Michael Palin has 'given up' on Monty Python castmates after dramatic confession

Michael Palin revealed on the LBC radio show Tonight With Andrew Marr that he has "given up" on his former Monty Python castmates.

The former actor turned travel presenter revealed that he'd had "wonderfully happy" experiences with the likes of John Cleese and Eric Idle, but that there was no longer a "family" network as there had been before. "I’ve given up trying to hold together that family," he told Andrew during their chat.

"The thing was The Pythons worked well when we were writing comedy. That was an amazing two or three years where we wrote together, everybody was contributing, we made each other laugh a lot."

He reminisced: "It felt an extremely, wonderfully happy ship to be on and a good job to be doing. I think John left Python in 1972 - as soon as you realised that this was not going to go on forever then I think one had to accept that people wanted to go on and do other things."

He added: "We all did go on. Eric did Rutland Weekend Television, I did the Ripping Yarns and John did Fawlty Towers." Meanwhile, Michael disappointed nostalgic fans by admitting he's adamant there won't be a reunion in the future.

He's had no shortage of interest from Americans, who have begged him and the other cast members to consider a stint in Las Vegas.

However, Michael's decided, and he told Andrew: "I felt we’ve done it, we’ve finished. We’ve done the best we can [already]."

The star, who has been occupied with travelogues taking him everywhere from the depths of the Sahara Desert to Nigeria, added: "I feel still that the Pythons aren’t all that interested in what we are all doing individually.

"It is difficult because there is the American Python pool that is John and certainly Eric and then there is the British Pythons that want to get on and do other stuff. It’s difficult but I understand it."

He added that he no longer believes the cast are an "emotionally nurturing group" and doesn't know whether he "ever did".

"I don’t know, I like their approval, I would like to continue to be on friendly terms with them all, which I don’t think I’m not - but we see each other less," he confessed.

Michael remains flattered when he hears of the younger generation taking pleasure in the decades-old iconic sketches to this day, and finds its continuing popularity "interesting".

He added that while the show might now be over, "it hasn't gone", as he remains attached to the material and everything that Monty Python "stood for".

On his website, Michael described his working life during the Monty Python years as "a roller-coaster of unpredictable twists and turns", and he marvelled that he'd managed to make major career moves while fathering three children at the same time.

Michael was talking on LBC’s Tonight with Andrew Marr - and fans can follow the conversation online via @lbc & @AndrewMarr9.