'Michael Edward Palin',
CBE (born
5 May 1943) is an
English comedian,
actor,
writer and
television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group
Monty Python and for his travel
documentaries.
Early life and career
Palin was born in
Broomhill, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. His father was an engineer working for a steel firm. He started his education at
Birkdale preparatory school, Sheffield, and later
Shrewsbury School,
Shrewsbury. When he was five years old at Birkdale, Palin had his first acting experience playing Martha Cratchit in a school performance of ''
A Christmas Carol''. At the age of ten Palin, still interested in acting, made a comedy monologue and read a Shakespeare play to his mother while playing all the parts.
[1] After his school days in 1962 he went on to read
modern history at
Brasenose College, Oxford. With fellow student
Robert Hewison he performed and wrote, for the first time, comedy material at a university Christmas party.
[2] Terry Jones, also a student in Oxford, saw that performance and began writing together with Hewison and Palin.
[1] In the same year Palin joined the Brightside and Carbrook Co-Operative Society Players and first gained fame when he won an acting award at a Co-Op drama festival.
[4] He also performed in
the Oxford Revue with Jones.
In 1966 he married Helen Gibbins, whom he first met in 1959 on holiday in
Southwold in
Suffolk — the county he has returned to in recent years to live.
This meeting was later fictionalised in Palin's play ''East of Ipswich''.
[5] He has three children with Gibbins.
[6] While still a baby, his son William briefly appeared in ''
Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' as Sir Not-appearing-in-this-film.
After finishing university in 1965 Palin became a presenter on a comedy pop show called ''Now!'' for the television contractor
Television Wales and the West.
[7] At the same time Palin was contacted by Jones, who had left university a year earlier, for assistance in writing a theatrical documentary about sex through the ages.
[8] Although this project was eventually abandoned, it brought Palin and Jones together as a writing duo and led them to write comedy for various
BBC programmes, such as ''The Ken Dodd Show'', ''The Billy Cotton Bandshow'', and ''The Illustrated Weekly Hudd''.
[9] They were also in the team of writers working for ''
The Frost Report'', whose other members included
Frank Muir,
Barry Cryer,
Marty Feldman,
Ronnie Barker,
Ronnie Corbett,
Dick Vosburgh, and future Monty Python members
Graham Chapman,
John Cleese and
Eric Idle. Although the members of Monty Python had already encountered each other over the years, ''The Frost Report'' was the first time all the British members of Monty Python (its sixth member,
Terry Gilliam, is an American) worked together. During the run of ''The Frost Report'' the Palin/Jones team contributed material to two shows starring
John Bird: ''The Late Show'' and ''A series of Bird's''. For ''A series of Bird's'' the Palin/Jones team had their first experience of writing narrative instead of the short sketches they were accustomed to conceiving.
[10]
Following ''The Frost Report'' the Palin/Jones team worked as actors and writers on the show ''
Twice a fortnight'' with
Graeme Garden,
Bill Oddie and
Jonathan Lynn, and the successful children's comedy show ''
Do Not Adjust Your Set'' with Idle and
David Jason. The animations for ''Do Not Adjust Your Set'' were made by
Terry Gilliam, who joined the cast on Cleese's recommendation and began working with the Palin/Jones team for the first time. Eager to work with Palin
[11] sans Jones, Cleese later asked him to perform in ''
How to Irritate People'' together with Chapman and
Tim Brooke-Taylor. The Palin/Jones team were reunited for ''
The Complete and Utter History of Britain''.
During this period Cleese contacted Palin about doing the show that would ultimately become ''Monty Python's Flying Circus''. On the strength of their work on ''The Frost Report'' and other programmes Cleese and Chapman had been offered a show by the BBC, but Cleese was reluctant to do a
two-man show for various reasons, among them Chapman's reputedly difficult personality. At the same time the success of ''Do Not Adjust Your Set'' had led Palin, Jones, Idle, and Gilliam to be offered their own series and, while it was still in production, Palin agreed to Cleese's proposal and brought along Idle, Jones, and Gilliam. Thus the formation of the Monty Python troupe has been referred to as a result of Cleese's desire to work with Palin and the chance circumstances that brought the other four members into the fold.
[12]
''Monty Python''
Main articles: Monty Python
Palin performs The Lumberjack Song, with
Connie Booth as his "best Girl."
