Fri 26 Jul 2024

 

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Sir Michael Palin: ‘Immigration in this country has done an enormous amount of good’

'The idea that these people are somehow going to ruin our way of life seems to be completely wrong and misbegotten'

Sir Michael Palin is the most famous traveller since Gulliver. In a series of epic and widely loved TV documentaries, he has journeyed from the North Pole to North Korea – and all points in between.

So he is extremely well placed to assess the importance of travel. In a clear reference to the toxic schisms caused by Brexit, Palin emphasises that it is vital to remain open to other cultures; when you close borders, you close minds.

“It saddens me that people should be mistrustful of foreigners to such an extent that they would rather not mix with them. That worries me a great deal.

“Immigration in this country has done an enormous amount of good. Whenever I have NHS hospital treatment, so many of the doctors and nurses are from different nations of the world.”

The nicest man in showbiz

The presenter and comedian, who first captured our attention as one of the six-man Monty Python troupe 50 years ago, is widely known as simply the nicest man in showbiz. And try as I might, having interviewed him many times over the past three decades, I can find no evidence to the contrary.

Michael Palin and the other Pythons
Michael Palin and the other Pythons

Palin continues: “We are very blessed to be able to have so many foreigners here and to make them welcome. They do work from which we’ve all benefited.

“The idea that these people are somehow going to ruin our way of life seems to be completely wrong and misbegotten. Seeing the world from other people’s point of view is very important. Don’t close your mind.”

The world is safer than you think

Even so, travelling to all manner of unfamiliar places can be an unsettling experience, can’t it? Quite the opposite, apparently. “I’ve actually been very reassured by travelling,” he says. “It has made me feel the world is safer than you think it is if you just read the news.

“Most people want to bring up their children, build their houses and live peacefully with their neighbours. They don’t want to kill anybody. Travelling is a very good way of confirming that the world is not a beastly place at all, but a place full of opportunity and great people.”

Travel forms a major part of Palin’s new live show, Erebus, Python and Other Stories, which he is touring nationwide from Friday. In the first half of the show, he discusses his bestselling book, Erebus: The Story of a Ship, which has just come out in paperback.

Our timeless search to find out where we are

The book focuses on the HMS Erebus, the British ship that disappeared in the Arctic during to Sir John Franklin’s doomed attempt to navigate the North West Passage in 1845. Palin explains: “The Erebus epitomises our timeless search to find out where we are and why we are here.”

In the second half of the show, Palin recounts his own life story. He demonstrates how his three favourite subjects at school (geography, history and comedy) have shaped his whole life.

Earlier this year, Palin was awarded a knighthood in the last New Year Honours List. He laughs, saying that “people asked, ‘How are you going to celebrate? Are you going to do cartwheels down The Mall?’ ‘No,’ I replied, ‘I’ll probably just go to bed with a cup of Horlicks’. Horlicks have since offered to send me large tubs of the stuff, so it was worth making that joke!”

Putting a classic to bed

Python has played a massive role in Palin’s life. After their hugely successful comeback shows at the O2 in London five years ago, is there any chance of another reunion? Palin thinks not.

According to the comedian, who appeared in such classic Python sketches as The Dead Parrot, The Lumberjack Song, The Cheese Shop and The Spanish Inquisition, “I don’t think we could now. Sadly, Terry [Jones]’s dementia is too severe, and he wouldn’t be able to go on stage. Our numbers are down, and we’re all a bit older now. The tremendous feelings we had at the O2 shows couldn’t be bettered.”

That does not prevent Monty Python from continuing to be an enormous cultural influence. Scarcely a day goes by without a reference in the media to one of their iconic sketches.

The Brexit name-calling is very Pythonic

Recently, for instance, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte declared: “Theresa May reminds me occasionally of that Monty Python character [the Black Knight from The Holy Grail] where all his arms and legs are cut off, and then he says to his opponent, ‘Let’s call it a draw’.”‎

Palin weighs up why Python is still so popular. “You can still look at the world from a Python point of view because it’s an extraordinarily absurd place. People are still doing very silly things and making ridiculous spectacles of themselves.

“The only way you can see what’s going on in the Brexit mess is through the eyes of Python. Just look at all the name-calling. It’s extremely Pythonic.”

Although he is now 76, Palin has no thoughts of retirement – perish the thought. “I don’t know what I’d retire from. I have no fixed job. My whole life has been retirement really. I retired when I was about eight. I’ll die in the saddle.”

He hastily adds that, “There will be no saddle in the live show. I won’t be riding any horses on stage. If I did, I’d be killed by a metaphor.

“Death by metaphor – the worst way to go.”

Michael Palin latest book, Erebus: The Story of a Ship is a best-seller
Michael Palin latest book, Erebus: The Story of a Ship is a best-seller

Tickets for Michael Palin’s new tour, “Erebus, Python and Other Stories”, are available now. “Erebus: the Story of a Ship” (Arrow, £8.99) is out now in paperback

 

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