Ripping Yarns is a British television adventure comedy anthology series. It was written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones of Monty Python fame and transmitted on BBC 2. Following an initial pilot episode in January 1976, it ran for two series — five episodes in September and October 1977 and three episodes in October 1979. Each episode had a different setting and characters, looking at a different aspect of British culture and parodying pre-World War II literature aimed at schoolboys. In the title, "ripping" is a chiefly British slang colloquialism for "exciting" or "thrilling", with "yarn" used in the sense of a story.
The Complete Ripping Yarns by Michael Palin (right) and Terry Jones (1999)
Sir Michael Edward Palin, is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. He received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.
Palin in 2018 at the National Churches Trust Carol Concert
Palin in "The Spanish Inquisition" sketch at the 2014 reunion, Monty Python Live (Mostly)
Michael Palin, Nightingale House, in Clapham, November 2010
Michael Palin at Cadogan Hall in 2022