Monty Python's Flying Circus

The Naked Ant

Season 1, Episode 12, Aired 1/4/70

Episode Summary

Hermit pinballs off trees; credits; episode 17-26: The Naked Ant; signal man & bear; men falling past window; letter of protest; animation- people falling; Spectrum- `What is Going On?'; the North Minehead By-Election with Adolf Hilter, man on the street about Mr. Hilter; Spectrum again `What do I mean, by what do I mean?'; `I Wish to Report a Burglary!'; The 127th Annual Upper Class Twit of the Year competition `He doesn't have any sort of sensory apparatus what-so-ever. My God this is exciting!'; letter of complement; animation- soldier falls apart; Ken Shabby proposes `After five years they give me a brush', The Story So Far...; A Party Political Broadcast on behalf of the Wood Party- minister falls through Earth's crust `I should think the longest length of BBC rope', commentary on minister's fall; Anything else? `No', Spectrum again `What do we mean by no', sixteen ton weight; Hermit; credits.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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John Cleese

Various Characters [ series 1 - 3, Deutsche shows & features ]
Eric Idle

Various Characters
Graham Chapman

Various Characters

Fan Episode Reviews (1)

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Determining the Upper Class Twit Of The Year makes for excellent entertainment

10

"Perfect"

By MagnusDonaldson, Jun 27, 2007 Report Abuse

A top drawer show, with some of the best sketches in the history of the show, you'll find it hard to find a better all round show than this. First of all, the Hilter (no typo) sketch, John is awesome as Mr Hilter, and the guards are equally good. It's so well done,with the Germans fumbling to try and hide their identities, then doing a Hitler style speech with dubbed in crowd noise. Next, the police sketch with Terry having to do a high pitched and low pitched voice for certain policemen with hilarious consequences: in other words a fantastic sketch. And how can we forget the Upper Class Twit Of The Year sketch, a sketch that speaks for itself as an incredibly funny all round sketch will silliness throughout (my favourite part is when Oliver runs himself over with his own car). It's a personal favourite of mine, as anyone has seen it will tell you, and one not to miss. The falling out of the window sketch and the Spectrum TV show sketch were both good, as is the marriage sketch and the party political broadcast sketch.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- During the final event of the Upper Class Twit Of The Year sketch, . John Cleese says that Nigel, who has just shot himself, is third. Then, he says that Nigel has clubbed himself into fourth place. That second Nigel, played by Terry Jones, should actually have been Simon "Zinc Trumpet" Harris. Edit
- In the North Minehead By-Election sketch, it is quite obvious that "Mr. Hilter" is actually Adolf Hitler in disguise. However, the online transcripts for this sketch always refers to him as "Mr. Hilter", even making a mistake about his assistant nearly blowing his cover. Edit
Notes
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- The idea of the Upperclass Twit of the Year sketch came from the patrons of a wine bar near John Cleese's Sloane Square home. These "Sloane Rangers" kept John up at night with their comings and goings. According to Graham Chapman, this sketch was their revenge. Edit
Quotes
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- (Two people seated opposite each other at a desk. Between them there is a large window. It appears that they are quite high up in a large office building. They are both working busily. After a pause a body drops past the window. The first man (Eric Idle) talks to the second man (John Cleese), who hasn't noticed.) Eric: Hey, did you see that? John: Uhm? Eric: Did you see somebody go past the window? John: What? Eric: Somebody just went past the window. That way. (indicates down) John: (flatly) Oh. Oh. (John returns to his work. Eric looks for a little. As he starts to work again another body goes falling past the window.) Eric: Another one. John: Huh? Eric: Another one just went past downwards. John: What? Eric: Two people have just fallen out of that window to their almost certain death! John: Fine, fine. Fine. Eric: Look! Two people... (another falls) Three people have just fallen past that window! John: Must be a board meeting. Eric: Oh yeah. (another falls past) Hey. That was Wilkins of finance. John: Oh, no, that was Robertson. Eric: Wilkins. John: Robertson. Eric: Wilkins! John: Robertson! (Another falls.) Eric: That was Wilkins. John: That was Wilkins. He was a good, good, er, golfer, Wilkins. Eric: Very good golfer. Very good golfer. Rotten at finance. It'll be Parkinson next. John: Bet you it won't. Eric: How much? John: What? Eric: How much do you bet it won't? Fiver? John: All right. Eric: Done. John: You're on. Eric: Fine. (shakes; they look at the window) Come on Parky! John: Don't do it Parky! Eric: Come on Parky. Jump, Parky, jump! John: Come on now, be sensible Parky... Graham Chapman: (writing a letter) "Dear Sir, I'm writing to complain about that sketch about people failing out of a high building. I have worked all my life in such a building and have never once..." (He falls out of his window.) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Cut back to Eric and John. Eric has hands in the air jubilantly.) Eric: Parkinson! John: Johnson! Edit
