For anyone interested in comedy and its development – and of course for Monty Python fans – this 6-part documentary series will prove both entertaining and invaluable.

It follows the team from their individual beginnings, through their early comedy work and then through the years during which they changed the face of British – and indeed world – comedy. Interviews with the five surviving Pythons, with contributions from Graham Chapman's partner and archival footage of Chapman himself, provide fascinating bachground material to the creation of the four TV series and the films.

Conflicts and problems within the group are discussed, as well as achievements and external difficulties. If I have any caveats about this series, it is that there are somewhat too many contributions from other comedians, many of which add little. And that there was no apparent attempt made to get the Pythons together so they could actually discuss their collective past. But these are minor quibbles – this is a fasctinating and hugely enjoyable documentray series.

As an avid python fan this mocku/documentary really is a bit of a let down, they seem to focus a lot on spamalot (the musical) in their interviews with the actual pythons while the interviews with the non python cast really seems like scripted hero worship at times.

If you are a python fan then you must have this in your collection, but to anyone who is not a fan I would give it a miss.

This 3 disc DVD collection contains interviews with the 5 remaining members of Monty Python. There are many other interviews with people involved with comedy and producing comedy at around the same time as Monty Python started. Disc 3 contains extended interviews and a collection of the funniest sketches including the Dead Parrot- my favourite. A must for Monty Python fans.