With news of the sad passing of Terry Jones, the humorist, historian, Monty Python star and comedian; here is a small selection of some moments in Jones’s career.
Terry Jones found legendary status in the 1970s as a member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and we find the most appropriate term to reflect his enormous talent and popularity is “renaissance man”. He was so much more than just a comedian, but as a man who brought so much joy to so many around the world with his outrageous and wonderful characters, we felt the best tribute would be to bring together some of our favourite comedic moments. It would be a hopeless task to list all of the hilarious, innovative sketches for Monty Python for which Jones was a central creative force, but here is a small and woefully incomplete selection of some top moments in Jones’s career.
It just wouldn’t be right not to mention the likes of Mr Creosote from The Meaning of Life (1983),
…the hermit in the hole from The Life of Brian (1979)…
…the prince of Swamp Castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)…
…as the rational Sir Bedevere the Wise from the same movie, instructing peasants on the best way to spot a witch…
…and, of course, the Python’s tribute to canned meat, this version taken from their 1971 album, Another Monty Python Record.
Here is Jones discussing his work as a movie director, and specifically taking the helm for Python comedy masterpiece The Life of Brian, in 1980.
Jones also contributed to the Python’s musical output, writing the lyrics for classics such as “Christmas in Heaven”.
But Jones wasn’t all about Python, and his enthusiasm for comedy continued after the group disbanded…
And in 2013, Jones returned to work in his native Wales when his book Fairy Tales (1987) was adapted for the stage by National Theatre Wales as Silly Kings.
For more work by Terry Jones, click here.
There are more articles about Terry Jones available on the Wales Arts Review website.
