Monty Python team begin swansong shows

It's been billed as Monty Python's last stand.

For tickets that cost up to 95 pounds, and sold out in 44 seconds, fans saw Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam reunited on stage at London's O2 Arena

They performed a medley of famous sketches, including, of course, this one about a certain expired parrot.



Devotees of the comedy group turned up dressed as their heroes' best known creations.

Famous Python affcionados showed up too --- among them actors Christoph Waltz and Stephen Fry.

SOUNDBITE, Stephen Fry, saying, (English):

"Whatever you can say, I don't think there's any other comedy troupe in our culture which have those simple letters after it - E, S, Q, U, E - you know, Pythonesque. Everyone knows what you mean straightaway."

The show ended as it inevitably had to, with the five Pythons, dressed in white tuxedos, belting out "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".

The last show, on Jul