- John Cleese's Story So Far: The Story So Far. Rosamund's father has become ensnared by Mr. Shabby's extraordinary personal magnetism. Bob and Janet have eaten Mr. Farquar's goldfish during an Oxfam lunch, and Mrs. Elsmore's marriage is threatened by Doug's insistence that he is on a different level of consciousness. Louise's hernia has been confirmed, and Jim, Bob's brother, has run over the editor of the "Lancet" on his way to see Jenny, a freelance Pagoda designer. On the other side of the continent, Napoleon still broods over the smoldering remains of a city he had crossed half the earth to conquer, whilst Mary, Roger's half-sister, settles down to watch television. There now follows a Party Political Broadcast on behalf of the Wood Party. Edit
- Man: Good evening, I wish to report a burglary. First Sergeant: Speak up please, sir. Man: I wish to report a burglary. First Sergeant: I can't hear you, sir. Man: (bellowing) I wish to report a burglary! First Sergeant: That's a little bit too loud. Can you say it just a little less loud than that? Man: (a little 1ouder than normal) I wish to report a burglary. First Sergeant: No... I'm still not getting anything... Er, could you try it in a higher register? Man: What do you mean in a higher register? First Sergeant: What? Man: (in a high-pitched voice) I wish to report a burglary. First Sergeant: Ahl That's it, hang on a moment. (gets out pencil and paper) Now a little bit Iouder. Man: (louder and more.. high pitched) I wish to report a burglary! First Sergeant: Report a what? Man: (by now a ridiculously high-pitched squeak) Burglary! First Sergeant: That's the exact frequency... now keep it there. (Another sergeant enters and goes round to back of counter.) Second Sergeant: (in high-pitched voice) Hello, sarge! First Sergeant: (in very deep voice) Evening Charlie. (The second sergeant is taking his coat off, and the first one begins to pack up his papers. The man carries on with his tale of woe, but still in a high-pitched shriek.) Man: I was sitting at home with a friend of mine from Camber Sands, when we heard a noise in the bedroom. We went to investigate and found £5,000 stolen. First Sergeant: Well, I'm afraid I'm going off duty now sir. Er, could you tell Foster.... (He leaves counter first Sergeant Foster comes firward with a helpful smile) Man: (continues in high-pitched shriek) I was sitting at home with a friend of mine. Second Sergeant: Excuse me sir, but, er... why the funny voice? Man: (normal voice) Oh, terribly sorry. I'd just got used to talking like that to the other sergeant. Second Sergeant: I'm terribly sorry... I can't hear you, sir, could you try speaking in a lower register? Man: What! Oh (in a very deep voice) I wish to report the loss of £5,000. Second Sergeant: £5,000.? That's serious, you'd better speak to the detective inspector. (At that moment, via the miracle of cueing, the detective inspector comes out of his office.) Inspector: (in very slow deep voice) What's the trouble, sergeant? Second Sergeant: (speaking at fantastic speed) Well-this-gentleman-sir-has- just-come-in-to-report-that-he-was-sitting-at-home-with-a-friend-when -he -heard -a-noise -in-the-backroom- went-round -to - investigate-and-found-that-£5,000-in-savings-had-been-stolen. Inspector: (deep voice) I see. (turns to man and addresses him in normal voice) Where do you live sir? Man: (normal voice) 121, Halliwell Road, Dulwich, SE21 (The detective inspector has been straining to hear but has failed. The second sergeant comes in helpfu1ly) Second Sergeant: (fast) 121, Halliwell-Road-Dulwich-SE21! Inspector: (squeak) Another Halliwell Road job eh, sergeant? First Sergeant: (fast) Yes-I-can't-believe-it-I-thought-the-bloke-who'd- done -that-was-put-inside -last-year. Second Sergeant: (squeak) Yes, in Parkhurst. First Sergeant: (deep) Well it must have been somebody else. Inspector: (very deep) Thank you, sergeant. (normal voice to man) We'll get things moving right away, sir. (he picks up phone and dials, at the same time he shrieks in high voice to the tint sergeant) You take over here, sergeant (very deep voice to the second sergeant) Alert all squad cars in the area. (ridiculous sing-song voice into phone) Ha-allo Dar-ling, I'm afra-ID I sh-A-ll BE L-ate H-O-me this evening. (Meanwhile the second sergeant has a radio-controlled microphone and is singing down it in fine operatic tenor.) Second Sergeant: (singing) Calling all squad cars in the area! Edit
Allusions
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