By Tim Spanton
September 18, 2007
HE used to be best known for singing The Lumberjack Song and refusing a refund for a dead parrot.
But over time former Monty Python stalwart Michael Palin has transformed himself into a national TV treasure who we love to invite into our living rooms.
Now his latest travel show, New Europe, confirms he has telly’s X Factor.
The quirky documentary was last week’s best-watched show behind Coronation Street, EastEnders and the England v Russia football.
Its Sunday night audience of 7.5 million after the 9pm watershed was significantly higher than the 7.2 million average for the high-profile and prime-time X Factor.
Performing comes naturally to Michael, 64.
He was writing his own comedies by the age of ten and put on Shakespeare plays for his mum — in which he played every part.
At Oxford he met future Monty Python collaborator Terry Jones and after university they teamed up as a writing duo for top BBC programmes including The Billy Cotton Bandshow and The Ken Dodd Show.
In 1969 he and Jones joined John Cleese, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman and Terry Gilliam for a show he suggested should be called Gwen Dibley.
The name was changed to Monty Python’s Flying Circus — and the cast became household names.
Michael went on to write or appear in many more TV and film hits including Time Bandits, The Missionary and Ripping Yarns.
In 1989 he starred in Around The World In 80 Days, the first of what was to become his most successful genre, the travel documentary.
In it he recreated the famous fictional journey of Phileas Fogg in the 19th century Jules Verne novel which gave the series its title.
And Michael managed to travel the 28,000 miles in 79 days and seven hours.
As was to become a trademark, a book based on the series — but with much more detail — was released at the same time.
Michael has been married to wife Helen for 36 years, they have two sons and a daughter.
He says: “My marriage has worked because I am not around much.
“She doesn’t like what I call adventure — she calls it uncomfortable travel.”
Whatever it is, it’s a sure-fire hit with fans, who have set up no fewer than four tribute sites for Michael at MySpace.com.
And it is expected that the book of his new six-part series, in which Michael visits 20 former Eastern Bloc countries, will achieve Christmas sales of at least 500,000.
Not bad for a former lumberjack.
MICHAEL Palin’s New Europe is on BBC1 at 9pm, Sunday.
