Eric Idle brands Monty Python co-stars "miserable and b****y" as feud erupts

Daily Mirror

4 days ago

Eric Idle labelled his fellow Monty Python co-stars "miserable and b****y" over an ongoing money feud after being quizzed about the royalties for Spamalot, which is a musical based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Eric Idle has hit out at his surviving Monty Python colleagues, branding them "miserable and horrible and b****y" amid ongoing tensions over royalty payments.
The comedy icon, 82, opened up about his frustrations in a new interview where he revealed that disputes over money have strained relationships within the legendary comedy troupe, whose remaining members include John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Michael Palin.
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Idle, who penned the hit stage musical Spamalot based on Monty Python's 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, feels his fellow Pythons should be more appreciative of the substantial income they've received from the production.
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When asked if his colleagues receive royalties from Spamalot, Idle told The Guardian: "They got more f****** money than they've ever been grateful for. They got f****** millions and they're miserable and horrible and b****y about it.
"I spent 20 years working for Python and then two years on the O2 show. They were there for two weeks. I'm not really motivated by money, to be honest. Anyway, the producers get all the f****** money and divide it up according to the contract."
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He also spoke about a protracted legal battle that was sparked by accusations that he was secretly paying his fellow Pythons out of his own pocket.
Idle explained: "Someone sued us for years, saying I was paying the Pythons money from my back pocket. And I said: why would I risk going to an American jail to give John Cleese more money?"
Despite their financial rows, Idle acknowledged that creative friction previously fuelled the troupe's success. He admitted that the group's comedic brilliance sometimes emerged from tension and conflict.
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He shared: "Some things in Python were very enjoyable and some were not. Holy Grail was cold and miserable. Sometimes that makes it funny. One of the worst things you can have in comedy is enough money.
"Python was quite a lot of arguing and fights and good work is often like that. The best thing about showbiz is when it's over. I think if you're enjoying yourself, then you're not acting or giving, you're just having a good time. Well, that's not funny."
Idle also voiced concerns about the future of performers' likenesses in the era of artificial intelligence. "I always felt that we ought to protect our images after I saw that tacky advert with Fred Astaire and the vacuum cleaner," he admitted.
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He added: "I felt very bad about that. So I felt that we Pythons ought to have done something to protect our image in a way that's appropriate. But I don't think there is a way that's appropriate.
"I have had my image done in one of those extraordinary machines where 40 cameras capture you from every angle. It was for a film they wanted to make sure they could finish.
"But it worries me. I don't trust AI. I mean, look at how many times you have to correct a word. It completely misreads you. ChatGPT writing essays really bothers me. The point is to find out what we think, not what a machine thinks."