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The Monty Python members announce their reunion in London last week. Ian West/PA Wire

Monty Python comeback show sells out in 43.5 seconds

The show is now sold out, it’s bereft of availability, the sales process is now history. They are ex-tickets.

MONTY PYTHON ADDED another four dates to their “one-off” reunion show today after thousands of tickets to their first London live performance sold out in just 43.5 seconds.

John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin announced their long-awaited return to the stage last week, sparking huge excitement among fans of the comedians who have not performed together since 1980.

They said they only planned to do one show at the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena on 1 July,  and Idle said the intention was “to see if we can fill it”.

But the promoters were clearly prepared for the huge demand that saw tickets with a face value of under £100 (€120)  offered on re-sale websites for £1,600 (€1,900) within 15 minutes of the sale opening.

“The first show sold out in 43.5 seconds. Four further shows immediately went on sale: 2-5 July,” a spokesman for Monty Python told AFP.

The Pythons will perform the most famous sketches from their television programme and films — although advancing age has imposed some limits on what they will be able to do.

image

(PA Archive)

Cleese, 74, admitted that a repeat of his Ministry of Silly Walks sketch will be “impossible” as he now has an artificial hip and artificial knee.

“I think you can expect a little comedy, a lot of pathos, some music and a tiny bit of ancient sex,” added Idle, 70.

The troupe became famous with their irreverent and surreal television show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” from 1969 to 1974, which was sold to almost 100 countries.

One of their hit sketches was Dead Parrot, where Cleese tries to return a Norwegian Blue to a pet shop because it is dead. The owner, Palin, responds: “He’s not dead, he’s resting!”.

They also made several films including 1975′s “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, a parody of the legend of King Arthur, and “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” in 1979, the tale of a young man mistaken for Jesus which riled religious groups.

- © AFP, 2013

Read: 11 of the best bits from Monty Python’s ‘ask me anything’ >

Read: ‘Monty Python reunion is for real’: Terry Jones >

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    Mute Brinster
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    Dec 11th 2016, 1:12 PM

    This is such an important article.

    Senator Gerard Craughwell is the latest to try to exploit ignorance and fear for his own publicity by jumping on the anti-vax bandwagon. Cynical and irresponsible.

    Measles kills babies who are too young to be immunised.

    The only way to protect them is “herd immunity” – ensuring that everyone who is old enough is vaccinated, so the disease is effectively eradicated.

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    Mute Philip King
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    Dec 11th 2016, 2:04 PM

    Could you imagine how stupid you would feel after losing an infant to polio, the measles or some other preventable disease because of some shite you read on Facebook claiming to be a legitimate scientific study, making outlandish connections in an attempt to confirm some weird conspiracy. If vaccinations were dangerous there wouldn’t be a nurse or doctor in the country.

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    Mute Shawn O'Ceallaghan
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    Dec 11th 2016, 6:07 PM
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    Mute Philip King
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    Dec 11th 2016, 6:31 PM

    Thanks for sharing that irrelevant article.

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    Dec 11th 2016, 8:16 PM

    @Brinster: Scentific thinking should be taught as a discipline along with logic, debate, rationality, philosophy, crtical thinking as a subject from around the age of 13 in schools. A compulsory one. Wouldn’t do the astrologists and crystal-sellers and anti-vaxers a whole lot of good biz wise but it might advance the campaign against deadly communicable childhood diseases inter alia.

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    Mute Danny Rafferty
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    Dec 12th 2016, 12:33 AM

    The religious patrons of our schools would never allow it John.

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    Mute Eye_c_u
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    Dec 12th 2016, 7:47 AM

    Wonder do parents get prosecuted for manslaughter if they allow a child to die of preventable disease

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    Mute Mr D
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    Dec 13th 2016, 1:36 PM

    @Philip King: could you imagine how stupid you would feel if your child developed autism from those vaccinations.

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    Mute Philip King
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    Dec 13th 2016, 1:49 PM

    Do you have any peer reviewed scientific evidence to support that claim or did you just read a book by Jenny McCarty who has by the way changed her tune on the whole issue.

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    Mute David Hanlon
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    Dec 11th 2016, 1:28 PM

    Amazing story of a disease which most people living now,would I suspect have very little knowledge of.

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    Mute Brendan Hughes
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    Dec 11th 2016, 1:11 PM

    Words fail me.

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    Dec 11th 2016, 8:13 PM

    @Brendan Hughes: ”Brave” ”Gracious” ”Altruistic” ”Kind” ”Intelligent” ”Unembittered” ”Man”. They don’t me.

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    Mute Mandy Seiler
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    Dec 11th 2016, 9:00 PM

    I had the pleasure of working with Jim years ago. He is all that and more. Never had a bad word for anybody, never heard him complain. Jim’s motivation never seemed to cease. If it did, he never let on. He adapted his iron lung to be as self sufficient as possible; was therefore able to read, answer his own phone, etc. Jim as as warmhearted, kind and generous as he is intelligent, determined and innovative. He is an inspiration and will always have my admiration.

