diaries19691979thepython49017_f.jpgMichael Palin was my favourite Python (along with Terry Jones with whom he did much of his writing) and I was really looking forward to reading his Diaries, which cover the period of Monty Python TV and films, as well as his own Ripping Yarns series (which was excellent). I’m glad to say that I wasn’t disappointed; this is a really entertaining book which gives an insight into the group dynamic which produced such wonderfully hilarious comedy. But it also shares the more private moments of someone in the public eye, and especially when dealing with the death of Palin’s father from Parkinson’s disease is both tender and sad. Hopefully there will be further volumes as I would like to see how he moved from comedy to the travel series for the BBC which have maintained his popularity with the public.