Eric Idle

Eric Idle, born in 1943 in South Shields and raised in Manchester and Wolverhampton, emerged from a childhood marked by early loss to become one of Britain’s most distinctive comic voices. Educated at the Royal School Wolverhampton through the RAF Benevolent Fund, he went on to read English Literature at Pembroke College, Cambridge. There he joined, and later presided over the Footlights, helping usher in a new era by admitting women members, among them Germaine Greer.

Idle’s early writing for the BBC, including The Frost Report and I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again, led to his collaboration with Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam on Do Not Adjust Your Set. In 1969, with the addition of John Cleese and Graham Chapman, the group formed Monty Python, whose surreal, literate humour reshaped British comedy across television, stage and film.

Alongside his performance career, Idle has built a substantial body of written work. His publications include the satirical novel Hello Sailor (1975); The Rutland Dirty Weekend Book (1976); the children’s audio tale The Quite Remarkable Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat (1996); the speculative comic novel The Road to Mars (1999); and the travel memoir The Greedy Bastard Diary (2005). His writing also extends to libretti and lyrics, most notably for the Tony‑winning musical Spamalot and the comic oratorio Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy), both created with composer John Du Prez.

Idle continues to write, compose and perform, sustaining a career defined by wit, linguistic play and an enduring curiosity about the possibilities of comedy.

His most recent publications are: The Spamalot Diaries (2024) & Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography (2019).

Image credit: Lily Idle