...of sorts

Monty Python stars Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam are to appear in a one-off London concert to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary.

But John Cleese will not be appear at the European premiere of Idle's musical Not The Messiah (He's A Very Naughty Boy) at the Royal Albert Hall on October 23. He said he had prior engagements.

The oratorio, based on The Life Of Brian, premiered in 2007 in Australia and New Zealand and has been performed across the US.

Idle – who will be playing the lead soloist - said: ‘It is rare you get to be silly on a mass scale.

‘It ranges in reference from Handel, through a naughty Mozart duet, to the Festival of Nine Carols, Bob Dylan, and the classic finale Always Look On The Bright Side of Life.’

The performance will be the first time the four Pythons have performed together since George Harrison's memorial concert in November 2002. They will be joined by Carol Cleveland, their regular TV sidekick, and Neil Innes.

A six-episode documentary marking the anniversary, Monty Python: Almost The Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) will air on American TV in October before being released on DVD.

Published: 6 Jul 2009