Comedy icon John Cleese is set to embark on a UK tour this autumn, marking over 50 years since the release of the seminal film Monty Python And The Holy Grail. The 86-year-old will host a series of special events featuring a screening of the 1975 classic, which he will introduce, followed by a 45-minute question and answer session with fans.Cleese expressed his surprise at the film's enduring appeal, stating: "I’m delighted to be celebrating more than 50 years of Holy Grail with these incredible live events around the country, mainly because I genuinely never expected either the film or myself to last this long." During the sessions, he will delve into the making of the film and its lasting legacy, offering attendees the chance to pose their own questions.The tour kicks off at Basingstoke Anvil Arts on 1 September, concluding at Leeds Grand Theatre on 22 September. Stops include Manchester, Newcastle, and Birmingham. Tickets are currently on sale, priced at £39.50. Monty Python And The Holy Grail famously follows King Arthur and his knights on their divine quest to locate the Holy Grail.A chainmail-clad John Cleese reads a newspaper while Graham Chapman smokes a quiet pipe on the set of ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ (Getty Images)Beyond this iconic film, Cleese starred alongside the original Monty Python troupe – Sir Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Graham Chapman – in other cinematic successes such as Monty Python’s Life Of Brian (1979) and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983). The groundbreaking, surreal sketches of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, first broadcast on the BBC in 1969, profoundly influenced comedy and popular culture, earning the group the moniker "the Beatles of comedy".Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Cleese also achieved significant acclaim with A Fish Called Wanda (1988), co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Palin, which featured an Oscar-winning performance from Kevin Kline. Another enduring success was the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers, set in a fictional Torquay hotel. Only 12 episodes were made between 1975 and 1979, with Cleese developing the character of Basil Fawlty after being fascinated by the rude behaviour of real-life hotelier Donald Sinclair. This tour follows a successful stage adaptation of Fawlty Towers, which ran at London’s Apollo Theatre last year before touring the UK and Ireland.John Cleese And The Holy Grail tour in full:September 1 – Basingstoke Anvil ArtsSeptember 2 – Tunbridge Wells Assembly HallSeptember 3 – Cambridge Corn ExchangeSeptember 5 – Milton Keynes TheatreSeptember 6 – Buxton Opera HouseSeptember 7 – New Brighton Floral PavilionSeptember 8 – York Grand Opera HouseSeptember 9 – Newcastle Tyne TheatreSeptember 11 – Torquay Princess TheatreSeptember 12 – Woking New VictoriaSeptember 14 – Watford ColosseumSeptember 15 – Bournemouth Pavilion TheatreSeptember 17 – Cheltenham Town HallSeptember 18 – Bedford Corn ExchangeSeptember 19 – Richmond TheatreSeptember 20 – Birmingham Town HallSeptember 21 – Manchester Opera HouseSeptember 22 – Leeds Grand Theatre
John Cleese announces new UK tour celebrating classic Monty Python film
Cleese will host a series of special events and screenings to celebrate ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’








