Monty Python cast's financial tragedies – ‘no house’ to ‘working past 80'

Last year, actor Eric Idle made the astonishing confession on X that Monty Python had been a "disaster", leaving his income dwindling drastically. He cursed out loud in fury when he was asked whether a Netflix documentary could salvage some of his funds, making it clear he's not keen on the idea.

However, his financial woes have left him working tirelessly past the age of 80. Over on X, he stormed: "I don't know why people always assume we're loaded. Python is a disaster. I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously." The actor is also famous for creating the medieval musical Spamalot, which earned him a prestigious Tony Award at the time - but talking of it now, he caustically claimed that it merely "made money 20 years ago".

To complicate matters further, back in 2013, all the Monty Python stars were sued by a film producer (Mark Forstater) who argued he was entitled to up to £1 million in Spamalot royalties - and Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones were summoned to give evidence.

It came after Palin had confidently declared that the musical was his "pension plan". In a huge blow, the court ruled that Forstater was entitled to one seventh of profits, leaving the Pythons with a huge £800,000 bill to pay in legal fees and royalties.

However, after selling his home in 2023, Eric stated that he "doesn't mind not being wealthy" - and he even turned down the opportunity of a lucrative world tour as part of the Monty Python Live! cast to prove it.

He dismissively explained: "When you get old, [and become] grumpy old men, you go, 'I don't care how much b****y money, I'm not going out, I'm staying home!'"

Eric survived pancreatic cancer in his 70s after receiving the diagnosis at an early stage, and has continued to work, including appearances on The Masked Singer in the USA.

John Cleese seemingly didn't fare much better than him, with the BBC star's messy divorces leaving him without a single piece of real estate left.

He gave his final remaining flat to wife Jennifer Wade, lamenting to The Times of his fate: "The third wife got two properties, one was in London and one was in New York, and we had to sell the other three.

"I’ve actually given the flat behind Peter Jones to Jennifer, so I don’t have a house [and] I don’t have a car.”

Like Eric, the 85-year-old is still working to maintain his lifestyle, despite having an estimated net worth of $20 million (£17 million) - and he sees himself as having a far more modest income than some in the entertainment business.

He joked: "What’s the difference between a famous singer and a famous comedian? About $200million.”