History of Rutland Weekend Television

What did Eric Idle right after Monty Python? Rutland Weekend Television. Harmon and Scott dive into the history behind the 1975 cult TV show that was responsible for launching the legendary Beatles parody: The Rutles. Idle teamed with musician Neal Innes - from the Bonzo Dog (Doo-Dah) Band - who was considered the seventh member of Monty Python and crooned songs in Monty Python in the Holy Grail.

Rutland Weekend Television (RWT) was a television sketch show on BBC2 that was written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. The show lasted for two series; with six episodes filmed for the first series in 1975, and seven episodes for the second series in 1976. A Christmas special was also produced and broadcasted on Boxing Day 1975.

RWT101: "RUTLAND WEEKEND GIBBERISH" EMCEE: ERIC IDLE FIRST AIRED ON BBC2: 12 MAY, 1975

Monty Python's Flying Circus had just ended the year before. And Eric Idle was the first of the Pythons to have his own comedy series. (Faulty Towers ran later in 1975.) The production studio for the show was tiny. The cast and crew had to carry the entire set up flights of stairs before each filming.

Shown on Channel 4 in 2007 this documentary charts what happened to the members of Monty Python after the series ended.

The premise of RWT was that the show was  "Britain's smallest television network," and broadcasted from England's smallest county, Rutland. The pairing of Innes and Idle meant a lot of funny musical parodies - such as The Gay Whistle Test:

Stan Fitch, the first all-dead singer performing Even Further Beyond the Grave

Did you know that former Beatles member, George Harrison, played a role in Rutland Weekend Television; as a pirate? Also, the bands Toad the Wet Sprocket and Death Cab for Cutie - got their names from references connected to the show.

Here is George Harrison's Pirate Song from his good friend Eric Idle's Rutland Weekend Television show! This comes from a 1975 Christmas show. Enjoy, comment, rate! Hopefully the HD works! Lyrics: Oh! I'd like to be a pirate A pirate's life for me All my friends are pirates And sail the B.

A segment on Rutland Weekend Television later spun off into the full-length mockumentary, The Rutles.

The Rutles' 'I Must be in Love' from the 'The Rutles' spin-off from Rutland Weekend Television. Neil Innes and Eric Idle starred as the Lennon and McCartney figures. Neil and Eric produced many comedy characters including the Fabulous Bingo Brothers, while Neil Innes is noted for his hilarious take on protest singers in the 'Old Grey Whistle Test' spoof of a Protest Song.

In 2002, there was a sequel to The Rutles called Can't Buy Me Lunch. It wasn't very good. But Rutland Weekend Television's legacy is that it created the musical mockumentary and begot other comedy's set in TV studios, such as SCTV.

The Rutles creator, Monty Python's Eric Idle, explains the inspiration for the first mockumentary, and how the Beatles came to love his parody of them. From the early stages of the production, to the music, and the unexpected praise it received from the fab four, Idle shares a look at what went into the landmark television special that has become a cult classic, in this highlight from Harper Simon's TALK SHOW.