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It has long been an ambition of mine to buy Michael Palin a pint! Today my ambition was realised. OK, I didn't bump into him in a pub, I queued for 1¼ hours in a bookshop at a book signing and OK, it wasn't a full pint, it was a 500ml bottle, but it was chilled, Yorkshire Ale.

Since my teenage years, Monty Python were the comedians who pushed the envelope of comedy, poking fun at establishment and offending, well everyone!

Among other satirists, they are responsible for this country being able to have the complete freedom to criticise and mock the powers that be.

Since then, "The Young Ones", "Father Ted" and "Green Wing" among my favourites, have pushed the barriers still further while the Pythons, Michael Palin among them, have moved on to other things, but are fondly remembered for the Monty Python years.

Because of his time with Monty Python and his endless travels around the world, I would say he would be one of the most interesting people I could hope to sip a pint with in a pub (without sitting there expectantly waiting for him to be funny).

I gave him the bottle of beer "because it's highly unlikely that I'll bump into him in a pub", but I told him that "if I ever do, I'll buy him another".

Book signings are soon over for the visitor, but probably drag on for the celebrity. Michael seemed a little less relaxed than we know him from TV, perhaps because everyone there is queuing for a piece of him?

I still have many more questions for him like "How come he manages to find so many pretty young guides on his travels?", "What are his favourite comedy shows today?", "How do they manage to take all those shots from so many vantage points of for example a moving train? Do they shoot extra footage when he isn't there?" and many more.

He seemed to be pleased to have been given a pint and I hope he drank it and enjoyed it after the signing.

Thanks for your time Michael & Cheers!

Labels: Michael Palin, monty python, reunion, royal albert hall