10 Monty Python clips to celebrate their 40th birthday

40 years ago Monday (October 5), Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin changed the history of comedy when Monty Python’s Flying Circus made its debut on British television.

Wikipedia articulates their influence over the years, saying “A self-contained comedy team responsible for both writing and performing their work, they changed the way performers entertained audiences. The Pythons’ creative control allowed them to experiment with form and content, discarding rules of television comedy. Their influence on British comedy has been apparent for years, while in North America it has colored the work of cult performers from the early editions of Saturday Night Live through to more recent absurdest trends in television comedy. “Pythonesque” has entered the English lexicon as a result.”

Monty Python has an official YouTube channel, so to celebrate 40 years of Monty Python here’s 10 Monty Phython classics:

Argument Clinic

Bicycle Repairman

Job Interview

Penis Song

Every Sperm is Sacred

Galaxy Song

Ministry of Silly Walks

Silly Olympics

Lumberjack Song

Always Look On The Bright Side of Life