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With Helen, Tom, Anthea, Ian Davidson and Edward Burd on holiday at Roques 1

Rachel, Tom and William Palin, The Coach House, Sag Harbour, New York, 1979 1

Graham Stuart-Harris 1

On the pond at Abbotsley, 1979 1

Opening a school fete at William Ellis School, 1979 1

Mary and Edward Burd, Roques 1

With Lome Michaels before the show, Saturday Night Live 1

Helen, Rachel, Tom and William and Mikoto, 1979 1

Rachel with Al Levinson, Sag Harbour, New York, July 1979 1

With Donald Carroll, July Cooper, Steve Race and Katharine Whitehorn at a Yorkshire Post literary lunch, 1979 1

With Will, Rachel and Tom, Gospel Oak, 1979 1

1 From the author’s private albums

2 John Ferro Sims

3 Drew Mara

4 Carl Samrock

5 Camera Press (Lionel Cherrvault)

6 Edie Baskin

While every effort has been made to trace copyright holders, if any have inadvertently been overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to acknowledge them in any future editions of this work.

Who’s Who in the Diaries 1969–1979

Certain names recur at various points during the diaries. Here is a rough list of those who make regular appearances.

FAMILY

Edward (Ted) Palin born July 1900

Mary Palin (née Ovey) born January 1904

Retired from Sheffield to Reydon, near Southwold, Suffolk in December 1966 Children:

Angela born 1934, died 1987

Michael born 1943

Angela married Veryan Herbert in 1958 Children:

Jeremy, born 1960

Camilla, born 1962

Marcus, born 1963

Michael married Helen Gibbins, born 1942, on April 16, 1966 Children:

Thomas (Tom), born 1968

William, born 1970

Rachel, born 1975

Helens family:

Father, Dearman Gibbins, died 1963

Mother, Anne Gibbins, born 1913

Elder sister, Mary, born 1940. Married Edward Burd in 1964.

Daughter, Catherine.

Younger sister, Cathy, born 1945

FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES

The Stuart-Harris family. Lived next door to the Palins in Sheffield. Father, Charles, was a doctor and became Professor of Medicine at Sheffield University. Mother, Marjorie. Graham, the eldest son, married to Margot, and MP’s oldest friend. Daughter Susan is a psychologist and younger son, Robin, also a doctor. Married to Barbara, a New Zealander.

Robert Hewison. Contemporary of MP at Brasenose College Oxford, 1962–5. Fellow cabaret performer and writer. Author of a series of books on modern cultural history, expert on John Ruskin.

Terry Jones. Met MP at Oxford in 1963. First performed together in the Oxford Revue, Edinburgh Festival 1964. Wrote together for television on The Frost Report, 1966. Married Alison Telfer, 1969. Children: Sally and Bill.

John Cleese, married to Connie Booth. Separated in mid-1970s.

Eric Idle, married to Lyn Ashley. Separated in mid-1970s.

Terry Gilliam, married to Python make-up supremo Maggie Weston.

Graham Chapman, lived with David Sherlock, later adopted John Tomiczek.

Ian and Anthea Davidson. Met MP at Oxford. Encouraged him to perform in revue and gave him early work at the BBC. A writer and director and occasional Python performer.

Ranji and Rolf Veling. Ranji is a friend from Helen Palin’s teaching days. She is Sri Lankan, he is Dutch.

Simon and Phillida Albury. Simon met MP after Oxford in 1965. Television journalist, producer and gospel music fan.

Graeme Garden. Contemporary of Eric Idle at Cambridge. Writer-performer who worked with MP on Twice a Fortnight (1967) and Broaden Your Mind (1968). First wife Liz and daughter Sally were frequent visitors.

Bill Oddie. Cambridge contemporary of Eric’s. Lived nearby. Also worked with MP on Twice a Fortnight. Regular source of football tickets.

Tim Brooke-Taylor. Friend and provider of work for MP on Broaden Your Mind.

PYTHON’S EXTENDED FAMILY

Ian MacNaughton. Director of TV series and first film And Now for Something Completely Different.

Eke Ott. Became the second Mrs MacNaughton.

André Jacquemin. Recording engineer with whom MP went into business as Redwood Studios. Besides being official Python sound genius, André, with partner Dave Howman, wrote and recorded songs for Python and Ripping