The Monty Python comedy team, the world-renowned British troupe celebrating its 40th anniversary, has been honoured with a special award for its contribution to film and television.

"If you want to get a better view, this will be on eBay tomorrow," joked John Cleese as he accepted the award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Monty Python also included Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and the late Graham Chapman.
The presentation was made at the official 40th anniversary Monty Python reunion event in New York co-hosted by the Independent Film Channel, and followed a screening of a new documentary, Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut).
Monty Python created the influential British television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, which first aired in 1969, and went on to make popular movies including Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python's Life of Brian.
The five remaining members of Monty Python took questions from the audience at the event and reminisced. Cleese recalled his most embarrassing moment as "when the queen came down to watch and my trousers fell down."
BAFTA, which hands out Britain's equivalent of the Oscars each year, last honored the Monty Python team in 1987 when it received the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.

Biagraphy Of Monty Python

'Monty Python' was created in the late 1960s by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. In 1967, John and Graham co-wrote and starred in At Last, the 1948 Show, which also starred Marty Feldman, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Aimi MacDonald, with occasional appearances by Eric. In early 1969, Michael and Terry J wrote and starred in a short-lived series called The Complete and Utter History of Britain, in which they presented various periods in British history as though television cameras had been there. Although Meaning of Life was the last genuine Python project, there was talk all through the 1980s about a Python reunion, another stage show, another film, another television series... Then, in 1988, Graham Chapman was diagnosed with cancer and, despite claiming to have beaten it, died on 4 October, 1989, one day short of the 20th anniversary of the Flying Circus.
The Python team were reunited in 1998 for a stage appearance in Aspen, Colorado, USA, with British comedian Eddie Izzard making a brief appearance claiming to be one of the team.The team also got together for a 30th anniversary celebration on the BBC in 1999. The sad fact is that, although they remain friends, they are all too busy and successful to ever co-ordinate their efforts into a joint production. Besides, without Graham Chapman, it just wouldn't be Python anyway...