History Film / HolyFlyingCircus

A 90-minute, made-for-TV comedy film focusing around the controversy that surrounded ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian''. The film is based around real life events, and centres around an infamous television debate on the ''Friday Night, Saturday Morning'' show that JohnCleese and MichaelPalin participated in against prominent critic and broadcaster (and devout Catholic) Malcolm Muggeridge and Mervyn Stockwood, the then-Bishop of Southwark -- both of whom, it later transpired, hadn't seen the entire film and thus missed critical plot information to begin with, and who spent more time during the actual debate making cheap jibes against the comedians rather than attempting to rebut their arguments. However, these events are depicted in an irreverent, surreal and -- dare we say -- Pythonesque fashion, interspersed with non sequiturs, sketches and animation.

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** John's general depiction in the film is more [[FawltyTowers Basil Fawlty]] than the real John Cleese. [[spoiler: Of particular note is the scene where he ends up attacking a newspaper vendor with a tree branch after an argument, followed by a 'Party Political Broadcast by John Cleese on behalf of John Cleese' where he explains that the real John Cleese is much nicer.]]

-->'''Petitioner''': [persistently] Do you want to sign my petition?
-->'''Michael''': No.
-->'''Petitioner''': Why not?
-->'''Michael''': Because I'm not convinced the film should be banned.
-->'''Petitioner''': Why not? [sarcastically] Did you write it?
-->'''Michael''': Er, yes.

* BitingTheHandHumour: Done epically. "Y'know what I love about BBC Four? No-one gives a fuck!"

* GenderBender: Terry Jones as Jones the Wife, Michael Palin's spouse, who is acknowledged as being masculine in appearance and interest, but referred to continuously as female.

* ShoutOut: Plenty to MontyPython and the other works that the Pythons were involved in:

*** His argumentative nature is also often conveyed as him automatically responding to anything anyone says or suggests with a blunt, contrary response -- as his character in [[MontyPythonsFlyingCircus The Argument Sketch]] did.

A 90-minute, made-for-TV comedy film focusing around the controversy that surrounded Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian. The film is based around real life events, and centres around an infamous television debate on the ''Friday Night, Saturday Morning'' show that JohnCleese and MichaelPalin participated in against prominent critic and broadcaster (and devout Catholic) Malcolm Muggeridge and Mervyn Stockwood, the then-Bishop of Southwark -- both of whom, it later transpired, hadn't seen the entire film and thus missed critical plot information to begin with, and who spent more time during the actual debate making cheap jibes against the comedians rather than attempting to rebut their arguments. However, these events are depicted in an irreverent, surreal and -- dare we say -- Pythonesque fashion, interspersed with non sequiturs, sketches and animation.

* CringeComedy: The poor BBC Head of Rude Words, an extremely bashful man who has to read out a list of extremely offensive terms to his secretary.

* ItWillNeverCatchOn: Alan Dick gets this response when he basically describes how he wants to invent the 'water-cooler moment' effect. Except he's not helped by the fact that water-coolers themselves haven't been invented, meaning he's forced to refer to it as the substantially less impressive 'water-jug moment'. Or by the fact that his show is called "''Friday Night, Saturday ''Morning" and is shown on Friday nights, and most people wouldn't be working on Saturdays anyway.

* ItWillNeverCatchOn: Alan Dick gets this response when he basically describes how he wants to invent the 'water-cooler moment' effect. Except he's not helped by the fact that water-coolers themselves haven't been invented, meaning he's forced to refer to it as the substantially less impressive 'water-jug moment'. Or by the fact that his show is called ''Friday Night, Saturday ''Morning'' and is shown on Friday nights, and most people wouldn't be working on Saturdays anyway.

* AcceptableTargets: Desmond Lovely and Gareth Nice, the fundamentalist religious protestors with devastating speech impediments (Tourettes and a heavy stutter respectively). Played with, in that although their speech problems are milked for plenty of humour, of the religious protestors they're clearly a lot nicer and more open-minded than the obnoxiously self-righteous Andrew Thorogood.

* LargeHam: Alan Dick, BBC Director of Talk.

* TourettesShitcockSyndrome: Desmond Lovely has a case of this, although he also tends to use it as an excuse to get away with insulting Alan Thorogood

* MoralGuardians: Naturally, a large chunk of the film is devoted to taking the piss out of them.

** John's general depiction in the film is more [[FawltyTowers Basil Fawlty]] as much as the real John Cleese at times. [[spoiler: Of particular note is the scene where he ends up attacking a newspaper vendor with a tree branch after an argument, followed by a 'Party Political Broadcast by John Cleese on behalf of John Cleese' where he explains that the real John Cleese is much nicer.]]

** John's general depiction in the film calls to mind [[FawltyTowers Basil Fawlty]] as much as the real John Cleese at times. [[spoiler: Of particular note is the scene where he ends up attacking a newspaper vendor with a tree branch after an argument.]]

A 90-minute, made-for-TV comedy film focusing around the controversy that surrounded Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian. The film is based around real life events, and centres around an infamous television debate on the ''Friday Night, Saturday Morning'' that JohnCleese and MichaelPalin participated in against prominent critic and broadcaster (and devout Catholic) Malcolm Muggeridge and Mervyn Stockwood, the then-Bishop of Southwark -- both of whom, it later transpired, hadn't seen the entire film and thus missed critical plot information to begin with, and who spent more time during the actual debate making cheap jibes against the comedians rather than attempting to rebut their arguments. However, these events are depicted in an irreverent, surreal and -- dare we say -- Pythonesque fashion, interspersed with non sequiturs, sketches and animation.