Michael Palin at The Colston Hall in Bristol review

Posted on: 2014-09-23

Our rating:

British comedy icon offers some personal and unique insights into a career filled with laughter and travel


 

There can’t be many British television personalities as universally popular as Michael Palin. Whether or not the irreverent Monty Python’s Flying Circus brand of humour is to your taste, his subsequent travel documentaries have seen him connect to an even broader audience, revealing the multi-faceted nature of his talent as an entertainer.

It was with travel that Palin began the evening, apologising in advance for “inflicting an hour of my holiday snaps on you all” as he told the story of how, having enjoyed success in the hit film A Fish Called Wanda, he was asked if he wanted to do a travel documentary. With nothing else in the diary, he decided “why not?” little realising that this would be the start of 25 years of travelling for the BBC and its millions of viewers. Around the World in 80 Days was a huge success, and was followed by Pole to Pole, and Full Circle, as well as subsequent adventures that saw him visit the Sahara, the Himalayas, the United States, South America, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

Michael Palin Travelling to Work at The Colston Hall Bristol on 22 September 2014

He shared countless stories of his travels, from joining those ‘in the free seats’ on the roof of a train across the Sahara, watching oil-covered wrestlers in Turkey, to meeting a man in Bhutan who had enjoyed chart-topping success with his love song to a yak.

The second part of the show retraced Palin’s earlier life and career, offering a taste of his upbringing in Sheffield and a series of career breaks that started when it slowly dawned on him that it might be possible to make a career out of comedy.

From The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set to Monty Python and Ripping Yarns, his work was often pioneering and helped change the comedy landscape from the traditional variety or stand-up approach to, well, ‘something completely different’.

Palin told stories about cut scenes from the Python film The Life of Brian, and hilarious brushes with the censors over subsequent film The Meaning of Life. It was fun, but there was also a sense that there were lots of areas that he kept back – for example, he revealed very little about his relationship with the other members of the Python team and their highs and lows over the years, with only fleeting (albeit very funny) references to Mssrs Cleese, Chapman, Gilliam, Jones and Idle.

Colston Hall may be a grand venue, but Palin has embarked on this 21-date UK tour off the back of a huge sell-out run at London’s 20,000-seat O2 Arena for the farewell performances of the Monty Python troupe.

Through all this, Palin’s style remains one of a likeable chap just doing what he enjoys. That’s perhaps why Palin’s appeal endures today. He filled well over two hours of this one-man show with countless stories and anecdotes and yet managed to come across as humble and down-to-earth on stage at an almost full Colston Hall as you imagine he might if he came round to your house for a cup of tea.

This was a highly entertaining opportunity to see Palin at his best – away from the madcap characters of Monty Python, just being himself.

Reviewed by Martin Allen for 365Bristol



Article by:

James Anderson

Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.