Python Night - 30 Years of Monty Python

Python Night
Created by	John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones Michael Palin
Starring	John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones Michael Palin Carol Cleveland
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	1
Production
Running time	220 minutes
Production company(s)	BBC A+E Networks Python (Monty) Pictures
Release
Original network	BBC 2
Original release	9 October 1999
Chronology
Preceded by	Monty Python Live At Aspen
Followed by	Monty Python's Personal Best

Python Night was an evening of Monty Python related programmes broadcast on BBC2 on 9 October 1999, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first broadcast of Monty Python's Flying Circus. It featured newly written sketches, three documentaries and a screening of Monty Python's Life of Brian.

Only the documentaries were screened in the US, broadcast under the title The Life of Python on A&E Biography on 9 April 2000. Most of the evening's content was released in the US later in 2000 on the first disc of the A&E DVD box set The Life of Python. In the UK many of the items were issued as bonus material on the BBC's 2004 Monty Python Live at Aspen DVD.

After the success of their Aspen appearance in 1998, the group discussed doing something for the 30th anniversary. At one point there was a stage show planned, but some members felt uneasy about the idea and Eric Idle's agent had done a poor job of preparations. Idle then proposed the idea of doing a reunion film in which they'd return as Knights of the Round Table, using audio outtakes of Graham Chapman's voice from album sessions to dub a performance out of him, with Arthur's ashes as the front. The rest of the group were enthusiastic, and even began writing material for it. The idea died soon, though, as Cleese was against the idea of doing a new film, especially because of Chapman's passing and his feeling that he carried the film and was a better lead than any of them. Cleese instead proposed the idea of doing a special with new material, which most of the group agreed on. Eric Idle, in rebuttal was not keen on doing new material, and did not participate in it. As a result, his only contributions were filmed in Los Angeles and Eddie Izzard replaced him in group scenes with the other Pythons.

The group were divided on the merits of the new material. Idle was scathing about the new sketches the other four members had filmed, while Cleese thought they were very funny but complained that the BBC did too little promotion for the programme. Overall the group felt that, though the material wasn't their strongest, it held a nostalgic quality because almost everyone from Flying Circus was working on the programme. Terry Jones, who directed the new sketches, later showed regret for the fact that he was doing it for free and didn't get paid.

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