Culture Bring out your stamps: UK’s Royal Mail celebrates Monty...

Bring out your stamps: UK’s Royal Mail celebrates Monty Python

-

- Advertisment -
ADVERTISEMENT

Britain’s Royal Mail has issued stamps celebrating the absurdist comedy of Monty Python… and from all of us here at Euronews Culture, who frequently cut down the mightiest trees in the forest with a herring: it’s a “Ni!” of approval.

The 10-stamp series announced today celebrates some of the legendary troupe’s most iconic characters and catchphrases, from “Nudge, nudge” to “The Lumberjack Song.”

Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus Royal Mail

Six stamps depict scenes from the sketch-comedy TV series Monty Python’s Flying Circus, including The Spanish Inquisition, The Ministry of Silly Walks, Dead Parrot and The Nude Organist.

Another four mark the 50th anniversary of the cult classic 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, including one showing the limb-losing Black Knight insisting “’Tis but a scratch.”

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail Royal Mail

Made up of Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Graham Chapman, Monty Python brought a unique blend of satire, surrealism and unfiltered silliness to British TV screens in their series that ran from 1969 to 1974.

The gang also made several feature films, including Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983). 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail Royal Mail

David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs, said: “Monty Python has left an indelible mark on global comedy, all while remaining unmistakably British at its core. From their groundbreaking television debut to a string of iconic films, this stamp collection honours a body of work that has shaped the comedic landscape for nearly six decades.”

As for Palin, he said he was “very glad to share a stamp with the nude organist!”

The group disbanded in the 1980s, and Chapman died of cancer in 1989 aged 48. The five surviving Pythons reunited in 2014 for a string of live stage shows. 

Jones sadly died in 2020 from a rare form of dementia, aged 77.

Terry Gilliam speaks to Euronews Culture
Terry Gilliam speaks to Euronews Culture David Mouriquand

Euronews Culture caught up with Terry Gilliam two years ago at the Festival Lumière in Lyon, where he told us that Monty Python may not be able to do their brand of comedy in modern times.

“People are losing their sense of humour, and that, to me, is probably the most important sense,” he said. “Sense of touch is very important, sense of taste also – but sense of humour is more important. You get to the point where people are frightened to laugh. ‘Oh, no, you’re making fun of somebody!’ No, I’m making fun of humanity, and we are an absurd species of creatures.”

He added: “We are funny because we got such pretentions, and we fall on our face so constantly. Make jokes about it! It keeps life interesting.”

Check out our full interview with Terry Gilliam here.

The Monty Python stamps are available to pre-order from today and go on general sale from 14 August. 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest news

Newly discovered document adds evidence that Shroud of Turin is fake

ADVERTISEMENT The Shroud of Turin is one of the most treasured ancient artefacts, attracting countless tourists to the Italian city - despite the fact that the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin only publicly displays it on special occasions. Also known as the Holy Shroud, the linen cloth bears the faint image of

Original Harry Potter director on reboot series: ‘What’s the point?’

ADVERTISEMENT Chris Columbus, the celebrated American director of both Home Alone films, Mrs. Doubtfire and the first two Harry Potter films, has questioned the need to reboot the series with the upcoming HBO adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels. The filmmaker is currently promoting his Netflix film The Thursday Murder Club, which is based on the

Film of the Week: ‘Sorry, Baby’ – A masterful exploration of trauma

ADVERTISEMENT The scariest thing about life’s worst moments is the silence in which they often unfold. The world goes on, night falls, the windows of a suburban house glow as cars drive by. Yet for the person inside, existence has cracked; an irrevocable disconnect between who you once were, and the confused ghost you’ve become. 

From Taylor to Twin Peaks: The most iconic rings in pop culture

ADVERTISEMENT Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have set the internet ablaze with news of their engagement, and all eyes have been on the ring.  According to US reports, Kelce worked with New York designer Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry to design the ring and since the news of the engagement broke, the designer’s website has
- Advertisement -

165-million-year-old dinosaur with ‘weaponised tail’ found in Morocco

ADVERTISEMENT Scientists have unearthed the remains of a heavily armoured dinosaur, complete with rib spikes, a bony neck collar and a tail that may have doubled as a weapon. The fossil, discovered in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, dates back 165 million years and belongs to a newly identified species of ankylosaur called Spicomellus. And this wasn’t

Why is Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum warning it may have to close?

ADVERTISEMENT Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh, has issued an extraordinary warning: without fresh government funding, it may be forced to shut its doors. The museum says a shortfall in state support threatens a €104m renovation plan - and with it the safety of the

Must read

Newly discovered document adds evidence that Shroud of Turin is fake

ADVERTISEMENT The Shroud of Turin is one of the most treasured ancient artefacts, attracting countless tourists to the Italian city - despite the fact that the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin only publicly displays it on special occasions. Also known as the Holy Shroud, the linen cloth bears the faint image of

Original Harry Potter director on reboot series: ‘What’s the point?’

ADVERTISEMENT Chris Columbus, the celebrated American director of both Home Alone films, Mrs. Doubtfire and the first two Harry Potter films, has questioned the need to reboot the series with the upcoming HBO adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels. The filmmaker is currently promoting his Netflix film The Thursday Murder Club, which is based on the
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you