Diaries 1969-1979_ The Python Years - Michael Palin [103]
Saturday, April 6th
Ten past seven in the evening, writing the diary out in the garden. In the last week everyone’s been coming out of doors again, in the wake of an early blast of summer. Hyacinths, providing a delicate whiff every now and then, are just about on the turn, but they’ve been out in profusion. Wallflowers of deep yellow and deep red and a single small white daffodil are out at the moment.
After lunch today Eric and Graham came round for what was to have been a Python (less John) meeting’re the new TV series.
We have to decide whether or not the VTR dates which Jimmy provided in February are still practical. Things look bleak. The dates were fixed at a time when we were only doing two weeks at Drury Lane instead of four, and we have enormously underestimated the amount of time which the two Terrys will have to spend on the film. They will neither of them be able to concentrate for any length of time on a new TV series until late August – which is when Ian wants all the scripts in. So either Graham, Eric and I write all the scripts, which I think is out of the question, or we make an awkward compromise and start to film one month later, or we put the whole thing off until the spring. Eric, who has a small TV series of his own planned for January ‘75, is keen to leave the series till the spring of next year.
After our meeting in the sunshine, Eric stayed on here to bath (for his bathroom has been half-demolished by a gas explosion last week! Firemen and police rushed round. Eric said it was rather like a sketch – with firemen drinking cups of tea in the sitting room!) – Helen and I took our relentlessly energetic boys for a long overdue walk to the Heath. Thomas kept finding pieces of china in the huge piles of earth dug up where they’re enlarging Parliament Hill running track. Promised to start a museum for him when we got home.
Sunday, April 7th
Rang Terry J. He was of the opinion that it would be impolitic to alienate the BBC by refusing at this stage to do a series it had taken so long to set up. As Terry’s attitude was a rather key factor (for he will have to work incredibly hard if he is to contribute much to the series and edit the Python film) I was quite heartened. Certainly the most comfortable solution would be to do the series on the dates offered. Terry was more worried about finding a new direction and positive and strong ideas for the series, so I left him to have a think and call me back later. Eric was basically quite easy-going and adaptable, provided he could safeguard his three months in France during the summer.
Monday, April 8th
Tony Stratton-Smith rang in the evening – he had been listening to the Python Live at Drury Lane tapes and was enthusing as only Strat can. He wanted to release a live album in June, as the high point of a Python month – a big promotional push to boost sales of all our LPs. Tony reckons this Python month could shift another 80,000 or 90,000 of our records, which, as he says, would keep us off the breadline during the summer! A lucky coup is that NME [New Musical Express] want to issue 400,000 Python flimsies as a give-away with their paper in late May.
Thursday, April 11th, Southwold
Helen, Angela, Granny and I arrived at St Audry’s Hospital at about 4.00. Grandfather was sitting watching TV. He got up when he saw us and seemed to recognise the four of us and be genuinely pleased to see us. He was in day clothes for the first time, and looked 100% better, tho’ still a little stooped and his eyes were moist.
Fortunately, due to his much improved state, I was able to talk quite matter-of-factly to him about the problems of getting out. He wants to come back straightaway – he lives in a half real, half fantasy world of telegrams from Granny to say he’s coming out, recommendations from the doctor – everything he