Monty Python’s Flying Circus (known during the final series as just
Monty Python) is a British
sketch comedy series created by the comedy group
Monty Python and broadcast by the
BBC from 1969 to 1974. The shows were composed of
surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour,
sight gags and observational sketches without
punchlines. It also featured animations by
Terry Gilliam, often sequenced or merged with live action. The first episode was recorded on 7 September and broadcast on 5 October 1969 on BBC One, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV.