Perhaps the most influential comedy troupe of all time, Monty Python revolutionized comedy and altered everything that came after them. Serving as an inspiration to everyone from Stephen Fry to Matt Groening, the group made a huge impact in the 70s, particularly for their bizarre, off-kilter style of comedy. Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin and John Cleese debuted their act in 1969 on the TV show Monty Python’s Flying Circus. They would go on to have iconic films like Life of Brian and Monty Python and The Holy Grail, but they also set the bar in sketch comedy.
For this list, we look only at the Flying Circus series to count down the 10 greatest sketches by comedy’s most significant players — the moments that cemented Monty Python as comedy legends.
Fish-Slapping Dance
One of Monty Python friend George Harrison’s favourite sketches, this appears in episode 2 of the 3rd series of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
In this short, 20-second sketch, John Cleese and Michael Palin are dressed in pith hats and safari outfits as Palin lightly hits Cleese in the face with some small fish whilst dancing. He does this multiple times over some light music, constantly lightly slapping him before returning to his original spot and pausing. The music comes to a halt as Cleese pulls out a huge trout, lines it up with Palin and smacks him with it – knocking Palin into the Teddington Lock. After Palin falls in, an animated Palin is eaten by a German fish who himself is eaten by a British fish, who is eaten by a Chinese fish.
One of Monty Python’s best-known sketches, the lock water apparently dipped suddenly when filming, meaning Palin had to do a much greater fall than expected. An utterly meaningless and stupid sketch, it perfectly summarises the Monty Python essence.
Spam
With the ubiquity of Spam in Britain since World War 2 making the public grow sick of the canned meat, Monty Python went about portraying this in a 1970 sketch.
The plot of this sketch sees Mr. Bun (Eric Idle) and Mrs. Bun (Graham Chapman) in the fictitious Green Midget Café faced with a menu mostly consisting of Spam. Spam is practically in every meal alongside eggs, sausages, bacon and a whole lot more Spam. Chapman’s character who hates Spam is upset at the sheer dominance of the canned food in every meal, to which Idle’s character (who plays her husband) who loves Spam offers to eat it – shocked at his wife’s hate.
Shortly afterwards, a group of Vikings enter the shop singing about their love of the meat. After these Nords invade, a Hungarian arrives with an accent, only to be taken away by a police constable. A historian in a studio reporting on this soon is shown, with this cutaway becoming more bizarre as he starts repeating the use of the word “Spam” before the backdrop turns into the restaurant.
So significant was this that the internet term ‘spam’ was created referring to the excessive delivery of unwanted mail, reflecting the repetition of Spam’s quantity in the sketch. Furthermore, the programming system Python was named after Monty Python, with the foo and bar functioned replaced with spam and eggs.
Upper Class Twit of The Year
Mocking the hapless British upper-class, this sketch from the Monty Python’s Flying Circus inaugural series parodies both sporting events and class privilege. In this sports-esque event, John Cleese narrates the 127th annual Twit of The Year competition.
Comically, the participants were introduced with silly titles. This includes Vivian Smith-Smythe-Smith having an O-level in camel hygiene, Nigel Incubator-Jones’s best friend being a tree and Gervaise Brook-Hampster being used as a wastepaper basket by his father.
The obstacle course includes events the dimwitted contestants struggle with, starting off with walking along a straight line. They then must jump over a fence 3 matchboxes tall, kick a beggar, reverse into a cut-out of an old lady, and wake a neighbour. The challenges grow more absurd, ending with removing a bra from a mannequin and finally shooting themselves to win.
The top 3 are commemorated with their coffins on a podium. Cleese finally declares, “there’ll certainly be some car door slamming in the streets of Kensington tonight!”.
Nudge Nudge
Originally written by Eric Idle for Ronnie Barker, the script was rejected, with Idle later using the idea in the 3rd ever episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Elvis Presley’s favourite all-time Monty Python sketch, it is noted for its use of innuendo.
Idle plays a man sitting very close to a gentleman, played by Terry Jones, in a pub. Using ambiguous questions and double entendres, he peppers his conversation with “nudge, nudge” and “wink, wink”. Eventually, the man asks what Idle is insinuating, leading to the punchline question: “What’s it like?” when asking about sleeping with a woman.
These idioms of sexual innuendo have since become part of British pop culture thanks to Monty Python’s influence.
Self-Defence Against Fresh Fruit
In this piece, John Cleese plays a drill sergeant-like instructor who teaches his class to defend against attackers armed with fresh fruit.
The absurd training, featuring grapefruits, lemons, and bananas, escalates until Cleese kills his students with increasingly ridiculous methods, including dropping a 16-ton weight and releasing a tiger. This extreme silliness mixed with deadpan delivery is a classic Monty Python formula.
The Lumberjack Song
A musical number in which Michael Palin portrays a rugged lumberjack who unexpectedly reveals his love for wearing women’s clothing.
Originally from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the sketch became one of Monty Python’s most famous songs, still performed in their live shows. It’s known for the refrain “I’m a lumberjack and I’m okay” and its comedic subversion of traditional masculinity.
Ministry of Silly Walks
This sketch sees John Cleese as Mr. Teabag, a civil servant with an outrageously elaborate walking style. Mocking government bureaucracy, it became one of Monty Python’s most iconic moments. The exaggerated physical comedy and unique visual style have been referenced in pop culture from Futurama to video games like GoldenEye 007.
Argument Clinic
Michael Palin visits a clinic for an argument, only to find John Cleese giving him mere contradiction rather than genuine debate. The rapid back-and-forth exchanges make this one of Monty Python’s sharpest verbal comedy sketches, with the timing and absurd premise cementing it as a classic.
Spanish Inquisition
Known for the line “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!”, this sketch features a trio of incompetent cardinals torturing victims with “soft cushions” and “the comfy chair”. It is a perfect example of Monty Python’s knack for taking historical events and twisting them into absurd, quotable comedy.
Dead Parrot
Perhaps Monty Python’s most famous sketch, John Cleese plays a customer returning a clearly dead Norwegian Blue parrot, while Michael Palin’s shopkeeper refuses to admit it’s deceased.
The endless euphemisms for death, coupled with Palin’s stubborn denial, make this a masterclass in comedic escalation. It’s a piece so famous it was even referenced during Graham Chapman’s eulogy.
From slapstick silliness to razor-sharp satire, Monty Python’s Flying Circus remains a masterclass in comedy that still inspires today. These sketches are more than just absurd gags — they’re cultural landmarks, shaping generations of comedians and keeping audiences laughing decades later. Whether you’re discovering them for the first time or revisiting them for the hundredth, Monty Python’s unique blend of wit, nonsense, and fearless creativity ensures their place in comedy history is secure.