Sir Michael Palin says he has kept most of his late wife Helen’s possessions two years after her death because it feels "strange to de-clutter her from his life," and that maintaining the house as it was has helped him adjust to life as a widower.

Helen Palin died in May 2023 after a two‑year struggle with kidney failure. The couple had been married for 57 years. Michael Palin, now in his early 80s, told reporters he has not cleared the scarves, dresses and everyday items from their home because he would rather preserve the sense that it remains "our" house while he reorganises his life.

Palin returned to work following Helen’s death, saying she would have urged him not to stop. He described the last years of her illness as a period in which he served as her carer, making sure she went for daily walks and tried to keep her laughing despite the pain. He said having projects to focus on – making television and writing – helped him navigate the change from "we" to "me." He has also received correspondence from others in similar situations, he added.

The comments come as the former Monty Python star prepares to broadcast a new three‑week travel series, Michael Palin in Venezuela, on Channel 5 later this month, and to publish a book of the same name on Sept. 25. Palin, who has said he had heart surgery five years ago, filmed the series in a country he described as "dark, strong, weird, wonderful, noisy," and one he called challenging for travellers.

During the trip, Palin climbed barefoot behind the thunderous El Hacha waterfall and admitted to an uncharacteristic moment of fear, saying he wondered whether at his age he should attempt such challenges. "I'm 81! I shouldn't be here! I should be in bed," he exclaimed in one filmed moment, which he said also left him exhilarated.

Palin and his crew were detained while trying to film at the site of a statue of former president Hugo Chávez. He said military personnel photographed everything in their bags, including clothing, and that at one point guards were "Googling" him and found a YouTube clip in which he and John Cleese discussed The Life of Brian. "They all looked a bit baffled behind their helmets and visors," he said, before the team was ultimately allowed to continue.

The programme follows Palin’s long career as a travel presenter who has filmed in difficult and sometimes risky locations, from North Korea to Iraq. He said the work requires a degree of risk‑taking and that travelling tests people both physically and mentally. "There are no handrails in Venezuela," he said, adding that he had probably broken many safety rules while filming but felt fortunate to be able to go "off piste."

Palin placed his Venezuela trip in the broader context of the country’s recent troubles, noting soaring inflation, high murder rates and migration that has led more than seven million people to leave in the past decade. He also referenced international criticism of President Nicolás Maduro’s government, which some observers have described as increasingly authoritarian.

On ageing, Palin pushed back against what he described as a tendency to "mollycoddle" older people. He said travel had allowed him to shrug off assumptions about incapacity and pointed to his friend Sir David Attenborough, who has continued to work into his late 90s, as an example that age need not end public activity.

Palin also reflected on losses among his circle of friends. He named fellow Monty Python member Terry Jones, musician and writer Neil Innes and director Tristram Powell as people he had lost in recent years, saying their absence had thinned the company of people who knew him well.

Asked whether he plans further trips, Palin said that will depend on the reception of the Venezuela series. "You're only as good as your last programme," he said, calling himself and his colleagues entertainers rather than explorers or scientists. He added that despite his age he remains "up for it" if future projects materialise.

Michael Palin in Venezuela is scheduled to air on Channel 5 later this month, with the companion book published by Hutchinson Heinemann on Sept. 25.