- Sir Michael, now 81, was part of the famous comedy troupe with John Cleese
- READ MORE: Michael Palin reveals the one thing that helps him cope with the death of his wife, a year after losing his soulmate of six decades Helen
Sir Michael Palin has said there are 'very few' people around who still remember Monty Python.
The actor and comedian, 81, appeared on Monday's Good Morning Britain on ITV alongside hosts Susanna Reid and Adil Ray.
Sir Michael was part of cult favourite comedy troupe Monty Python, which formed in 1969 and also consisted of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle and Terry Jones.
The award-winning group heavily influenced British and American comedy for many years, including early editions of Saturday Night Live.
But despite being a staple of British humour, Sir Michael admitted he now reckons that there are 'very few people' still around who remember the Pythons.
Sir Michael Palin has said there are 'very few' people around who still remember Monty Python
Susanna said: 'You've had a huge amount of success. We say that you're best known for Monty Python of course, but I wonder whether that's true now.
'I mean I was watching your documentary about travelling to North Korea and you're really a travel journalist and an explorer.'
Sir Michael quipped: 'Well there are really very few people still around to remember Monty Python I think!
'John Cleese is still around actually. But I've been very very lucky because I've got the chance to indulge in one of my favourite passions and that is travelling.
'And to be able to travel and travel with a crew and bring back a story and bring back a series from all extraordinary parts of the world - the most extraordinary being North Korea - it was something of a real privilege.'
But his rise to fame was with the Monty Python comedy troupe, who came to prominence for their sketch series Monty Python's Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974.
Three films followed: Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1975), Life Of Brian (1979) and The Meaning Of Life (1983).
Eric Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, Terry Jones in Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life - 1983
Sir Michael also spoke about his travels in North Korea and opened up about the death of his wife Helen last year
Palin appeared in one of Python's most famous sketches - The Spanish Inquisition
Palin starred in some of Python's most iconic sketches, including The Lumberjack Song and The Spanish Inquisition. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.
Jones and Palin had met at Oxford University, where they performed with The Oxford Revue. Meanwhile Chapman, Cleese and Gilliam met at Cambridge University, and were members of the Footlights.
Elsewhere in the interview, Sir Michael admitted that he skipped out on his university studies to focus on the comedy troupe.
He told Susanna and Adil: 'I read history at university but all I did in the end with my degree was to do comedy with Terry Jones and join the Monty Pythons.'
The Monty Python star began writing comedy while enrolled at Oxford's Brasenose College, where he read modern history, in the early 1960s.
Last week Sir Michael returned to Oxford to pick up an honorary degree - 59 years after studying modern history in the city.
He was one of six people to be awarded honorary degrees during Oxford University's annual Encaenia ceremony.
Sir Michael married his wife Helen Gibbins in 1966 and was left devastated when she died from kidney failure in May 2023. The couple have three children and four grandchildren.
Michael Palin reunited with his pals and Monty Python co-stars John Cleese and Terry Gilliam as he celebrated his 81st birthday in May
The comedy legend joined his long-time friends John, 84, and Terry, 83. The trio are all part of the iconic comedy troupe formed in 1969 - with Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, and Terry Jones (pictured in 2015, L-R Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Eric Idle, John Oliver, and Terry Jones)
Speaking about losing his wife of 57 years, Sir Michael heartbreakingly admitted her loss was like 'losing a bit of a limb'.
He said: 'It's like you're a unit and then you're not a unit any longer.
‘It’s a huge part of my life you can’t really access in the same way.’
He went on to describe the sweet and hilarious story of how they met on a beach in Suffolk, saying he threw a ball at her in order to get her attention.
He joked: 'So she looked at me and then had to look at me for the next 63 years!'
In May Sir Michael reunited with his pals and Monty Python co-stars John Cleese and Terry Gilliam as he celebrated his 81st birthday.
The comedy legend joined his long-time friends John, 84, and Terry, 83. The trio are all part of the iconic comedy troupe formed in 1969 - with Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, and Terry Jones.
The three pals seemed to be having the time of their lives laughing and giggling as they celebrated their friend's special day.
Michael with his late wife Helen, in 2015, at the launch of the Magna Carta show in London
John shared a snap from their lunch out where he and Terry are seen showing off a cheerful smile.
Meanwhile the birthday boy looked over the moon as he is seen holding a dessert plate with chocolate glaze reading: 'Happy Birthday.'
Captioning the shot, John penned: 'An 18 foot Python celebrates Pallin’s 181st Birthday and 195th Travel Book. Photo taken at cafe on peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.'
Long-time fans of the British comedy group raved over the trio reuniting.
'My Dad introduced me to Monty Python when I was just a kid in the 70s saying I'm going to love you guys because you're "silly humour," and I was already into the Carry-On Gang. Dad is gone now but I still watch you every chance I can get. Much love & respect';
'The 2,000th book and TV series will be just as good! Legends. Absolute legends. We have been honoured to be entertained by 'you lot' for the last 50 years or so!'; 'You silly gentlemen....you are responsible for lots of laughs and giggles in my life. Happy birthday Michael';
'Looking good Michael'; 'Lovely gents'; 'Happy Birthday, Michael!';
Speaking ahead of the launch of his stage adaptation of classic British comedy Fawlty Towers, he revealed the difficulties he had getting the script off the ground with concern about how some language would be received by viewers.
John explained some of the original dialogue used within the two-hour play, which merges three popular episodes into an overarching storyline, has been edited to remove 'racial slurs' due to changing perceptions within society.
'I think there was a scene where Major (Gowen) used a couple of words you can't use now, racial slurs they would come under, so we took that out', he told journalists last week.
John has recently claimed 'literal minded' people have ruined comedy by failing to understand 'metaphor, irony and exaggeration' and missing the punchline
'You see, there is always a problem with comedy that you deal with the literal-minded.'
The play is based on episodes across the sitcom's two series titled The Hotel Inspector, Communication Problems and The Germans, which originally features a scene in which the Major Gowen character uses offensive language about the West Indies cricket team.
In 2020, the episode was briefly removed from UKTV's streaming service, which is owned by BBC Studios, due to the 'racial slurs' before it was later reinstated with added guidance and warnings highlighting 'potentially offensive content and language' featured.
Speaking on the challenges of writing comedy, John said: 'Whenever you're doing comedy, you're up against the literal-minded, and the literal-minded don't understand irony.
'And that means if you take them seriously, you get rid of a lot of comedy because the literal-minded people don't understand metaphor, they don't understand irony, and they don't understand comic exaggeration.
'The result is, if you listen to them, these are people who are not, as far as understanding what other human beings are saying and doing, they're not playing with a full deck.'