In ''Monty Python'', Palin played various roles, which ranged from manic enthusiasm (such as the
lumberjack of
the Lumberjack Song) to unflappable calmness (such as the
Dead Parrot vendor,
Cheese Shop proprietor, or Postal Clerk). As a
straight man he was often a foil to the rising ire of characters portrayed by Cleese.
Palin frequently wrote with Jones for the sketches, including "The Lumberjack Song" and "
Spam". Some sketches Palin wrote by himself, (or began by himself) such as the "
Spanish Inquisition sketch", in which a fairly widespread
catchphrase was created: "''No''body expects the
Spanish Inquisition!"
Other performances
Palin in the ''
Ripping Yarns'' episode: ''The Testing of Eric Olthwaite''
After the ''Monty Python'' television series ended, Palin collaborated with Jones on the television comedy series ''
Ripping Yarns'' and the play ''
Secrets'', from the BBC series ''
Black and Blue''. He also appeared in ''
All You Need Is Cash'' as Eric Manchester (based on
Derek Taylor), the press agent for
The Rutles.
In 1982, Palin wrote and starred in ''
The Missionary'', co-starring
Maggie Smith. In it, he plays the Reverend Charles Fortesque, who is recalled from
Africa to aid prostitutes.
He appeared in Terry Gilliam's films ''
Time Bandits'', ''
Jabberwocky'', and ''
Brazil''. His biggest international role in a movie outside of ''Python'' was as stuttering would-be assassin Ken Pile in ''
A Fish Called Wanda'', for which he won the
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The film was such a success that Cleese reunited the main cast almost a decade later to make ''
Fierce Creatures''.
After filming for ''Fierce Creatures'' finished, Palin went on a travel journey for a BBC documentary and, returning a year later, found that the end of ''Fierce Creatures'' had failed at test screenings and had to be reshot.
Apart from ''Fierce Creatures'', Palin's last film role was a small part in ''
The Wind in the Willows'', a film directed by and starring Terry Jones. Palin also appeared with John Cleese in his documentary, ''
The Human Face''.
He also assisted
Transport 2000 and others with campaigns on transport policy issues, particularly those relating to urban areas, and has now become president of Transport 2000.
[13]
Palin has also appeared in serious drama. In 1991 Palin worked as producer and actor in the film ''
American Friends'' based upon a real event in the life of his great grandfather, a fellow at
St John's College, Oxford.
[14] In that same year he also played the part of a headmaster in
Alan Bleasdale's
Channel 4 drama series ''
G.B.H.''.
Palin also had a small cameo role in
Australian soap opera Home and Away. He played an English
surfer with a fear of
sharks, who interrupts a heart-to-heart between two main characters to ask whether there were any sharks in the sea. This was filmed while he was in Australia for the ''Full Circle'' series, with a segment about the filming of the role featuring in the series.
Recognition
In 2000 Palin became a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to
television.
[15]
In a 2005 poll to find ''The Comedian's Comedian'', he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
[16]
Each member of Monty Python has an
asteroid named after him. Palin's is Asteroid
9621 Michaelpalin.
[17]
Travel documentaries
Countries visited by Palin during his documentaries (dark grey).
Palin's first travel documentary was part of the 1980
BBC Television series ''Great Railway Journeys of the World'', in which — humourously reminiscing about his childhood hobby of
train spotting — he travelled throughout the UK by train, from
London to
Kyle of Lochalsh, via
Manchester,
York,
Edinburgh and
Inverness. At the Kyle of Lochalsh, Palin bought the station's long metal platform sign and is seen lugging it back to London with him.
In 1994, Palin travelled through
Ireland for the same series, entitled "Derry to Kerry". In a quest for family roots, he attempted to trace his great grandmother — Brita Gallagher — who set sail from Ireland 150 years ago during the
Great Famine (1845-1849), bound for a new life in
Burlington, New Jersey,
USA. The series is a trip along the Palin family line.
Starting in 1989, Palin has appeared as presenter in a series of travel programmes made for the British BBC Television. These programs have been broadcast around the world in syndication, and were also sold on VHS tape and later on DVD:
★ '' (1989): travelling as closely as possible the path described in the famous
Jules Verne story without using
aircraft.
