Monty Python – Almost The Truth on BBC
40th Anniversary Documentary of the Legendary British Comedy Team
Oct 4, 2009
The Monty Python story has been told many times before to the point that fans can recount the history as fully as they can recite lines from the sketches verbatim. Actually even in the title theme Almost The Truth made fun of the fact that it was just “another Monty Python documentary”, this one however ventured to tell the absolute story with unseen footage as a celebration of 40 years since Monty Python’s Flying Circus first hit the screens and since became one of the most influential shows of all time.
Docs such as this one seem to be produced every year with the intention of airing out old TV footage and black and white pictures of the team as Oxbridge youths. Yes it’s been done but given the anniversary factor Monty Python: Almost The Truth promised to be worthwhile. And indeed it was, in a "seen this all before" way.
The Early Days of Monty Python
It began with Eric Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones and Michael Palin growing up in post-WWII Britain where they were avid fans of radio comedy, especially The Goon Show for which they had a shared appreciation. Although they were at rival universities (Oxford and Cambridge) the five of them met in Edinburgh as part of the revue circuit and decided to collaborate on future projects.
Cleese was then given an opportunity by David Frost to appear in the satirical Frost Report, and brought along the others as contributing writers. Meanwhile, Terry Gilliam was building up a reputation as a talented animator and was introduced to the group during their time on Do Not Adjust Your Set.
At this point Idle noted that the group wasn’t hand-picked or intentionally selected but just came together by chance and somehow it worked. The now unnamed team went to see head of BBC light entertainment. Despite presenting themselves poorly and not really having any ideas they were offered 13 episodes and sent away. Taking the lead from the Q series with Spike Milligan, who could be considered the Godfather of Monty Python, they decided early on to remove the formulaic concept that all sketches must end in a punch-line. The rest as they say is history.
Entertaining 40th Anniversary Documentary
Putting the recycled material issue aside his was very well constructed, using new interviews that gave each member (Chapman through archive footage) equal time to share their memories and opinions with no need for a narrator mugging it up with the “let’s see what happened next” approach.
Almost The Truth did rely on assumed knowledge of the group as it sped through moments by trying to cover as much ground as possible such as the films and any potential reunion. This wasn’t a problem as most people who tuned in would know most of the ins-and-outs and those who didn’t had their appitites whetted to find out more behind the obligatory Parrot clip, Jones on the problems of playing Mr Creosote and Idle trotting out his infamous line about what he says to people who mistake him for Palin.
Overall it was an enjoyable and fun hour of TV. Come on Beeb, nobody would think less if you churned out another Monty Python night to give the guys one last hurrah before the tapes are hidden away forever (or for the next DVD box set). Hell it would be the most fresh, original and brilliant comedy that been on any BBC station in the last few years. Well, except for Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle of course.
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