London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Terry Jones: Monty Python stars pay tribute to comedy great

Monty Python stars have led the tributes to their co-star Terry Jones, who has died at the age of 77.

The Welsh actor and writer played a variety of characters in the iconic comedy group's Flying Circus TV series, and directed several of their films.

He died on Tuesday, four years after contracting a rare form of dementia known as FTD.

David Walliams and Simon Pegg were among other comedians who remembered him.

Fellow Python star Sir Michael Palin described Jones as "one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation".

In a tweet, John Cleese said he was "a man of so many talents and such endless enthusiasm".

Eric Idle, another member of the highly influential comedy troupe, recalled the "many laughs [and] moments of total hilarity" they shared.

"It's too sad if you knew him, but if you didn't you will always smile at the many wonderfully funny moments he gave us," he went on.

Terry Gilliam, with whom Jones directed the group's film The Holy Grail in 1975, described his fellow Python as a "brilliant, constantly questioning, iconoclastic, righteously argumentative and angry but outrageously funny and generous and kind human being".

"One could never hope for a better friend," he said.

Palin added: "Terry was one of my closest, most valued friends. He was kind, generous, supportive and passionate about living life to the full.

"He was far more than one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation, he was the complete Renaissance comedian - writer, director, presenter, historian, brilliant children's author, and the warmest, most wonderful company you could wish to have."

Other comedy figures paid tribute on social media.



Screenwriter Charlie Brooker posted: "RIP the actual genius Terry Jones. Far too many brilliant moments to choose from."

David Walliams thanked his comedy hero "for a lifetime of laughter".

Simon Pegg - who acted in Jones' final film as director, 2015's Absolutely Anything - said: "Terry was a sweet, gentle, funny man who was a joy to work with and impossible not to love."

And comedian Eddie Izzard told BBC News: "It's a tragedy - the good go too early. Monty Python changed the face of world comedy. It will live forever. It's a terrible loss."


'A titan of British comedy'

Shane Allen, BBC controller of comedy commissioning, wrote that it was a "sad day to lose an absolute titan of British comedy" and "one of the founding fathers of the most influential and pioneering comedy ensembles of all time".

Jones was born in Colwyn Bay and went on to study at Oxford University, where he met his future Python pal Palin in the Oxford Revue - a student comedy group.

Alongside Palin, Idle and the likes of David Jason, he appeared in the BBC children's satirical sketch show Do Not Adjust Your Set, which would set the template for their work to come with Python.

He wrote and starred in Monty Python's Flying Circus TV show and the comedy collective's films, as a range of much-loved characters. These included Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson, Cardinal Biggles of the Spanish Inquisition and Mr Creosote.

In addition to directing The Holy Grail with Gilliam, Jones took sole directorial charge of 1979's Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life in 1983.

Cleese said: "Of his many achievements, for me the greatest gift he gave us all was his direction of Life of Brian. Perfection."

Beyond Monty Python, he wrote the screenplay for the 1986 film Labyrinth, starring David Bowie.


Monty Python - a potted history

Monty Python's Flying Circus, the groundbreaking comedy series that made Jones and his fellow cast members international stars, first aired on BBC One in October 1969.

Surreal, anarchic and bawdily irreverent, the show's blend of live-action sketches and animated interludes mocked both broadcasting conventions and societal norms.

Jones and Palin had met at Oxford, while Cleese, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle studied at Cambridge. After university, they took part in various comedy shows before forming Monty Python with US-born animator Terry Gilliam.

After four series, the troupe moved to the big screen to make Arthurian spoof Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python's Life of Brian, a controversial parody of Biblical epics.

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, their final film as a collective, returned to the original series' sketch-based format.

The surviving members reunited periodically after Chapman's death in 1989, most notably for a run of live shows at the O2 in London in 2014.

Terry Jones' best lines

"Now, you listen here! He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy!" - as Brian's mother in Monty Python's Life of Brian
"I'm alive, I'm alive!" - as the naked hermit who gives away the location of a hiding Brian in Life of Brian
"I shall use my largest scales" - as Sir Belvedere, who oversees a witch trial in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
"What, the curtains?" - as Prince Herbert, who is told "One day, lad, all this will be yours" in Holy Grail
"Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam" - as the greasy spoon waitress in a Monty Python sketch

The statement from Jones' family noted his "uncompromising individuality, relentless intellect and extraordinary humour [that] has given pleasure to countless millions across six decades".

"Over the past few days his wife, children, extended family and many close friends have been constantly with Terry as he gently slipped away at his home in north London.

"His work with Monty Python, his books, films, television programmes, poems and other work will live on forever, a fitting legacy to a true polymath."

The family thanked Jones' "wonderful medical professionals and carers for making the past few years not only bearable but often joyful".

They said: "We hope that this disease will one day be eradicated entirely. We ask that our privacy be respected at this sensitive time and give thanks that we lived in the presence of an extraordinarily talented, playful and happy man living a truly authentic life, in his words 'Lovingly frosted with glucose.'"

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×