★ ''
Pole to Pole'' (1992): travelling from the
North Pole to the
South Pole, following as closely as possible the 30 degree line of
longitude, over as much land as possible, i.e., through
Europe and
Africa.
★ ''
Full Circle with Michael Palin'' (1997): in which he circumnavigated the lands around the
Pacific Ocean counter-clockwise; a journey of 80,000 kilometres starting on
Little Diomede Island in the
Bering Strait and taking him through
Asia,
Oceania and the
Americas.
★ ''
Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure'' (1999): retracing the footsteps of
Ernest Hemingway through the
United States,
Europe,
Africa, and the
Caribbean.
★ ''
Sahara with Michael Palin'' (2002): in which he trekked around and through the world's
largest desert.
★ ''
Himalaya with Michael Palin'' (2004): in which he travels through the
Himalaya region.
Following each trip, Palin wrote a book about his travels, providing information and insights not included in the TV program. Each book is illustrated with photographs by
Basil Pao, the stills photographer who was on the team. (Exception: the first book, ''Around the World in 80 Days'', contains some pictures by Basil Pao but most are by other photographers.)
All six of these books were also made available as audio books, and all of them are read by Palin himself. ''Around the World in 80 Days'' and ''Hemingway Adventure'' are unabridged, while the other four books were made in both abridged and unabridged versions, although the unabridged versions can be very difficult to find.
For four of the trips a photography book was made by Basil Pao, each with an introduction written by Palin. These are large coffee-table style books with pictures printed on glossy paper. The majority of the pictures are of various people encountered on the trip, as informal portraits or showing them engaged in some interesting activity. Some of the landscape photos are displayed as two-page spreads.
In 2005, Palin presented ''Michael Palin and the Mystery of Hammershoi'', about the
Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershøi, whose work he collects.
In May 2006, he embarked on a new project, currently called ''Michael Palin's New Europe'', which includes visits to 21 countries once in the
Soviet bloc and
Yugoslavia and that are now either part of or future members of the
European Union, as well as countries like
Turkey, which are applying to join the EU. The ''New Europe'' travels are intended to produce six one-hour programmes for BBC 1 and a book, both planned for release in late 2007.
Palin's travel programmes are responsible for a phenomenon termed the "Palin effect": areas of the world that he has visited suddenly become popular tourist attractions — for example, the significant increase in the number of tourists interested in
Peru after Palin visited
Machu Picchu.
[ Globetrotter Palin brought down to earth by eco-lobby Ben Webster ] In a 2006 survey of "15 of the world's top travel writers" by ''
The Observer'', Palin named Peru's
Pongo de Mainique (canyon below the Machu Picchu) his "favourite place in the world".
In honour of his achievements as a traveller (especially rail travel), Palin has two British trains named after him. Virgin Trains'
Super Voyager number 221130 carries his name externally and a plaque is located adjacent to the onboard shop with information on Palin and his many journeys.
[18]. Also,
one Railway have named a
British Rail Class 153 (unit number 153335) after him.
Bibliography
Travel books
★ ''
Around the World in 80 Days'' (1989) ISBN 0-563-20826-0
★ ''
Pole to Pole'' (1992) ISBN 0-563-37065-3
★ ''
Full Circle'' (1997) ISBN 0-563-37121-8
★ ''
Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure'' (1999) ISBN 0-297-82528-3
★ ''
Sahara'' (2002) ISBN 0-297-84303-6
★ ''
Himalaya'' (2004) ISBN 0-297-84371-0
★ ''New Europe'' (2007) ISBN 0-297-84449-0
All his travel books can be read at no charge, complete and unabridged, on his website.
