Comedy icon John Cleese is set to embark on a UK tour this autumn, marking over 50 years since the release of the seminal film Monty Python And The Holy Grail.
The 86-year-old will host a series of special events featuring a screening of the 1975 classic, which he will introduce, followed by a 45-minute question and answer session with fans.
Cleese expressed his surprise at the film’s enduring appeal, stating: “I’m delighted to be celebrating more than 50 years of Holy Grail with these incredible live events around the country, mainly because I genuinely never expected either the film or myself to last this long.”
During the sessions, he will delve into the making of the film and its lasting legacy, offering attendees the chance to pose their own questions.
The tour kicks off at Basingstoke Anvil Arts on 1 September, concluding at Leeds Grand Theatre on 22 September. Stops include Manchester, Newcastle, and Birmingham. Tickets are currently on sale, priced at £39.50.
Monty Python And The Holy Grail famously follows King Arthur and his knights on their divine quest to locate the Holy Grail.
Beyond this iconic film, Cleese starred alongside the original Monty Python troupe – Sir Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Graham Chapman – in other cinematic successes such as Monty Python’s Life Of Brian (1979) and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983).
The groundbreaking, surreal sketches of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, first broadcast on the BBC in 1969, profoundly influenced comedy and popular culture, earning the group the moniker “the Beatles of comedy”.
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Cleese also achieved significant acclaim with A Fish Called Wanda (1988), co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Palin, which featured an Oscar-winning performance from Kevin Kline. Another enduring success was the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers, set in a fictional Torquay hotel.
Only 12 episodes were made between 1975 and 1979, with Cleese developing the character of Basil Fawlty after being fascinated by the rude behaviour of real-life hotelier Donald Sinclair. This tour follows a successful stage adaptation of Fawlty Towers, which ran at London’s Apollo Theatre last year before touring the UK and Ireland.
John Cleese And The Holy Grail tour in full:
September 1 – Basingstoke Anvil Arts
September 2 – Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall
September 3 – Cambridge Corn Exchange
September 5 – Milton Keynes Theatre
September 6 – Buxton Opera House
September 7 – New Brighton Floral Pavilion
September 8 – York Grand Opera House
September 9 – Newcastle Tyne Theatre
September 11 – Torquay Princess Theatre
September 12 – Woking New Victoria
September 14 – Watford Colosseum
September 15 – Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
September 17 – Cheltenham Town Hall
September 18 – Bedford Corn Exchange
September 19 – Richmond Theatre
September 20 – Birmingham Town Hall
September 21 – Manchester Opera House
September 22 – Leeds Grand Theatre