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    Mute molly coddled
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    Dec 11th 2016, 1:32 PM

    I can understand exactly what Mr Costello is advocating and is very deserving of this award. My grandaunt who was a gifted pianist got struck down with polio at the age of 16 before polio immunisation became available (pre 1957) the consequences were devastating, paralysed with twisted useless hands and withered limbs, confined to a chair by the fire for the rest of her life as the cold made her suffering greater, she died at the age of 75. A life I would not wish upon anyone, immunisation is essential.

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    Mute Joe Harbison
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    Dec 11th 2016, 1:30 PM

    It’s actually getting a bit worrying. Even on this site you get people referencing false news and misleading reports to try and support their arguments that vaccination is dangerous. We even had someone imply that the campaign that essentially eradicated Polio was in some way dangerous. The evidence for the risk versus benefit of vaccination is pretty near incontrovertible but people still make claims that ‘the truth is being suppressed’ as there is virtually no scientific evidence to support them. The question is how much attention is it sensible to give anti vaxxers. You can run through their arguments with a coach and horses but their antipathy has nothing to do with logic or science and you never change their mind. They just think you are part of the ‘conspiracy’. However, they thrive on the attention. I suspect it’s a reason some do it my making them feel clever and important like the fools who call in hoax fire reports to 999. The problem is vaccination rates are dropping as people decide ‘well it’s not worth taking the chance as who gets measles, or whooping cough or diphtheria these days anyway’, forgetting that the reason people don’t is because of vaccination and herd immunity.

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    Mute John B
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    Dec 11th 2016, 2:47 PM

    Stories like this are important because perhaps they help combat the main downfall of vaccines. And that is their success. People who live wrapped in cotton wool with western medicine have no appreciation of what these diseases did.

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    Mute Lilly Passet
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    Dec 11th 2016, 3:49 PM

    This is such an important article! I can’t even begin to describe how sick and tired I am getting of those people who say that when you vaccinate your child, you poisoin them and that the cons (the imagined side effects from aluminium, or that there is rather poisoin in the liquid etc) FAR outweigh the pros ( immunise the child against deadly diseases by injecting a small number of inactive viruses, which cannot attach to cells and use them to reproduce, making hundreds more viruses. They just don’t get it. They simply don’t do their research and make decisions based on gossip.
    And by doing so put their own and other children, who are too young for a specific vacation, at risk

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    Mute winston smith
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    Dec 11th 2016, 1:44 PM

    I don’t think you can blame parents for worrying about various vaccinees being injected into their infants…it’s pretty terrifying, but like most things in life it has certain risk involved but after reading this article and others on the various childhood diseases of the past I know what option I would take.

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    Mute Brinster
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    Dec 11th 2016, 2:01 PM

    @winston smith:

    I really don’t understand why you would believe that vaccines are terrifying.

    They are among humanity’s greatest achievements.

    If it does cause anxiety, do as much research as possible. Talk to doctors. Read The Vaccine Book by Bob Sears.

    And definitely read up on what these diseases could do to your children. That’s really terrifying.

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    Mute Philip King
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    Dec 11th 2016, 2:18 PM

    The only bad thing about vaccinations is the fact that you have to watch your child have an injection. I really don’t know why it’s terrifying. In all Likelihood you were vaccinated and you turned out ok…… oh wait a minute!

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    Mute Drew TheChinaman :)
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    Dec 11th 2016, 4:42 PM

    Hey idiots worrying about injecting things into your infants? No need to worry… the polio vaccine is delivered orally via a sugar cube.

    Seems like the kind of most basic fact you would have come across in all this extensive research and reading you claim to have done to form such a strong anti-vaccination opinion.

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    Mute Philip King
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    Dec 11th 2016, 4:51 PM

    Hey Drew! Read the comments and try to understand what people are saying before you shoot your mouth off. Comprehension is a big part of having a discussion.

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    Mute Dublin Living
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    Dec 11th 2016, 6:05 PM

    @winston smith: Maybe they should be terrified of their child getting polio or measles or TB.

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    Mute Martin Byrne
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    Dec 12th 2016, 6:53 AM

    Winston – it’s terrifying if you’re ignorant and believe anti-vaxx woo.

    Measles, Rubella syndrome, mumps, polio – all much more terrible.

    I did some work in the blind-deaf community and with a friend who is profoundly deaf and partially sighted. Rubella caused that. Thank science for vaccinations.

    I think it’s everyone’s duty to be vocal about this – we owe it to the kids who will endure terrible pain and suffering if we don’t

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    Mute Mary Beirne
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    Dec 12th 2016, 2:20 AM

    I agree wholeheartedly with Jim, this disease has devastating consequence. I had the privilege of looking after Jim in Cherry Orchard Hospital some years ago and a kinder, nicer man you could not meet

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    Mute winston smith
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    Dec 11th 2016, 10:41 PM

    The verdict is out on delivering multiple vaccines into infants whose immune system is only partially developed…I have had my children vaccinated and I can say as a parent it’s terrifying when you must make critical decsions for your fragile child that you have brought into the world and you are totally responsible for. I decided not to vaccinate against swine flu a few years back after listening to various ‘experts’ casting their nays and yeas and I am happy I made the correct decision. The Polio vaccine has been a great success and I applaud this but not all vaccines will have such success and in time if viruses mutate we might be at risk again.

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