John Cleese has been extensively mocked on social media for questioning why the BBC hasn’t screened Monty Python for “a couple of decades”.
While the previous comedy troupe’s common sketch sequence Monty Python And The Flying Circus originated on the BBC in 1969, it hasn’t been proven on the broadcaster for some time as a result of its licensing rights – in addition to the rights to the remainder of the present – had been bought to Netflix.
Cleese appeared to have forgotten this, nevertheless. “Can anyone (including BBC employees) tell me why the BBC has not shown Monty Python for a couple of decades?” he requested on Twitter, to the amusement of many customers. One identified that Cleese had seemingly forgotten that the BBC confirmed Monty Python again in 2019 for its fiftieth anniversary, nevertheless they now not can as a result of Netflix owns the rights to it.
Others identified that repeats of Monty Python had been aired pretty steadily during the last couple of many years, maybe extra so than different reveals of an analogous age. One Twitter person wrote: “They aired Flying Circus in 2004, 2005 and 2019. BBC2 had Python At 50, Lawyers Cut and Holy Grail 50th anniversary documentary (2009). UK Gold, owned by BBC Studios, have created brand new docus and aired the live show in 2014. Do other 50 year old shows get shown that often?”.
Another person replied: “If you’d been brighter, John, you’d have retained your own rights, but you’re not, so you didn’t. Netflix owns you and Monty.”
Can anybody ( together with BBC staff ) inform me why the BBC has not proven Monty Python for a few many years ?
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 27, 2022
They aired Flying Circus in 2004, 2005 & 2019. BBC2 had Python At 50, Lawyers Cut & Holy Grail fiftieth anniversary documentary (2009). UK Gold, owned by BBC Studios, have created model new docos and aired the reside present in 2014.
Do different 50 12 months outdated reveals get proven that always?
— Sharon O’Dea (@sharonodea) December 27, 2022
Cleese has turn into extensively identified lately for his opposition to “woke” tradition and “cancel culture”. He has been lined as much as current an anti-cancel-culture present on the right-wing tv channel GB News, and instructed BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “there’s a massive amount of important information that gets censored, both in TV and in the press” and that viewers “should be prepared to be shocked”.
Cleese went on to say that he wouldn’t be provided such a present by the BBC: “The BBC have not come to me and said: ‘Would you like to have some one-hour shows?’ And if they did, I would say: ‘Not on your nelly!’ Because I wouldn’t get five minutes into the first show before I’d been cancelled or censored.”