Man Who Speaks in Anagrams, The

Synopsis: British television comedy series. This episode includes the sketch ‘The Man Who Speaks in Anagrams’. Part of the dialogue is as follows:
Palin: And I believe you’re working on an anagram version of Shakespeare?
Idle: Sey, sey - taht si crreoct, er - ta the mnemot I’m wroking on "The Mating of the Wersh".
Palin: "The Mating of the Wersh"? By William Shakespeare?
Idle: Nay, by Malliwi Rapesheake.
Palin: And what else?
Idle: "Two Netlemeng of Verona", "Twelfth Thing", "The Chamrent of Venice"....
Palin: Have you done "Hamlet"?
Idle: "Thamle". ‘Be ot or bot ne ot, tath is the nestquoi.'
Palin: And what is your next project?
Idle: "Ring Kichard the Thrid".
Palin: I’m sorry?
Idle: ‘A shroe! A shroe! My dingkom for a shroe!'
Palin: Ah, Ring Kichard, yes... but surely that’s not an anagram, that’s a spoonerism.
Idle: If you’re going to split hairs, I’m going to piss off
Series: Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Television
Technical information: Colour / Sound
Transmission details: 9 Nov 1972 at 22:15 (Channel: BBC1)
Duration: 30 mins

Producer

Writer

Cast

Eric Idle
Michael Palin

General: Other Python episodes, too brief to catalogue individually, are a sketch entitled SHAKESPEARE in the episode ARCHEOLOGY TODAY (tx 17 November 1970 ) in which Shakespeare, washing up at the sink, gives Beethoven tips on how to compose the Fifth Symphony. He dismisses the name David as a suitable title for his play (preferring the name Hamlet as suggested by Beethoven). Shakespeare tells Michelangelo that he can have the name. HAMLET (tx 21 November 1974) follows some of the action and characters of the play - Terry Jones plays Hamlet. In THE SPANISH INQUISITION (tx 22 September 1970) there is a sketch JULIUS CAESAR WITH AN ALDIS LAMP.

British Universities Film & Video Council