Italian Lesson – written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones
Whizzo Butter
a parody of the commercials for Stork SB Margarine; the word 'Whizzo' would be used throughout the series as the title of various companies and products, such as 'The Whizzo Quality Assortment' produced by the 'Whizzo Chocolate Company' (within the Crunchy Frog sketch of Episode 6).
It's the Arts
Arthur 'Two Sheds' Jackson – written by John Cleese and Graham Chapman[1]
Bicycle Repair Man – written by Palin and Jones[1][7]
in a town full of people with the persona of Superman, a man has the secret identity of "Bicycle Repair Man" with the impressive superpower of being able to repair a bicycle with his own hands.
Children's Stories
Idle starts reading children's stories that become increasingly sexual.
first appearance of the 16-Ton Weight; this would appear in several further episodes including "The BBC Entry to the Zinc Stoat of Budapest", "Intermission", and "Blood, Devastation, Death, War, and Horror".
Secret Service Dentists
Note: Many sketches in this episode are ended prematurely by Chapman's army character ("The Colonel"), who protests rip-offs of the British Army's slogan, "It's a Man's Life in the Modern Army"
Note:Owl Stretching Time was a proposed name for the series itself.
5
5
"Man's Crisis of Identity in the Latter Half of the 20th Century"
16 November 1969 (1969-11-16)
Confuse-a-Cat – written by Cleese and Chapman[7][1]
Note: BBC1 officially began broadcasting in colour on 15 November 1969; but for the previous two months, they had been broadcasting colour programmes "unofficially", so while the whole of the first series was broadcast in colour, this episode was the first to be advertised as being in colour (source: notes taken from BBC videotape operators and transmission managers made at the time). This was also the first episode where Cleese says the title in a silly voice rather than calmly in his normal voice.
6
6
"It's the Arts" "The BBC Entry for the Zinc Stoat of Budapest"
23 November 1969 (1969-11-23)
Johann Gambolputty
Non-Illegal Robbery
Vox Pops on Burglary
Crunchy Frog (Whizzo Chocolate Company) – written by Cleese and Chapman[1]
The Dull Life of a City Stockbroker – written by Chapman and Idle[5][7][10]
Note: This episode repeats several running gags from Episode 4: a female cast member delivers a terrible joke, and upon protest from fellow cast members, wails 'But it's my only line!'; the use of the song "Jerusalem", and the Colonel preempting sketches–this time protesting that they are 'too silly'.
Ron Obvious[13] is played by Terry Jones. In his sketch, the extremely naïve Obvious, encouraged by his unscrupulous manager Luigi Vercotti (Michael Palin), undertakes several impossible tasks for publicity:[13]
as the announcer mentions that Obvious is about to attempt to become the first man to eat an entire Anglican Cathedral, Obvious is shown brushing his teeth, putting on a bib and flexing his jaws, before biting into the corner of an old stone building and breaking his jaw.
The Spanish Inquisitors (Palin, Jones, and Gilliam) appear seven times throughout this episode.
16
3
"Déjà Vu" "Show 5"
29 September 1970 (1970-09-29)
A Bishop Rehearsing
Flying Lessons – written by Cleese and Chapman[18]
Hijacked Plane
The Poet Ewan McTeagle
Hand Trees (Animation)
Psychiatrist Milkman
Chapman's character's name changes from Mrs. Ratbag to Mrs. Pim.
Complaints
Déjà Vu
This episode introduces a running gag that is used for the next two episodes: a character says, 'Walk this way.' The character told this responds, 'If I could walk that way...' only to be stopped when the first character warns them about finishing the punchline, by raising a finger.
17
4
"The Buzz Aldrin Show"
20 October 1970 (1970-10-20)
Metamorphosis (animation)
this is the first episode to begin with a piece of animation.
Gumby Frog Curse / Another Another Gumby Announcement
Chemist Sketch
An Apology/Words Not to be Used Again
the words shown on the slides are (in the following order): 'B*M', 'B*TTY', 'P*X', 'KN*CKERS' (twice consecutively, for 'knickers' and 'knockers'), 'W**-W**' and 'SEMPRINI'.
A Less Naughty Chemist's
the 'walk this way' gag is used again, but this time the punchline is said completely, resulting in the character who says it being taken away by a police constable.
A Not at All Naughty Chemist's
Vox Pops on After-shave
Cardinal Ximénez (from Episode 15) makes a cameo appearance in this episode.
first appearance of the Nude Organist, played in this season by Gilliam
Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things
Escape from Film
The Next Item (or dish)...
