that book; does it give a list of every sketch? P.S. Please don't be a smart arse. McLerristarr | Mclay1 16:10, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

What makes me a smart arse? --Redrose64 (talk) 17:51, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

Talking as if the answer to my question is obvious. I'm not an idiot. I did look at the sources before posting this comment. Although I did say "Please don't be a smart arse" with an unwritten :P at the end. McLerristarr | Mclay1 03:34, 27 October 2010 (UTC)

I do have the book concerned, so I didn't just pinch it off the article's refs. It gives the script for every episode, apart from the animations; and for each episode, gives what seem to be sketch names on the contents page (but not in the individual episode scripts). For example, vol. 1 p. vii has:

1 One Whither Canada?: 'It's Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart'; Famous deaths; Italian lesson; Whizzo butter; 'It's the Arts'; Arthur 'Two-sheds' Jackson; Picasso/cycling race; The funniest joke in the world.

15 Two Sex and violence: Flying sheep; French lecture on sheep-aircraft; A man with three buttocks; A man with two noses; (etc.) Thus, the animation which goes between "Italian lesson" and "Whizzo butter" is ignored; and "It's Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" and "Famous deaths", which blend seamlessly together, are treated separately. --Redrose64 (talk) 19:20, 27 October 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, that seems to be the best place to get the names from, whether correct or not. I'm not sure where the sketch lists in the DVD box set came from, but they're fairly similar. McLerristarr | Mclay1 09:02, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

P.S. Sorry about the smart arse thing, it's difficult to tell people's tone of voice when reading. McLerristarr | Mclay1 09:02, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

I don't have the DVD box set; but I do have the separately-released DVDs (three two-disc sets and a single disc for series 4). They have folded sheets inside, with sketch lists which differ slightly from the script book. "The Complete First Series" (Sony Pictures CDRP 4351) has

EPISODE #1 Whither Canada? Original Recording date: September 7, 1969  • "It's Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart": Famous Deaths  • Italian lesson  • Whizzo butter  • "It's the Arts" – Sir Edward Ross  • Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson  • Picasso/Cycling Race  • Cartoon – Dancing Soldiers and a Falling Pig  • The Funniest Joke in the World

EPISODE #2 Sex and Violence Original Recording date: August 30, 1969  • Flying Sheep  • French Lecture on Sheep-Aircraft  • Pepperpots Discuss French Philosophers  • Cartoon – The Thinker  • A Man with Three Buttocks  • A Man with Two Noses (etc.)

Thus, the animation which goes between "Italian lesson" and "Whizzo butter" is again ignored, although some of the others are listed; whereas "It's Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" and "Famous deaths" are linked as one, in contrast to the script book. However: does reading the DVD packaging blurb count as WP:OR? --Redrose64 (talk) 12:39, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

I don't see why it should. It's no different to reading a book. Different DVD releases may contain different lists though, which could cause disagreements. McLerristarr | Mclay1 15:49, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

DVD releases

Please add a table of DVD releases in various regions. -71.174.180.113 (talk) 21:48, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

Cleese's last appearance?

Both "Grandstand" and and "Golden Age of Ballooning" claim to contain his last appearance. Which is it? - Richfife (talk) 15:16, 3 July 2014 (UTC)

Unless someone can point him out in L'Age doré du ballonage, I'd go with "Grandstand". —Tamfang (talk) 04:44, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

Milkman Seductress Revealed!

I'm glad the author of this page was keen eyed enough to realise - unlike say Kim Johnson and other published book authors - that the seductress , in the t.v. version , is NOT Carol Cleveland! But ... she is also NOT Donna Reading! ( Featured in the "You're No Fun Anymore!" episode. ). Donna Reading was much more petite than the seductress in question! According to the book "Monty Pthon's Flying Circus-Complete & Annotated" by Luke Dempsey , she is "Thelma Taylor" , another one of Ian McNaughton's "discoveries". So , I have changed that accordingly. Harvey J Satan (talk) 16:18, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

Episode 1 or episode 2?

According to the Larsen source (page 68) the "Whizzo Butter" sketch was in episode 2, not episode 1. The confusion may have arisen because it was written as episode 1 but not broadcast in that order. So either the episodes need to be renumbered, or the broadcast dates need to be changed. SpinningSpark 09:47, 6 March 2019 (UTC)

I now have another source that positively gives episode 1 and 2 the other way round. On the strength of that, I'm going to change the article. SpinningSpark 18:30, 6 March 2019 (UTC)

@Smartman1995: Why did you revert this? SpinningSpark 13:14, 4 April 2019 (UTC)

Since you haven't replied, I've reverted you. Your source was BBC Genome which is based on Radio Times listings. In the vast majority of cases this will be reliable, however, it does happen that programmes listed in Radio Times are sometimes cancelled, delayed, or replaced and do not match the actually broadcast programmes. My thinking, therefore, is that BBC Genome does not trump reliable book sources giving a different broadcast order, especially as one of them explicitly says they were broadcast in a different order to written. SpinningSpark 09:28, 10 April 2019 (UTC)

RfC on episode order

Should the order of episodes be amended? RfC relisted by Cunard (talk) at 00:02, 19 May 2019 (UTC). SpinningSpark 13:34, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

• I presented evidence above that the order was wrong with reliable sources, but since I have been reverted twice without explanation (not even in edit summary) it has been necessary to open this RfC. SpinningSpark 13:36, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

  According to

  • Chapman, Graham; Cleese, John; Gilliam, Terry; Idle, Eric; Jones, Terry; Palin, Michael (1990) [1989]. Monty Python's Flying Circus: Just the Words. London: Methuen. vol. 1, pp. vii, 1, 4, 320. ISBN 0-7493-0226-7.

  the sketch "Whizzo Butter" appeared in the episode that was titled "Whither Canada?"; this episode was the third to be recorded (on 7 September 1969) but the first to be broadcast, on 5 October 1969. However, the table "Transmission details", on p. 320, has a column "Number as recorded" (which does not correspond with the recording date) that suggests that the originally-intended sequence of the first series was altered before actual transmission, and three pairs of episodes (1/2, 6/7, 9/10) were exchanged. --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 23:09, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

Trivial Bits & Bobs …

During the Crackpot Religions sketch, among the vox pops, is an uncaptioned Eric Idle as John Lennon, whom is “fighting a war for peace”. ( All the others are captioned as, “Bishop < insert silly name here > “). This is possibly Eric’s first impersonation of a Beatle.

The Dennis Moore theme is meant to be a parody of the popular British television show “The Adventures of Robin Hood”.

The final episode of Series 4, ends with a sketch titled, “Ursula Hitler”. The sketch, like many items, was edited out, for whatever reason. (Re-inserted on the latest blu-ray / dvd release by Network.) 75.107.41.198 (talk) 00:44, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

Oops! Slight error … the Ursula Hitler sketch, is still introduced on the Network release of season 4, episode 6, but, cuts off. The full intended sketch is included as a deleted scene. ( Not sure if the full sketch was ever broadcast, or edited out(?). The current version cuts out rather abruptly. ) Sorry for the confusion! 75.107.41.198 (talk) 22:47, 23 January 2023 (UTC)