May 11, 1969
Long before they wrote sketches about how to irritate people in restaurants, six comedians went out for dinner at their local curry house and made a decision that would change the course of their lives.
On this day in 1969,
Monty Python was born. And the world of comedy was transformed.
Known collectively as ‘the Pythons’, the group was made up of John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman and Terry Jones.
From creating their first television show,
Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which aired on BBC in 1969, to stage shows, musicals, books and films such as
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), the group’s influence on comedy was so profound that it has been likened to the Beatles’ influence on music.
And it all began at a Kashmir tandoori restaurant in Hampstead, north London, on May 11, 1969.
