Laughter is best enjoyed as a communal experience, which is what makes Slapstick Festival such a significant player in Bristol’s comedy calendar. The event - which has just finished its 19th edition - celebrates physical comedy including films from a hundred years ago to the present day and invites legends of the craft to speak on some of the works that have framed the trope to what it is today.
The festival led by Chris Daniels concluded its five-day run on Sunday night (February 19) with an in-conversation show between Sir Michael Palin and comedian Rob Brydon ahead of the actor's 80th birthday in May. This year’s Slapstick programme fell under a music theme and was co-curated by the Monty Python star, including a special screening of This Is Spinal Tap in the IMAX cinema, now part of Bristol Aquarium, for a screening of a film that Palin described as one of the funniest he’d ever seen, recounting the first time he watched it in a specially recorded introduction before the showing.
Michael appeared in person at two events commemorating Python and his huge body of work for Slapstick Sunday at Bristol Old Vic, the first time the festival had taken over the historic theatre. Rob Brydon had the impossible task of consolidating 60 years of work into an 80-minute show, showing clips from the 1960s that Michael himself had never seen, discussing his work on Python, The Frost Report, A Fish Called Wanda and his very first TV job with Television Wales and the West, which was filmed in Bristol.
Read more: Michael Palin on his first TV job in Bristol, Monty Python’s legacy and the future of comedy
When Rob probed him on his thoughts on the Fawlty Towers reboot, Michael admitted he was surprised to learn of his former comedy co-star’s decision. The actor and writer will team up with his daughter, Camilla, to reprise the show to see how the boutique hotelier navigates the modern world, without half of the original cast.
Palin described Fawlty Towers as an intensely physical show - much like Python and in keeping with Slapstick Festival’s theme - and although John Cleese is in good health at 83, he cast doubt over the demand the character required. On Monday (February 20) there was uncertainty about the reboot after Cleese apologised for the announcement, saying it had seemly received a “tide of negative emotion”.
After wading through the comments from trolls, the overarching constructive criticism is that Fawlty Towers should be preserved as it is - a mere 12 episodes - and not fall victim to the 21st-century reboot that so often falls flat. Michael spoke frankly about the Python reunion back in 2014 for Monty Python Live (Mostly), which was seemly only revived to pay a large legal fee and backdates royalties, but was so popular that the stint grew from one to ten shows at the O2 Arena in London.
Brydon, who was in the crowd for one of the concerts, described the experience like a “secular church”, with fans coming together to see sketches first written in the early 1970s on stage once again. He was open about how taxing the shows were on the Pythons, who all performed aside from the late Graham Chapman, and was honest about how some of the revived skits - like the Dead Parrott sketch - translated differently from the intimate studio setting they were conceived in onto a stage in front of 50,000 people each night.
The dynamic between Palin and Brydon at the Bristol Old Vic was enthralling with both comedians being unafraid to make a jibe at the other - Palin’s sharp wit and endearing anecdotes were utterly effortless showing himself as a true comedy craftsman. Brydon was both charismatic and cynical, but his ribbing of Palin and the audience shows him as the confident host viewers see on Would I Lie to You. He was quick to spot Stephen Merchant in the audience (albeit not difficult due to his height) who had hosted an event with Sir Michael earlier that day.
Next year will see Slapstick commemorate the festival’s 20th year and hopefully will promise another special programme to coincide with this. While I was hugely impressed with the calibre of performances, screenings and discussions this year, I hope the organisers will broaden its showings to provide more diversity in the line-up.
The festival is hosting a special screening to mark 100 years of Safety Last! a 1923 American silent romantic-comedy film starring Harold Lloyd. It will be screened on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at St George’s Church with tickets available on Slapstick’s website.
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