Current Affairs
Continued from "Escape from Film"
The Next Item (...Prawn Salad...?)...
Accidents Sketch (Prawn Salad Ltd.)
Interruption
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
The Butcher Who is Alternately Rude and Polite
The Last Item (coffee)...
Ken Clean-Air System
On the Bus (end credits)
Note: The 'walk this way' gag is used for the last time, except the words 'I' and 'walk' are replaced with 'we' (since it is a group of people) and 'run', respectively.
19
6
"It's a Living" "School Prizes"
3 November 1970 (1970-11-03)
"It's A Living"
The Time on BBC 1
School Prize-Giving
"If....": a film by Mr. Dibley
"Rear Window": a film by Mr Dibley
"Finian's Rainbow" (starring the man from the off-licence)
The Foreign Secretary and Other News
Free Dung from the "Book of the Month" Club
Dead Indian
Timmy Williams interview (a parody of David Frost)
Raymond Luxury Yacht (Throat Wobbler Mangrove) interview
parody of The Debbie Reynolds Show (1969), recreating the opening credits shot for shot and using a knock-off of the theme "With A Little Love" by Mike LeRoy.
a parody of the game show Take Your Pick!, which had been cancelled roughly two years earlier.
21
8
"Archaeology Today"
17 November 1970 (1970-11-17)
Trailer
the opening credits appear here: the foot at the end of the credits stays on screen for an unusually long time and then crumbles into the ground, leading into the next animation.
this sketch contains a religious parody of the game show Sale of the Century, which had just been pitched to British television.
a scene at the end, with crosses that are actually telegraph poles, was cut out but can be seen at the end of the episode when the whole programme is repeated on fast-forward.
this sketch featured many famous characters from previous episodes including Arthur Name (Nudge Nudge), Ken Shabby and Mr. Gumby. Terry Gilliam also reprised his role as the nude organist (Blackmail), a character that would be taken over by Terry Jones in And Now for Something Completely Different and from the third series onwards.
includes another reference to Take Your Pick!, where the prosecutor gongs Alexander Yalt (Michael Palin) for answering 'yes' after a series of questions.
Note: Shown after the closing credits. Lulu and Ringo Starr appear as themselves. This is one of the few times you can hear the man say something besides 'It's'.
Note: Anagrams appear throughout this episode: 'Tony M. Nyphot's Flying Risccu' for the programme itself; 'Chamran Knebt' for Merchant Bank, and 'Mary Recruitment Office' for Army Recruitment Office. The end credits are all in anagrams.
Note: Richard Baker also does gestures to indicate pauses in the news.
31
5
"The All-England Summarize Proust Competition"
16 November 1972 (1972-11-16)
Summarize Proust Competition – written by Palin and Jones[1]
Note: A running gag throughout this episode is that whenever anyone answers the phone, they take off their shoe as if the person on the other end had asked their shoe size.
Note: This episode is the first Flying Circus to feature a full-length story. It is also the first that does not have a formal opening sequence; instead, a simple caption ("The Cycling Tour") appears at the beginning.
Note: Chapman's adopted son, John Tomiczek, makes a brief non-speaking appearance as an autograph seeker.
Note: The episode was written by Palin and Jones with the exception of the last third which was re-written by Cleese and Chapman.[10] Palin and Jones play only one character each throughout the whole episode (although Jones, suffering from amnesia, imagines himself as Clodagh Rogers, Leon Trotsky, Eartha Kitt and Edward Heath).
Note: The music to which Mr. Pither cycles is the Waltz from Act II of Faust by Charles Gounod.
35
9
"The Nude Organist" "The Nude Man"
14 December 1972 (1972-12-14)
Bomb on Plane
A Naked Man
the opening sequence appears after this sketch.
Ten Seconds of Sex
Housing Project Built by Characters from Nineteenth-century English Literature
Prices on the Planet Algon – written by Palin and Jones[1]
Mr. Badger Reads the Credits
Note: Most sketches are interrupted by Mr. Badger (Idle) right from the first sketch onwards. In addition, Palin's Compère and Gilliam's Knight both made one-time reappearances since Series 1 in this episode (there is also a reference to Episode 3 in this scene, in which there are two people carrying a donkey).
