Monty Python's Flying Circus corrections

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Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969) - 21 corrections

starring Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones

Comments made in brackets are corrections from other visitors. As such, any aggressive/abusive corrections (and I get quite a few) written as if they're comments I've made myself will be ignored. To submit your own corrections for mistakes, just click "make changes" when viewing mistakes, and click "correct entry". Some entries have "duplicated entry" after them - these are entries which were already listed on the main page, but were submitted again. I occasionally leave these online for a while, just in case they were moved in error, so don't worry about pointing them out to me.

Only show series: Whole show 1 2 3 All

Full Frontal Nudity (series 1)

In the 'buying a bed' sketch, Mr Verity says that the couple "said mattress twice". Because of his affliction he should have said "20 times". [No, he only has to multiply the numbers he says by ten. Twice is not a number.]

How to Recognise Different Types of Trees From Quite a Long Way Away (series 1)

After Bicycle Repair Man gets on the bus, it drives off. In the next shot, it drives round a corner past some houses and parked cars. To the left of the bus, a little boy can be seen on the street (just walking past a car), and behind the bus, a man can be seen walking in the background. Neither of these people are wearing Superman outfits, like all the other characters in the episode are. [Later in the sketch it is revealed that "stockbrokers, accountants and church wardens" are all regular sights in J W Superman's world. Obviously there are some non-Superman people about, and you saw two of them. Not a mistake.]

Wither Canada? (series 1)

In the 'Marriage Counsellor' sketch, the word on door to the office is spelt incorrectly ('councellor'). [This is the British way of spelling it. The spelling is correct.]

At the beginning of the 'Marriage Counsellor' sketch, Eric Idle shows the cards 'Marriage' and 'Counsellor' and they fall off of the front of the table. Michael Palin and his wife walk in and the cards have vanished from the floor. [Actually, they fall onto the table itself. They are still there during the rest of the sketch.]

Sex and Violence (series 1)

The caption on screen says "1942 ... Somewhere in London". Yet we were just told that the Germans developed their version of the joke in the autumn of 1944. [Obviously, the Bristh developed their joke in 1942 and it took the Germans two years to catch up.]

In the opening scene, when Graham Chapman sits on a pig, the shadow of the microphone is visible on the wall behind him. [The scene is set in a television studio and he is speaking directly to camera. A boom shadow is not a film mistake under these circumstances.]

When commentating on the artists' bicycle race, John Cleese says some more cyclists are approaching and rattles off a very long list of names ... but then only 3 cyclists pass. [This is an example of pythonesque humour (pythonesque IS a word, look it up in the dictionary). Don't you think it a bit funny that he rattle off lots of names and have three riders go by? Maybe it's just me.]

In the Killer Joke sketch Eric Idle states that the English version of the joke was first told to the enemy on July 8th, 1944. Later on, as the German broadcast their 'V-Joke', the caption reads "1942 - Somewhere in Britain". Time travel, or a script mistake? [Neither. It's part of the joke. Already posted and corrected.]

Royal Episode 13 (series 2)

During the Toad Elevating Moment, when Terry Jones is introducing all three guests to each other, he accidentally calls Eric Idle "Mr. John Smith," when his name is in fact "Mr. Ohn Ith." [Character mistake.]

Scott of the Antarctic (series 2)

The French subtitled film sketch: the guy's cigarette isn't lit. [This would be a film mistake if it was lit in some shots but not in others. He hasn't lit his cigarette. Not a mistake.]

Archaeology Today (series 2)

Just in case anyone overlooked it: the Beethoven sketch is and purposely full of anachronistic items. [This is blatantly obvious to anybody watching it, so doesn't need to be pointed out.] Corrected by Tailkinker

Show 5 (series 2)

When the announcer in the déjà vu sketch gets a glass of water, there is no water in the glass, yet he still pretends to drink it. [Uh . you are familiar with the concept of surreal humour, hmm? It's a joke. It's in the script.]

The Spanish Inquisition (series 2)

During the closing credits while the Spanish Inquisition are going to the Old Bailey, Terry Gilliam is holding a large book. When they burst into the court, he is not. [Since they are hurrying to the court before the credits end he could have forgotten it on the bus.]

At the very end when the Spanish Inquisition bursts into the courtroom, you can see that Biggles is not played by Terry Jones (as he is playing the accused judge in the court sketch). [Not true. Have another look - the used a 'back double' when Cardinal Biggles is facing the bench but otherwise it is clear that Gilliam plays both roles.]

Dinsdale (series 2)

In the 'New Cooker Sketch' Mrs. Pinnet says she lives at 46 Algernon Road. When we switch to the exterior shot, the number on the door is 94 and it it is opened on the other side. [Mrs Pinnet is a pepper pot - she has the brains of a cheese sandwich. It's surprising she got any of her address right.]

When Mrs. Pinnet is still in the wrong house, she audibly closes the door, but it's not properly shut when she walks away. [Mrs Pinnet closes the door leaving the lock off the latch, it closes and bounces open slightly. We hear exactly the right sound effects, and since Monty Python was made on a tiny budget few sound effects were added in editing anyway. There is no mistake at all in this sketch.]

Dennis Moore (series 3)

When Dennis crashes thru an open window, you hear the sound of shattering glass. The window, however, was open. Also, in some shots, you can see the black string he was suspended from. [The 'black string' is supposed to be there - it is the rope Dennis is swinging on, Tarzan-like. The "sound of shattering glass" was obviously added in post production, a complex and time (and money) consuming task, so it was obviously deliberate.]

E. Henry Thripshaw's Disease (series 3)

There are no shores in the Low Countries that look anything like the ones where the Spanish porn smugglers land. [All we are told is that the porn is going to be smuggled into the Low Counties, not that it is going to be landed there. It could be transported a long distance overland first.]

The Nude Man (series 3)

During the "Olympic Hide and Seek Final," Terry Jones, as the Paraguayan, has a little difficulty with his Spanish numbers. Besides mispronouncing many of them, he says "quince," the Spanish number for fifteen, instead of "cinco," the Spanish number for five. He actually has to pause to remember the Spanish number for fourteen, "catorce". [Since the lingua franca of Paraguay is Portugese, not Spanish, and they have a wide range of dialects with their own style of pronounciation, it is not surprsing that he is having a little trouble with Spanish.]

The Money Programme (series 3)

On the DVD, when Michael Palin is leaving Graham Chapman's "Abuse" room, the latter says, in response to Palin's apology, "No, that's alright," but the subtitle reads "Yeah, that's alright." [If we include subtitles, the lists of errors would become both endless and boring. Apart from that, the subs are a later addition, made by someone else, for one specific release on dvd, and not a part of the original product.]