Esteemed British actor and comedian John Cleese of the sketch group Monty Python has taken aim at the BBC for not airing Monty Python's Flying Circus reruns.Cleese took to Twitter to air his qualms with the network, wondering why the BBC has not shown Monty Python for a "couple of decades." The Tweet received wide circulation in 24 hours, receiving eight thousand retweets and over a hundred thousand likes. The tweet also received 11 thousand replies, many of which were from people explaining to Cleese that the BBC has sold the rights to Flying Circus to Netflix. Others pointed out that the BBC, despite not owning the rights to the show, have still played Monty Python reruns as recently as 2019. Some responded by positing that the BBC has "gone woke" or that the show "doesn't fit the agenda" the BBC is allegedly pushing. Cleese did not respond to any of the comments.
Cleese has been under fire in recent years, as he declared his support for J.K. Rowling amid backlash for her transphobic beliefs. He has been known to complain about "cancel culture" over the years and its perceived effect on the world of comedy writing.
Not all the Pythons agree, though, with fellow Flying Circus alum Eric Idle recently stating, "You shouldn't moan about the audience. There's nothing wrong with the audience," he said. "If they don't laugh at your jokes, there's something wrong with your joke," he said, regarding comedians like Dave Chapelle and Bill Maher, who have made similar comments as Cleese. "And so… I'm not terribly sympathetic to that sort of attitude, to be honest." Paramount has recently acquired the rights to Idle's Spamalot musical, with Idle being brought on as a screenwriter.
Monty Python's Legacy
Monty Python's Flying Circus first aired from 1969 to 1974 and is still considered one of the most influential comedy series of all time, pioneering genres such as surreal-comedy decades before it became widely popular. Following the show's success, the troupe made three movies, the most popular of which were Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which Idle adapted for the stage in Spamalot.
Many of Monty Python's works, including Flying Circus, Holy Grail, The Life of Brian and several live performances and documentaries are available for streaming on Netflix. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is available on Prime Video.
Source: Twitter