Pictures from the Circus

Monty Python's Flying Circus contained some of British television's most memorable moments - here's a selection of some of the legendary team's best work.

"Hello, Polly! POLLY! Polly parrot, wake up!" The famous dead parrot sketch.

"It's not pining, it's passed on! This is an ex-parrot!" Cleese mourns the Norwegian Blue.

"There's nowt wrong wi' gala luncheons!" says the playwright to his miner son.

"Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Say no more!" Eric Idle quizzes Terry Jones over a pint.

Terry Gilliam's dark vision of lunch at the BBC.

The Batley Townswomen's Guild set to re-enact the battle of Pearl Harbor.

Ewe jokers: Cleese and Palin extol the virtues of flying sheep - in French.

"I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay!" Michael Palin having fun in the fir.

The odd couple: Michael Palin seeks marriage guidance from randy counsellor Eric Idle.

Monty Python's Flying Circus: The Best of Series 1 is available on a BBC Worldwide video from 4 October.