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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
As told to Catherine Shoard

‘I’d be proud to be thrown out of America!’ Eric Idle on Trump, life after Python and not talking before lunch

‘A lot of being funny is the lack of a censor mechanism’ … Eric Idle
‘A lot of being funny is the lack of a censor mechanism’ … Eric Idle Photograph: Suki Dhanda/The Guardian

When news broke in 2021 that Eric Idle had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, dismay was followed by relief when he survived to get the all-clear. Now 83, Idle is thriving and about to embark on his first UK tour since 1973.

Over haddock and chips in London last month, a gentle and friendly Idle answered questions submitted by readers and fellow writers, actors and comedians about his time as a Python, Broadway smash Spamalot – his musical adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail – as well as selfies, Peter Cook and why he feels sorry for the royals.

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