Palin 'fifth person' asked to present travel show

Sir Michael Palin has said was the "fifth person" the BBC asked to present Around the World in 80 Days.

Speaking at an event at Charleston, near Lewes in East Sussex, Palin told the BBC about being asked to present the documentary in 1987.

"I later learned that I was the fifth person they'd asked to do it," the actor, writer and presenter said.

The former Monty Python star, 82, went on to present more than a dozen travel programmes.

Sir Michael said the comedy group's sketch The Fish-Slapping Dance came to his aide while filming for a 2025 Channel 5 programme about Venezuela.

The presenter and crew were surrounded by armed paramilitaries when one asked who he was and found the sketch, which also features actor John Cleese, on YouTube.

"It's just wonderful because all these fully armed guys with some night goggles and all that suddenly looking at it," he said, "and we knew then that we were all right."

Sir Michael said BBC bosses were initially sceptical of Monty Python before it was put on air.

Executives said they did not "understand their humour", according to the actor, but decided "we'll put it on late at night and see how it goes".

"They let us carry on doing it and that's why we were allowed to get away with an awful lot," Sir Michael said.

"The great thing about Python is you didn't have to have a punchline. You could go somewhere completely different."

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