Ripping Yarns

. Creater: Michael Palin, Terry Jones (BBC) Episodes: 9 x 30mins Screened: 1977 - 1979 (2 seasons) Main Cast: Various Characters Michael Palin Tomkinson's Schooldays Terry Jones Tomkinson's Schooldays Ian Ogilvy Escape From Stalag Luft 112B Roy Kinnear Across the Andes by Frog Denholm Elliot The Curse of the Claw Aubrey Morris Golden Gordon Gwen Taylor Roger of the Raj John LeMesurier `

Story:

Ripping Yarns is a series of nine unrelated boys own tales of daring do. Created by two fifths of the Monty Python team (Terry Jones and Michael Palin) as you might guess these tales are told with tongue firmly in cheek. For each comedic look at a heroic tale Michael Palin plays the main character, and the stories tackled are as follows:

• Tomkinson's Schooldays - A Yarn of a schoolboy's life at public school, where life is hard due to compulsory bullying, crucifixion, and the lethal inter-school 20-mile hop.
• The Testing of Eric Olthwaite - The most boring man in Yorkshire becomes popular when he inadvertently forms a gang of outlaws and robs a bank.
• Escape From Stalag Luft 112B - WW1 prisoner Major Edwin Phipps continually and unsuccessfully tries to escape from Stalag Luft 112B, despite the fact that everybody else does.
• Murder at Moorstones Manor - A ripping yarn of murder most fowl. Not so much a case of who done it, but who didn't.
• Across the Andes by Frog - Captain Snetterton leads the first crossing of the Andes by frog, but the native superstition stands in his way.
• The Curse of the Claw - Kevin becomes the possessor of the Claw of Burma, but he also inherits the curse of the claw. He must return it or suffer the curse of the massive increase in libido the claw inflicts.
• Whinfrey's Last Case - British hero Gerald Whinfrey is tired of saving the Empire and takes a holiday, but those sneaky Germans are trying to start the war a year early. Like it or not this is Whinfrey's last case.
• Golden Gordon - Barnstoneworth Utd's biggest and maybe only fan is desperate for his club to win one last victory before the club is shutdown. He reunites the ageing surviving members of the championship winning 1920's team.
• Roger of the Raj - Roger and Miranda's elopement is interrupted by a native uprising.

Highlights:

• Always well written, and occasionally brilliantly funny.
• It's very Pythonesque.
• Each story had a good cast with Michael Palin being a likeable leading man.
• Keep an eye out for other Pythons turning up in cameo roles (John Cleese and Eric Idle).
• Pretty much unique.

Bad Points:

• Not always as funny as it could have been.
• AS usual the BBC production values and budget is poor.
• Michael Palin although likeable is always Michael Palin.
• The period stories are now extremely dated.
• Pretty short lived and now pretty obsure.

Availability:

	2 Discs with 3 episodes each
	4.3	Poor washed out and grainy no better than VHS.
	1.0 mono	Not good.
	None
	Terrible discs only worth buying because the series is not often seen. This series deserves much better.