Watch Michael Palin's tribute

Terry Jones has made his first public appearance since revealing that he has been diagnosed with a form of dementia.

He got a standing ovation at the Bafta Cymru awards in Cardiff last night, where he accepted the accolade for outstanding contribution to film and television.

His son Bill broke down in tears as he helped his father accept a Bafta Cymru award for contribution to film and television.

The 74-year-old appeared overwhelmed by the response, and jokingly hid behind the award out of modesty.

He suffers from primary progressive aphasia, which affects his ability to communicate, mut managed to tell the crowd to 'quieten down; before his son took over to make a short speech.

Chocking back tears, his son said: 'We would like to thank-you to everyone. I know it's a great honour for dad to win this award.

'The struggles we're having at the moment… we're so proud of him.'

Monty Python colleague Michael Palin paid tribute on the podium.

He said: 'My friend Terry has really come home tonight. He was really proud of his Welshness even if John Cleese seem to think it was the root of all has problems.

'When I first met terry he was living in the Welsh quarter of Esher in Surrey. We were both at Oxford university and Terry's Welshness was evident from the start. He was a small dark, passionate, rugby-playing smoker. I being an uptight middle-class church-goer from Sheffield was immediately drawn to him. Life seemed more exciting when Terry was around.

'In 1964 he and I made our first public in the Oxford Revue at the Edinburgh festival. Our sketch was set in a police station. "Morning, super," I said. "Morning, wonderful," said Terry and we never looked back.

'David Frost talent-spotted us at that revue and when we left Oxford we were offered jobs on the Frost Report TV series. I knew by then that Terry wasn't going to be content with writing and performing, for he was already into making films for his own 8mm projector directing a cast of chairs in his parents' back garden in the Welsh quarter of Esher.

'He would painstakingly shoot a frame or two before getting me to move the chair so when it was all put together it would look as if the chairs were running away from home.

'For the next few years we were almost inseparable as we wrote gags and sketches and funny films for Ken Dodd, Russ Conway, Billy Cotton, Marty Feldman, the Two Ronnies and anyone else who was alive and had a comedy show.

'When Monty Python came together in 1969, Terry quickly established himself at the very heart of the group. It was as his house in Camberwell that most of our group meetings took place, despite John's concerns that he might need a passport to go to South London.

'When the first series finally came out it was Terry who made sure he recorded and stored the videos of all the programmes in his garage: a very smart move for the BBC were at that time wiping tapes to make room for storage.

'It was Terry's love of moving chairs around that made him determined that Python should make their own films. His force of character and tireless workaholism kept us all up to the mark. And the results were Holy Grail and Life Of Brian which he wrote, appeared in and directed and which has repeatedly been voted one of the top film comedies of all time.

'One of Terry's finest creations was from The Meaning Of Life. It was the song Every Sperm Is Sacred. Shortlisted for a Bafta it was beaten on the night by the theme song to An Officer And A Gentleman, ironically titled *Up* Where We Belong.

'I only wish I had longer to continue with the rest of the Terry Jones story, as I blame him entirely for not having time to mention his brilliant children's books, his Crusades documentaries, his spot-on political pieces for the Guardian. Terry has been relentlessly prolific whilst remaining the nicest man and the most wonderful friend.

'For all the joy and pleasure and laughter and stimulation he has brought o so many people, I can think of no one more worthy or recognition tonight. I couldn't be happier.'

This morning, John Cleese tweeted: 'Congratulations to Terry '"Creosote" Jones,a hugely imaginative writer,a great Monty Python director,the best Pepperpot, and a lovely friend.' While Eric Idle retweeted fans' admiration for his co-star.

Watch the footage from last night here:

Published: 3 Oct 2016