Terry Jones

Contents

1 Mini Biography
2 Suggested viewing
3 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
4 The Meaning of Life (1983)
5 Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
6 Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969)
7 Monty Python’s and Now for Something Completely Different (1971)
8 Erik the Viking (1989)
9 Medieval Lives (2004)
10 Full filmography (@Wikipedia)
11 Terry Jones Gallery

Last updated on the 27 April 2024 by Maeve

Terry Jones headshot

Mini Biography

Born: 1 February 1942, Colwyn Bay, Wales.

While his father served in the Royal Air Force, young Terry Jones’s childhood unfolded by the Welsh seaside. His family nurtured a love for the arts, his grandparents managed a local operatic society, a hint of the performer to come.

Education proved to be a springboard for Jones’s talents. At Oxford University’s St Edmund Hall, he switched from English to History, but his true passion emerged on the stage. Here, he met Michael Palin, a friendship that would become the cornerstone of his comedic success.

After graduating, Jones and Palin found their footing in the world of British comedy. They wrote for shows like “Do Not Adjust Your Set” and “The Frost Report,” showcasing a sharp, absurd sense of humour. This very absurdity caught the eye of the soon to be legendary Monty Python crew. In 1969, Jones, alongside Palin, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle and animator Terry Gilliam, unleashed “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” upon the world.

Terry Jones’s contribution to Monty Python went far beyond just writing. He was a master of physical comedy, contorting his face and body to create unforgettable characters. From the shrill-voiced housewife to the nude organist, Jones revelled in the bizarre. He wasn’t afraid to push boundaries, lampooning everything from religion (“Life of Brian”) to history (“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”). His co-writing partnership with Palin yielded some of Python’s most iconic sketches, like the “Four Yorkshiremen” one-upmanship routine.

Beyond Monty Python, Jones thrived, he carved a niche for himself as a writer, penning several books, including well-researched works on medieval history, a subject that had fascinated him since childhood.

Suggested viewing

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Bftv 9.5 / IMDb 8.2

King Arthur leads his knights on a surreal quest for the Holy Grail, facing ill-mannered Frenchmen, a killer rabbit and shrubbery-obsessed knights. Their bonkers journey includes awkward bridge crossings, a confusing head-lopping contest and a showstopping musical number from unlikely warriors.

Top cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Connie Booth.

The Meaning of Life (1983)

Bftv 9.0 / IMDb 7.5

This musical comedy explores life’s big questions through a series of absurd sketches. Witness childbirth from the mother’s exasperated viewpoint, endure a bizarre sex education class and grapple with organ transplants gone wrong. All the while, the film cleverly dissects life’s stages with dark humour and catchy songs.

Top cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Terence Bayler.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)

Bftv 10.0 / IMDb 8.0

Mistaken identity plagues a man born next door to a future messiah. He yearns for a normal life but bumbles into accidental miracles and a devoted following. Roman officials and overzealous rebels add to the chaos as he desperately tries to ditch his newfound fame.

Top cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Carol Cleveland.

Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969)

Bftv 9.5 / IMDb 8.8

This sketch comedy show throws logic out the window. From ministerial departments specialising in silly walks to arguments over a deceased parrot, it uses wit and surrealism to skewer social norms and find humour in the utterly bizarre.

Top cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Carol Cleveland, Connie Booth.

Monty Python’s and Now for Something
Completely Different (1971)

Bftv 9.5 / IMDb 7.5

A nonsensical collection of absurd sketches, this comedy film brings pet shop arguments, killer mice and upper-class twit competitions to the big screen. Prepare for sing-alongs with lumberjacks, philosophical fish slapping and plenty of “Nudge nudge, wink wink.”

Top cast: John Cleese, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Carol Cleveland, Connie Booth.

Erik the Viking (1989)

Bftv 9.0 / IMDb 6.1

A thoughtful Viking, weary of a violent world shrouded in eternal twilight, embarks on a quest to find a magical horn. With a ragtag crew and facing absurd obstacles, he journeys to the realm of the gods to plead for peace and restore sunlight to his people.

Top cast: Tim Robbins, John Cleese, Mickey Rooney, Eartha Kitt, Imogen Stubbs, Tsutomu Sekine, Antony Sher, Tim McInnerny, John Gordon Sinclair, Samantha Bond, Jim Broadben, Jim Carter.

Medieval Lives (2004)

Bftv 9.5 / IMDb 8.3

This comedic documentary series shatters myths about the Middle Ages. Hosted by Terry Jones, each episode explores a different medieval profession, from peasant to knight, revealing a surprisingly vibrant and complex era often overshadowed by misconceptions.

Written and presented by Terry Jones.