John Peel's Record Box is a documentary film made by Elaine Shepherd, released on 14 November 2005 on Channel 4. It was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award. It is about a small private collection of the British radio DJ John Peel who died in 2004 at the age of 65. Peel's main archive contained more...
From ‘something completely different’ to icons of comedy and national treasures, this is a collection of rarely-seen Monty Python moments from the BBC archives, following the group’s encounters with ‘Auntie’ over the past 50 years.
In 1913 the British government, hearing that the Germans are planning World War I, ask top agent Whinfrey to intervene, but instead he decides to go on holiday to Cornish fishing village Torpoint. Here he believes he has stumbled upon a smuggling ring, but in fact they are Germans who are...
Eric Idle is interviewed by Melvyn Bragg in this 2006 episode of The South Bank Show (1978). The surviving members of Monty Python discuss the huge success of Spamalot on Broadway and Eric Idle discusses the history of the musical.
Explorer Walter Snetterton and his party travel to the Andes to prove his theory that frogs are able to climb mountains. Due to the Cup Final the only person willing to act as guide is an elderly - but extremely agile - old lady and as Snetterton prepares to strike camp all his men desert him for...
The New Incomplete And Utter History Of Everything
02014HD
Terry Jones and Michael Palin revisit their "pre-Python" sketch show from 1969 which has sadly been wiped by the BBC. At the time, in 2014, only 2 episodes were known to exist. Palin and Jones re-shot wrap-arounds and aired remaining sketches from the show, taken from Jones' own private collection....
During World War I Major Errol Phipps is determined to escape from Stalag Luft 112B but his attempts all fail. However all the other prisoners and the guards succeed, leaving him alone in the camp to make elaborate plans - including a tunnel system so extensive it becomes the Munich Underground. He...
Terry Gilliam is interviewed by Melvyn Bragg in this 1991 episode of The South Bank Show (1978). Gilliam speaks of his history with the British comedy group Monty Python and is joined by Michael Palin in discussing his films including Jabberwocky, Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures Of Baron...
Spike Milligan I told you I was ill... A live tribute
02002HD
One of many tributes following the death of Spike Milligan. Comedians, actors and musicians join forces to present a live tribute featuring a selection of comic highlights from Spike's life. From recreations of his most famous sketches to readings of Milligan's own poems and extracts from his...
One of the least-known Monty Python rarities is “The Close-up Toothpaste Relaunch,” a short advertising film. Follow Elida Gibbs' super salesman as he heroically brings new toothpaste, "Close-up Green" to the high street.
Sir David Attenborough and Sir Michael Palin in Conversation
2.82020HD
Sir David Attenborough and Sir Michael Palin reflect on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and what it has taught us about global co-operation in tackling some of the biggest challenges our planet is faced with.
Alexander Armstrong explores the literature that inspired Michael Palin and Terry Jones's classic TV comedy Ripping Yarns, a loving parody of the Boys' Own books and magazines of their childhood.
To mark the twentieth anniversary of "Around the World in 80 Days" we went back to Dubai and India to retrace our steps and to see if we could find any of the crew of Al Shama. The result was a one-hour documentary and an account of our return and a whole stack of new pictures. Now they join all my...
Eric Olthwaite is so boring that his family all leave home to escape him. Then one day he is accidentally caught up in a bank robbery and discovers that the robber shares his interests in shovels, black pudding and rainfall so they team up to make daring raids to steal rainfall records. As a result...
When the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley, north London, celebrated its centenary year in 2010, On-Par Productions were invited to document the cinema's history through the stories of its staff, patrons and local residents.
Michael Palin heads for rural Pennsylvania and Maine to explore the extraordinary life and work of one of America's most popular and controversial painters, Andrew Wyeth. Fascinated by his iconic painting Christina's World, Palin goes in search of the real life stories that inspired this and...
In 2005, Michael Palin set out to unlock the mysteries and find out about the background and life of Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi. Hammershøi painted around the start of the 20th century and many of his pictures have a distinct coolness and distance about them. Palin, wanting to know of his...