THEY used to be the best of friends and one of British comedy's most iconic acts, but there is not a flying chance of a Monty Python reunion.
Two of the remaining trailblazers, Eric Idle and John Cleese, are embroiled in a bitter rift over money that is no joke.
"I think that ship has sailed. And sunk, actually," says Eric, 82, who kicks off his nationwide tour today.
"I did three tours with John Cleese, and he seemed perfectly nice, and now he seems not quite so nice.
"I don't know why. I haven't seen him for 10 years. So I don't honestly know what's going on.
"Am I bothered? No, I'm not bothered, because what can I do?
"People say why is he so angry? I don't know.
"He's got his own life, I've got my own life and it's a nice life."
Together the pair created some of the most surreal sketches, gags and catchphrases of all time.
The original line up also included Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam along with the late Terry Jones and Graham Chapman.
Eric added: "There's no Terry, there's no Graham, the nicer ones have gone. It's true.
"So I don't think there's any hope."
As well as their much loved films including Life of Brian in 1979, and the original BBC TV Flying Circus series, Eric also penned the hit stage musical Spamalot, based on the classic movie Monty Python's and the Holy Grail.
In 2014 they reunited with Monty Python for Monty Python Live (Mostly) One Down, Five to Go, a reference to Chapman who died in 1989 aged just 48.
It was a sold-out, ten-night run at the O2 which Eric wrote and directed.
But since then their relationships have turned increasingly sour and there is still friction between them.
LA based Eric, who recently survived pancreatic cancer, is furious that the royalties continue to be split six ways.
He fumed recently: "They got more f****** money than they've ever been grateful for. They got f****** millions and they're miserable and horrible about it.
A lot of my friends have gone. David Bowie was a pal, would you believe that? We'd ad lib comedy and people would tell us to shut up. He was very, very funny
Eric Idle
"I spent 20 years working for Python and then two years on the O2 show. They were there for two weeks.
"I'm not really motivated by money, to be honest. Anyway, the producers get all the f***ing money and divide it up according to the contract."
Now Eric predicts the only way audiences will ever see the gang on stage again is if they are replaced by AI holograms, like the hit Abba Voyage show.
"Everyone will be replaced by AI eventually," he added.
"Python seems to have survived 50 years, I don't know how it's sneakily done that.
"I can't believe it would last another 50 years, but you never know.
"I'm sure there will be an AI Monty Python at some point, as let's face it John Cleese can't do the silly walk anymore. "F*** knows what will happen after I'm gone, but right now I'm still here and I'm still doing it.
"It's already happened to ABBA and they're not even funny."
Following his successful tour of Australia and New Zealand, Eric is bringing his show Always Look On The Bright Side of Life Live to eight cities around Britain this month, ending with two performances at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
He added: "I have rude songs. I'm a little on the filthy side. There's a fart joke too but it's a philosophical fart joke of course.
"My role in life seems to be cheering people up."
In the show he sings, 'This may be the last time you see me' and shares rare footage from The Rutles, the 1978 Beatles parody movie he created, the first ever mockumentary about a spoof fab four, Dirk, Nasty, Stig and Barry.
Eric, who also bids a fond farewell to old friends like George Harrison and Robin Williams in the show, says most of his celebrity friends are gone: "Deceased. They're all dead.
"There's hardly anybody left. A lot of my really good friends have gone, gone, gone.
"David Bowie was a pal of mine, would you believe that?
"We'd ad lib comedy when we were together and people would tell us to shut up. The Americans hated it.
"We'd be on holiday and then we'd just go off on one. He was very, very funny, he loved comedians.
"The funniest person I've ever spent time with was Robin Williams without a doubt. And Peter Cook and Billy Connolly.
I'm sure there will be an AI Monty Python at some point. Let's face it Cleese can't do the silly walk any more. It's already happened to ABBA and they're not even funny
Eric Idle
"Just sheer bliss if they walk in the door, nobody could eat they were so f****** funny. It was like a nuclear explosion."
Eric's last solo UK performance was in front of a global audience of 750 million at the London 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony.
Leading an 80,000-strong crowd in a sing-along of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, he was surrounded by a lively spectacle of Morris dancers, a choir of rugby players, and even skating nuns.
But last year, Eric posted an online rant about his ongoing conflict with the surviving Pythons.
"I don't know why people always assume we're loaded," he said. "I have to work for my living. I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously."
Eric recently sold his Hollywood mansion, he and wife Tania moved to a bungalow when their children Lily, a writer, and photographer Carey left home.
"I'm calling it Downsize Abbey," he joked. "We had a big fantastic house for 30 years that was full of c and we just needed to move to a smaller place in LA that doesn't have stairs."
Eric added: "We finished in 1983. Do you know how long that was ago? I was 40. That's half my lifetime ago.
"I still love and am proud of what we did as Python. It was a very unique group.
"I think of us as an ex-Liverpool team. We played together very well way back in the day.
"But it was never very supportive of people's feelings and emotions. Not brothers – colleagues."
But Eric, who stunned fans by appearing on The Masked Singer US as Hedgehog in 2022, is not the only one still grafting, none of the veteran funnymen appear ready to retire.
John Cleese, 85, is reviving Fawlty Towers, 82 year old Michael Palin continues to make travel shows and Terry Gilliam is directing films at 84.
And while Always Look on the Bright Side of Life has been the most requested song at British funerals for over twenty years, Eric insists he won't have the anthem played at his.
He added: "There's no instruction in my will to play it but I won't be there. Not the real me anyway. Maybe my skin and bones but that's not really you is it?
"Nobody gets out alive. It's only a matter of time. So enjoy the time, do what you can to help people.
"It should say on my tombstone. 'Eric Idle, see Google.'"
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