Broadcast by the BBC between 1969 and 1974, Monty Python's Flying Circus was
conceived, written and performed by its members Graham Chapman, John Cleese,
Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Loosely structured as
a sketch show, but with an innovative stream-of-consciousness approach aided by
Gilliam's animation, it pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in style
and content. A self-contained comedy team responsible for both writing and
performing their work, the Pythons had creative control which allowed them to
experiment with form and content, discarding rules of television comedy.
Following their television work, they began making films, including Monty Python
and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983).
Their influence on British comedy has been apparent for years, while in North
America, it has coloured the work of cult performers from the early editions of
Saturday Night Live through to more recent absurdist trends in television
comedy. "Pythonesque" has entered the English lexicon as a result.