John Cleese has accused fellow Monty Python alumnus Eric Idle of bullying amid a long-running dispute over the troupe’s management, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
Cleese told the newspaper that he, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam are "totally satisfied" with the work of Holly Gilliam, Terry Gilliam’s daughter, and said Idle has "bullied her for several years." Cleese added that he and the other members are "very upset to see that Eric Idle is once again attacking Holly Gilliam" and that current communication with Idle is carried out "through his lawyer," according to the report.
Idle, 82, has publicly criticised the troupe’s management and told the Daily Mail he does not believe the company "has been as well looked after as it might have been." He described Cleese, 85, as "bonkers" and said his dispute with other members is about business and money rather than creative differences. "We don't disagree about comedy — this is only about money. This is only about business," Idle said. "I always want an older manager, someone who's wise – and not related to Terry Gilliam. So I walked away."
According to the Daily Mail, Idle has accused Cleese of firing the troupe’s former manager, Jim Beach, and hiring Holly Gilliam, now 44, instead. Idle has also said that Holly’s appointment is one reason he feels obliged to continue performing and earning income into his 80s.
Cleese has disputed parts of Idle’s account. In a statement last September quoted by the Daily Mail, he described the narrative that he dismissed Beach as "an invention" and defended Holly Gilliam’s performance, calling her "very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant to have dealings with." The paper said Cleese, Palin and Terry Gilliam stand behind Holly’s management.
The personal animosity between the two has been public in recent years. At the height of a spat last year, Cleese said he and Idle had "always loathed and despised each other," a remark the Daily Mail cited in its report. Idle, meanwhile, framed the dispute as a clash over how the troupe’s business should be run, telling the paper, "A fool and his money are easily parted – six of us, much more quickly."
Idle’s British tour was due to begin Wednesday, the report added. The Daily Mail account did not include comment from representatives for Idle beyond his published remarks, nor did it include an immediate response from Holly Gilliam.
Formed in the late 1960s, Monty Python became one of Britain’s best-known comedy ensembles, with members including Cleese, Idle, Palin, Gilliam, Terry Jones and Graham Chapman. The troupe’s legacy has included television, films and live performances, and disputes among members have periodically surfaced in recent decades as they have managed the group’s commercial affairs and estates.
The Daily Mail reported the latest round of accusations and counter-accusations amid ongoing discussions about the troupe’s management and legacy. The newspaper’s coverage includes excerpts of the exchanges and statements attributed to the parties involved.