36
10
"E. Henry Thripshaw's Disease"
21 December 1972 (1972-12-21)
Tudor Jobs Agency
Pornographic Bookshop
Elizabethan Pornography Smugglers vs. Sir Philip Sidney
Silly Disturbances
The Free Repetition of Doubtful Words Sketch
'Is There?'... Life after Death?
The Man Who Says Words in the Wrong Order
Thripshaw's Disease
the footage representing the movie version of Thripshaw's Disease was taken from the Polish movie Knights of the Teutonic Order, made in 1960.
Note: The BBC censored this episode probably more than any other, cutting three sketches (Big Nosed Sculptor, Revolting Cocktails, Wee-Wee Wine Cellar) as well as much of Gilliam's animation.
Dad's Doctors, Dad's Pooves and Other Interesting Stories
Note: "Party Political Broadcast (Choreographed)" and "Dad's Doctors, Dad's Pooves and Other Interesting Stories" have been cut from many versions of this episode.[31] A clip of "Party Political Broadcast (Choreographed)" has surfaced on YouTube,[32] while "Dad's Doctors" has been restored to the iTunes and the Blu-ray versions of the series, as well as added to the Netflix streaming video version.
The Lumberjack Song with The Austrian Border Police
The Bavarian Restaurant
Note: Edited versions of the "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Silly Olympics" sketches were dubbed into English for use in the Python stage shows. The "Flashers' Love Story" animated segment was also used.[33] The Stake Your Claim sketch was included on the English language record Another Monty Python Record.
episode 2 Blödeln auf die feine Englische Art (Fooling around in the fine English way)
The Tale of Happy Valley (The Princess with The Wooden Teeth)
Note: Both parts of "The Philosophers' Football Match" were included in the Python stage shows.[33] An abridged version of "The Tale of Happy Valley" was recorded for the English language record Monty Python's Previous Record. "Colin 'Bomber' Harris vs Colin 'Bomber' Harris" and "I Want a Hearing Aid" were both originally performed on At Last the 1948 Show, which predated Monty Python.
Series 4 (1974)
Cleese did not return for the final series. The series was broadcast under the simple banner Monty Python (although the old full title, Monty Python's Flying Circus, is displayed at the beginning of the opening sequence).[citation needed] Cleese did receive writing credits on some episodes that featured material he had written for the first draft of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (particularly in "Michael Ellis").
Note: This is the second episode to feature a full-length story (the other being "The Cycling Tour" from Series 3). It was mainly written by Cleese and Chapman with some help from Palin and Neil Innes.[10]
Note: The end credits appear immediately after the opening sequence.
42
3
"The Light Entertainment War"
14 November 1974 (1974-11-14)
Up Your Pavement (the title and announcer call it "Up Your Sidewalk")
the theme music heard is a variant of "When Does A Dream Begin?" and based very much on the theme tune to Steptoe and Son, a popular BBC sitcom of the time. A little later in this sequence, the theme tune for Blue Peter can be heard very briefly. Douglas Adams, who previously wrote for the series, makes a brief appearance as a doctor treating a man suffering from lumbago during a small portion of this skit.
^Larsen, Darl 1963– (2008). Monty Python's flying circus : an utterly complete, thoroughly unillustrated, absolutely unauthorized guide to possibly all the references : from Arthur "Two-Sheds" Jackson to Zambesi. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN9780810861312. OCLC187417654.
^ abLarsen, Darl (2008). Monty Python's Flying Circus: An Utterly Complete, Thoroughly Unillustrated, Absolutely Unauthorized Guide to Possibly All the References : from Arthur "Two-Sheds" Jackson to Zambesi. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 57, 185. ISBN9780810861312.
^ ab"Interview: John Cleese and Eric Idle, founding members of Monty Python". ABC – Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 February 2016. TONY JONES: (…) And that particular skit from which those lines came, the revolving knives, Architect – you were both in that. Who wrote it? Who writes this sort of stuff? JOHN CLEESE: Chapman and I wrote it. Yeah, yes. (...) TONY JONES: But I think I'll go to Eric here 'cause I think you actually probably wrote the Bruce skit or were chiefly ... ERIC IDLE: We wrote the Bruces sketch together.
^Chapman, Graham; Cleese, John; Gilliam, Terry; Idle, Eric; Jones, Terry; Palin, Michael (1990) [1989]. "Twenty-nine". Monty Python's Flying Circus: Just the Words. Vol. Two. London: Mandarin. p. 78. ISBN0-7493-0226-7. I am Inspector Leopard of Scotland Yard, Special Fraud Film Director Squad.
