Monty Python's Flying Circus

School Prizes - S2-E6

Corrected entry: A well-documented bit of censorship involves Series 2, Show 6 (first broadcast 20/10/70). This show featured an animated fairy story where a prince finds a spot on his face. "Foolishly, he ignored it," informed Carol Cleveland as the narrator. "And six months later he died of cancer." Although this was originally transmitted intact, the BBC were worried, and insisted that the word "cancer" be replaced for a repeat showing in August 1971. The word "cancer" was thus replaced by the word "gangrene". Unusually for the series, the word 'gangrene' does not appear to be voiced by any of the Python team themselves. To underline the fact that the word "cancer" had been replaced (and as a protest against the censorship?), a male voice replaces Carol Cleveland's narration for this one word only.

Correction: This does not count as a goof, especially given the nature of Pythonesque comedy. The canned laughter that follows the blatantly obvious redubbing should be a giveaway.

Show 5 - S2-E3

Corrected entry: In the sketch where Eric Idle plays a milkman/psychiatrist, he visits a woman [Graham Chapman] named Mrs. Ratbag. He takes her to the dairy to have a psychiatric examination, and when they get there, her name is now Mrs. Pim.

Correction: Her name really is Mrs. Pim. He calls her Mrs. Ratbag as an insult, not because it's her real name.

Correction: Knowing Monty Python's brand of humor this is not a mistake, it's just a little joke they throw in.

Phixius

Correction: No, he only has to multiply the numbers he says by ten. Twice is not a number.

Correction: 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.

Dennis Moore - S3-E11

Corrected entry: When Dennis crashes through 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.

Correction: 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.

Show 5 - S2-E3

Corrected entry: 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.

Correction: Uh . you are familiar with the concept of surreal humour, hmm? It's a joke. It's in the script.

Correction: 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.

Correction: This is blatantly obvious to anybody watching it, so doesn't need to be pointed out.

Tailkinker

Correction: 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.

Correction: Character mistake.

Dinsdale - S2-E1

Corrected entry: 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.

jle

Correction: Mrs Pinnet is a pepper pot - she has the brains of a cheese sandwich. It's surprising she got any of her address right.

Correction: 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.

Njorl's Saga - S3-E1

Corrected entry: When Mrs. Conclusion and Mrs. Premise finally reach Jean-Paul Sartre, on entering his room they say to him in French "C'est même nous.". Which means "It is even us." But they meant, as the fixed translation says, "It's only us.". It seems to serve no purpose as a deliberate mistake, so it must be an error in the French lines.

Correction: Throughout the sketch their spoken French is heavily accnted and very clumsy. It doesn't match the subtitles, and that is not a mistake.

Correction: 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.

Dinsdale - S2-E1

Corrected entry: When Mrs. Pinnet is still in the wrong house, she audibly closes the door, but it's not properly shut when she walks away.

Correction: 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.

Correction: 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.

Correction: Since they are hurrying to the court before the credits end he could have forgotten it on the bus.

Correction: This is the British way of spelling it. The spelling is correct.

Correction: Actually, they fall onto the table itself. They are still there during the rest of the sketch.

Wither Canada? - S1-E2

Continuity mistake: In the Marriage Counselor sketch, Deidre Pewty is wearing such a tiny miniskirt that when she sits we see she is wearing white knickers. When she undresses behind the screen she throws a pair of black knickers out.

More mistakes in Monty Python's Flying Circus

The Naked Ant - S1-E12

Father: Now I understand that you want to marry my daughter?
Shabby: [sniffing and coughing.] That's right ... Yeah... Yeah...
Father: Yes, you realize of course that Rosaround is still rather young?
Rosamund: Daddy you make me feel like a child. [she gazes at Shabby fondly.]
Shabby: [lasciviously.] Oh yeah ... You know... Get 'em when they're young eh... Eh! OOOOH! Know what I mean eh, oooh! [makes obscene gesture involving elbow.]
Father: Well I'm sure you know what I mean, Mr ... Er... Mr... Er . Er?
Shabby: Shabby... Ken Shabby...
Father: Mr Shabby... I just want to make sure that you'll be able to look after my daughter...
Shabby: Oh yeah, yeah. I'll be able to look after 'er all right sport, eh, know what I mean, eh emggh!
Father: And, er, what job do you do?
Shabby: I clean out public lavatories.
Father: Is there promotion involved?
Shabby: Oh yeah, yeah. [produces handkerchief and clean throat horribly into it.] After five years they give me a brush.

More quotes from Monty Python's Flying Circus

Trivia: The band "Toad the Wet Sprocket" took their name from a sketch on this show.

Grumpy Scot

More trivia for Monty Python's Flying Circus

Wither Canada? - S1-E2

Question: Does anyone know what the killer joke (German version anyway) translates to in English? I tried running it through BabelFish, but it still made no sense.

Xofer

Chosen answer: Fortunately for the entire English speaking world, there is no translation. It is not real German.

jle

More questions & answers from Monty Python's Flying Circus

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