Eric Idle blasts Monty Python co-stars

Eric Idle has blasted his Monty Python co-stars for being ungrateful for the millions they have made in royalty payments from the musical Spamalot.

Eric Idle has blasted his Monty Python co-stars for being ungrateful

The 82-year-old star – who wrote the musical Spamalot – lashed out at surviving Monty Python members John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin and said they should be grateful for the millions they have made in royalty payments from the musical, which is based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

He told The Guardian: “They got more f****** money than they’ve ever been grateful for. They got f****** millions and they’re miserable and horrible and b***** about it. I spent 20 years working for Python and then two years on the O2 show. They were there for two weeks.

“I’m not really motivated by money, to be honest. Anyway, the producers get all the f****** money and divide it up according to the contract. Someone sued us for years, saying I was paying the Pythons money from my back pocket. And I said: ‘why would I risk going to an American jail to give John Cleese more money?’”

Meanwhile, Idle also claimed that his co-stars Cleese and the late Graham Chapman were “very nasty to Miriam Margolyes”.

He said: “I think some of them were scared of women. John Cleese and Graham Chapman were very nasty to Miriam Margolyes and she’s hated them ever since. I always have to remind her that we were friends and I stayed at her apartment. It wasn’t all of us. But most of that generation were terribly cruel.”

Eric also admitted “Python was quite a lot of arguing and fights”.

He explained: “Some things in Python were very enjoyable and some were not. Holy Grail was cold and miserable. Sometimes that makes it funny. One of the worst things you can have in comedy is enough money.

“Python was quite a lot of arguing and fights and good work is often like that. The best thing about showbiz is when it’s over. I think if you’re enjoying yourself, then you’re not acting or giving, you’re just having a good time. Well, that’s not funny.”