57 Fun Facts About Monty Python and the Holy Grail

What shape does Holy Grail's Sir Bedevere say the Earth is?

Banana-shaped, says Sir Bedevere the Wise, whose witch-trial logic also holds that witches burn because they are made of wood.

Which two Pythons directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones: neither had directed a feature before, and on the next Python film Jones directed alone while Gilliam shaped its look.

Who plays King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Graham Chapman: his alcoholism left him trembling and afraid of heights, and on the first day of filming he froze at the gorge's edge.

How do Arthur and his knights 'ride' in Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Miming as servants bang coconuts: the budget couldn't stretch to real horses, so they borrowed an old radio sound effect for hooves.

What do the French guards claim when Arthur invites them on his Grail quest?

That they already have one: the guard says it's very nice, then refuses to let the 'English types' see it and taunts them.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, what does a villager claim the witch turned him into?

A newt: when Bedevere looks doubtful, the villager admits, 'I got better', and the crowd wants her burned anyway.

What does the Black Knight say after losing an arm?

''Tis but a scratch': Arthur protests, 'A scratch? Your arm's off!', and the knight keeps fighting.

Which Python plays the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

John Cleese: once the knight is down to one leg, a real one-legged local stands in, with a false leg for Arthur to chop off.

Why does Arthur turn away from Camelot?

He decides it is 'a silly place': he changes his mind after watching the knights inside break into a song-and-dance number.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, who orders Arthur to find the Grail?

God: his face is a photo of cricketer W. G. Grace, and he tells Arthur off for grovelling.

What do the French soldiers use to drive the Britons back from their castle?

A barrage of barnyard animals: first, though, a guard jeers at the 'English pig-dogs' and tells them to go and boil their bottoms.

What flaw ruins the Trojan Rabbit plan?

Nobody remembered to hide inside it first: the French wheel it in, then fling it straight back over the wall at the knights.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, what one word terrifies Arthur's party in the woods?

'Ni!': the knights later rename themselves, so Arthur calls them the Knights Who 'Til Recently Said 'Ni'.

What do the knights who guard the forest demand from Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

A shrubbery: Arthur gets one from Roger the Shrubber, only for the knights to demand another.

How does Sir Robin avoid the Three-Headed Knight?

He runs off while its heads argue, but at the Bridge of Death his luck runs out and he's flung into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.

Who occupies Castle Anthrax?

Young women who all try to woo Galahad: a grail-shaped beacon lures him in, and Lancelot then 'rescues' him against his will.

Who really wrote the distress note Lancelot answers at Swamp Castle?

The effeminate Prince Herbert: before realising, Lancelot storms the castle and kills several wedding guests.

Who is Tim the Enchanter?

A fire-wielding sorcerer who points them to a cave: the knights ignore his warnings about its guardian, and three of them die.

What guards the Cave of Caerbannog?

A killer rabbit: the knights scoff at the harmless-looking bunny until it kills Sir Bors.

What does Arthur use to destroy the beast at the cave?

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch: Brother Maynard carries it as a sacred relic, and a monk reads its instructions from the Book of Armaments.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, what does Arthur say after 'One, two...'?

'Five!': a knight has to correct him with 'Three, sir!', since the instructions say five is right out.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, what must Arthur use to cut down the mightiest tree in the forest?

A herring: Arthur protests 'It can't be done', and the knights recoil in pain whenever anyone says the word 'it'.

At the Bridge of Death, what must each knight do to cross?

Answer three questions: an easy one about his favourite colour still trips up Galahad, who is flung into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.

Which question stumps the Bridge of Death's keeper himself?

The airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow: Arthur asks, 'An African or European swallow?', and the keeper, not knowing, is flung into the gorge.

How does Monty Python and the Holy Grail end?

Police arrest Arthur and break the camera: they take him and Bedevere in on suspicion of murder.

Which modern-day character is killed in Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

A historian filming a documentary: a knight rides past and cuts him down while he's in the middle of explaining Arthur's story.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, what does Patsy say when the knights first see Camelot?

'It's only a model': and it really was, since Camelot was a big cut-out rather than a real castle.

Which Argyll castle, set on a tidal islet, plays Castle Aaargh in Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Castle Stalker: the vast army that charges it in the finale was really a crowd of Stirling university students.

Why did Holy Grail's crew film most of its castles at one site?

Permission for other castles was pulled: two weeks before shooting, they were told they wouldn't respect 'the dignity of the fabric' of the buildings.

Which fortress, later Winterfell in Game of Thrones, was Holy Grail's main location?

Doune Castle: shot from different angles, it plays nearly every castle in the film, from Castle Anthrax to Swamp Castle.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, whose carved last words send the knights toward the Castle of Aaargh?

Joseph of Arimathea: the knights find his inscription in the cave, but the Legendary Black Beast interrupts them.

Which rock band, besides Pink Floyd, helped fund Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Led Zeppelin: no studio would pay for the film, so the Pythons turned to rock stars for the money.

Which member of Jethro Tull personally invested in the film?

He put in £6,300.

Where did the idea for Holy Grail's Black Knight scene come from?

A school tale of Roman wrestlers: one gave up, only to find his rival was dead, so the dead man won, 'proving' you can't lose if you never give up.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Dennis says strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for what?

Government: power, Dennis argues, derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

Which 2005 Tony-winning musical was based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Spamalot: its takings later landed the Pythons in a High Court royalties fight.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, when Arthur says 'I am your king', what does a peasant woman reply?

'I didn't vote for you': Arthur retorts that you don't vote for kings, so she asks how he became king, then.

Who played King Arthur in the original Broadway musical of Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Tim Curry: his Arthur sings 'I'm All Alone' while ignoring Patsy, who has been with him the whole time.

Which Python film topped Total Film readers' 2000 comedy poll, with Holy Grail fifth?

Life of Brian: on the Holy Grail promo tour, Eric Idle joked that their next film would be 'Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory'.

Which extra subtitle track did Holy Grail's 2001 special-edition DVD offer?

Lines from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 2: billed as 'Subtitles for People Who Don't Like the Film', they were picked to fit the action on screen.

Which Python plays the peasant Dennis, who argues about anarcho-syndicalist communes, in Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Michael Palin: when Arthur grabs him, Dennis cries, 'Help, help, I'm being repressed!'

Which Python plays Sir Bedevere the Wise in Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Terry Jones: as Bedevere, he is the first knight Arthur recruits, after presiding over a village witch trial.

Which Python plays Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave and Concorde in Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Eric Idle: thirty years after the film, he turned it into a Tony-winning Broadway musical.

How do Arthur's knights escape the Legendary Black Beast of Aaargh?

The animator has a fatal heart attack: by then the cartoon beast has eaten Brother Maynard.

Which actress plays the twins Zoot and Dingo at Castle Anthrax?

Connie Booth plays the witch, Miss Islington.

Holy Grail's opening credits break into fake Swedish subtitles about which animal?

A moose: the credits were made last, when the money had run out, so the Pythons filled plain title cards with jokes.

What does the limbless Black Knight threaten to do?

Bite his legs off: moments earlier, reduced to a torso, he had offered to call it a draw.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, what's odd about Lancelot's charge on Swamp Castle?

He never seems to get closer: the guards barely notice him, until suddenly he's upon them, sword swinging.

The French taunter in Monty Python and the Holy Grail says Arthur's father smelt of what?

Elderberries: in the same breath he says Arthur's mother was a hamster, then threatens to taunt him a second time.

Who beat the Pythons in a 2013 royalties case over Holy Grail's musical?

Mark Forstater, the film's producer: he had been paid a fourteenth share of spin-off income and argued he was owed a seventh, like each Python.

What reportedly upset the Pythons about Holy Grail's US TV debut?

CBS cut out the profanity and the blood: reportedly, that upset the Pythons, who took back the rights so it aired uncut on PBS.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, why won't the plague-cart collector take the man he's offered?

He isn't dead yet: taking him is against regulations, but when the man insists he feels happy, the collector whacks him with his club.

What do Holy Grail's knights eat in the frozen land of Nador?

Robin's minstrels: and, as the narrator adds, there was much rejoicing.

Which Python collaborator wrote several songs for Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Neil Innes: after a first cut with his soundtrack, the Pythons redid the music, swapping much of his score for library cues.

To pay a 2013 royalties judgment, the Pythons staged a 2014 reunion show at which London venue?

The O2 Arena: the first night sold out in 43 seconds, so the run grew from one show to ten.

In Holy Grail, what does Brother Maynard tell the monk reading the Book of Armaments?

'Skip a bit, Brother': the reading had wandered off into the people feasting on lambs, sloths, carp, anchovies and orangutans.

Who keeps the Bridge of Death?

The old man from Scene 24: earlier, as a soothsayer, he had sent Arthur and Bedevere to seek the Bridge of Death.