Monty Python
★ ''The Pythons'' Autobiography by The Pythons (2003) ISBN 0-7528-5293-0
★ ''Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years'' (2006) ISBN 0-297-84436-9
Fiction
★ ''Hemingway's chair'' (1995) ISBN 0-7493-1930-5
★ ''
Bert Fegg's Nasty Book for Boys and Girls'' w/Terry Jones, illus
Martin Honeysett,
Frank Bellamy et al (1974) ISBN 0-413-32740-X
★ ''Dr Fegg's Encyclopeadia of all world knowledge'' (1984) (expanded reprint of the above, with Terry Jones and Martin Honeysett) ISBN 0-8722-6005-4
Children's Books
★ ''Small Harry and the Toothache Pills'' (1982) ISBN 0-416-23690-1
★ ''Limerics'' or ''The Limeric Book'' (1985) ISBN 0-09-161540-2
★ ''Cyril and the House of Commons'' (1986) ISBN 1-85145-078-5
★ ''Cyril and the Dinner Party'' (1986) ISBN 1-85145-069-6
★ ''The Mirrorstone'' w/ Alan Lee and Richard Seymoure (1986) ISBN 0-224-02408-6
Selected filmography
★ ''
And Now For Something Completely Different'' (1971)
★ ''
Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' (1975)
★ ''
Three Men in a Boat'' (1975)
★ ''
Jabberwocky'' (1977)
★ ''
Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (1979)
★ ''
Time Bandits'' (1981)
★ ''
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl'' (1982)
★ ''
The Missionary'' (1982)
★ ''
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'' (1983)
★ ''
A Private Function'' (1984)
★ ''
Brazil'' (1985)
★ ''
A Fish Called Wanda'' (1988)
★ ''
American Friends'' (1991)
★ ''
The Wind in the Willows'' (1996)
★ ''The Willows in Winter''(1996)
★ ''
Fierce Creatures'' (1997)
Television
★ ''Now!'' (October 1965 – middle 1966)
★ ''The Ken Dodd Show''
★ ''Billy Cotton Bandshow''
★ ''The Illustrated Weekly Hudd''
★ ''
The Frost Report''. (
10 March 1966 –
29 june 1967)
★ ''The Late Show'' (
15 October 1966 -
1 April 1967)
★ ''A Series of Bird's'' (1967) (
3 October 1967 -
21 November 1967 screenwriter (guest stars)
★ ''
Twice a Fortnight'' (
21 October 1967 -
23 December 1967)
★ ''
Do Not Adjust Your Set'' (
26 December 1967 -
14 May 1969)
★ ''
Broaden Your Mind'' (1968)
★ ''
How to Irritate People'' (1968)
★ ''
Marty (TV series)'' (1968)
★ ''
Complete and Utter History of Britain'' (1969)
★ ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (
5 October 1969–
5 December 1974)
★ ''
Ripping Yarns'' (1976-1979)
★ '' '' (1980)
★ '' (1989)
★ ''
Pole to Pole'' (1992)
★ '' (1994)
★ ''
Full Circle with Michael Palin'' (1997)
★ ''
Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure'' (1999)
★ ''
Sahara with Michael Palin'' (2002)
★ ''
Himalaya with Michael Palin'' (2004)
★ ''Michael Palin's New Europe'' (2007)
Notes
1. Ross, 200
2. Michael Palin biography
3. Ross, 200
4. ABC TV Documentaries: Sahara episode 3/4
5. Ross, 57
6. Travelling with Michael Palin
7. ''Michael Palin'' by John Oliver at BFI Screen Online, URL accessed 13 December, 2006
8. In Conversation with Michael Palin date = 2006
9. Biography at Pythonet.org, URL accessed 17 December, 2006
10. A Series Of Bird's
11. Ross, 91
12. ''The Pythons Autobiography By The Pythons''; Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, John Chapman, David Sherlock, Bob McCabe; Thomas Dunne Books; 2003
13. '' Michael Palin on transport fit for all our futures'', article by Palin at Transport 2000.org, URL accessed 13 December, 2006
14. ''American Friends'' at Rotten Tomatoes.com, URL accessed 13 December 2006
15. BBC News
16. ''The Comedian's Comedian'', URL accessed 13 December 2006
17. JPL Small-Body Database Browser
18. Virgin Trains, URL accessed 13 December, 2006
References
★ Ross, Robert (1997). ''Monty Python Encyclopedia'' B.T. Batsford Ltd, London ISBN 1-57500-036-9
★ Wilmut, Roger (1980). ''From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960-1980'' Eyre Methuen Ltd ISBN 0-413-50770-X
External links
★
Michael Palin - BBC Guide to Comedy
★
Michael Palin - Comedy Zone
★
Palin's Travels - official website for the travel series
★
Michael Palin's New Europe: An Unofficial Fan Center
★
★
Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children
★
Michael Palin's entry on the National Treasures website
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