Monty Python's Flying Circus

[John Fleming]

I've just checked this

www.lostshows.com/default.aspx?programme=3fb9272b-a1ce-418c-9a7a-aacf9f4095ce

and it says that one episode only exists as an NTSC transfer. When the series was repeated in the late 80's or early 90's, there was one episode, which I presume to be this one, which had several sketches from an earlier episode replacing some of the original sketches. I later found out that a composite episode had been made for the Golden Rose of Montreux and the original lost.

Does anyone know if the original has since been found, or is this referring to the cut-and-shut version?

[John Fleming]

I've just checked some Python websites and the inserts were taken from series 2 episode 11 dated 8th December 1970 so I would think that the show I was thinking of was indeed 22nd December. I haven't been able to find any answers to my question though.

[lpmoderator]

That'll be series 2, show 13, featuring the undertakers sketch. As this was considered controversial at the time, it was deleted from the master tape and another sketch inserted in it's place from another show for subsequent repeats. Fortunately an NTSC 525 line copy of the whole episode had been sold (to Canada, if I recall rightly) and this is the only way that episode exists (or more specifically that final sketch, as the rest of that one still exists on 625 line PAL). In fact, the first time that episode was repeated in it's original form was in the late '80s repeats, with the undertakers sketch re-edited in from the transferred NTSC recovery copy.

[John Fleming]

I've found the magazine - "Spiral Scratch" issue 7 - where I read about the composite episode, and I got it wrong. The comment for series 2, episode 11 states that the BBC have lost or destroyed the episode and all that exists has two sketches from an earlier episode, possibly no 7, inserted in the middle of the programme. It also states for episode 7 that the philosophy quiz show sketch was replaced by an insert from episode 11. I distinctly remember the Agatha Christie train timetables sketch being shown in 2 episodes a couple of weeks apart in the late 80's repeats (which the magazine states as being 1987, I would have guessed at 89/90).

[lpmoderator]

A few Python eps have odd sketches inserted in certain copies although I suspect these exist in addition to the originals. Again, the only real substantial item not existing in PAL is the undertakers sketch. There are a few other fragments too, I seem to recall, but nothing much. Perhaps Andrew Martin can clarify further?

Roll on the definitive DVD set though (with the off-air of the 1970 Late Night Line Up interview as an extra!!)

[Lenny Clark]

lpmoderator said:

A few Python eps have odd sketches inserted in certain copies although I suspect these exist in addition to the originals. Again, the only real substantial item not existing in PAL is the undertakers sketch. There are a few other fragments too, I seem to recall, but nothing much. Perhaps Andrew Martin can clarify further?

Roll on the definitive DVD set though (with the off-air of the 1970 Late Night Line Up interview as an extra!!)

I never knew anything existed of that interview. Is it off air audio or video?

[John Fleming]

Thanks for clearing that up, it's something that's bugged me for 20 years or so.

[lpmoderator]

multilesschanneltv said:

lpmoderator said:

I never knew anything existed of that interview. Is it off air audio or video?

Off-air b/w video, I think. I'm told Terry Jones recorded it at the time and it resides at the Python office. Probably not great quality (i'm assuming something similar to the early colour Steptoes off-airs) but definitely better than not at all! I just hope it's utilised eventually...

[RWels]

Incidentally, recently I saw "What the pythons did next" and the colour footage from "Out of the trees" looked very good. So good that I started to doubt it came from a 1975 home video set?

[Koen Br]

There was a Channel 4 press release or somesuch claiming that 'What the Pythons did next' would include recently rediscovered material from OOTT (a complete off-air of which had been recovered from an N1500 a couple of months earlier). However, the only footage shown was from film inserts, which were never lost in the first place so would have been available as a straight transfer from 16mm.

[Stephen Doran]

ITS!

[RWels]

koen said:

There was a Channel 4 press release or somesuch claiming that 'What the Pythons did next' would include recently rediscovered material from OOTT (a complete off-air of which had been recovered from an N1500 a couple of months earlier). However, the only footage shown was from film inserts, which were never lost in the first place so would have been available as a straight transfer from 16mm.

The rumour was always that it was a tape reel, not an N1500. Unless there was a second recovery, which is unlikely.
What struck me is that the 2 seconds about the peony looked a lot better then it did on the hitch hiker's guide dvd.

[lpmoderator]

Out Of The Trees was screened at the NFT last year. By how it looked to me, i'd say a Philips 1500 recording or similar (as the picture was very good and certainly it seemed much better than VHS quality projected onto a big screen) although i'm told there was quite a lot of work done on it to get it to look that good.

[RWels]

OK, that sounds promising. "What the pythons did next" only shows a few seconds that also survive on film. It wasn't a very good documentary anyway.

[Lenny Clark]

lpmoderator said:

multilesschanneltv said:

lpmoderator said:

I never knew anything existed of that interview. Is it off air audio or video?

Off-air b/w video, I think. I'm told Terry Jones recorded it at the time and it resides at the Python office. Probably not great quality (i'm assuming something similar to the early colour Steptoes off-airs) but definitely better than not at all! I just hope it's utilised eventually...

He's a bit of hero of archive TV, ole Tel. I know he saved a lot of Complete And Utter History, any other rare Python he salvaged?