Watched a Monty Python sketch last week and it occurred to me: Michael Palin young was a sheer genius. Not the travel presenter Michael we know now at 82, but the lanky comedy writer from Sheffield who helped revolutionise British humour.
Michael Palin age is 82 now (born May 5, 1943) – but what about in the late Sixties when Python kicked off? He was 26, straight out of Oxford, and simply flying.
Started Proper Young
Michael was raised in Broomhill, Sheffield. His dad was an engineer. No airs, no graces; just a typical Yorkshire family. He appeared in school in A Christmas Carol at age 5. Can you imagine? Five years old and already performing.
By the time he was 10, he was performing comedy monologues for his mum. He attended Brasenose College in Oxford to study history. That’s where everything changed. He met Terry Jones there and began writing comedy sketches together. They were students messing around, except that somehow it worked.
The Early Telly Days
Graduating in 1965, Palin found work, presenting a pop music show for kids. A bit random, you might think, for someone who wants to be in comedy, but you take what you can get, innit?
He and Terry Jones began writing for BBC television programmes. The Frost Report was their big break – everyone who would go on to be a Python worked there. John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle. There they all were, churning out sketches week after week.
Do Not Adjust Your Set followed. Kids’ show, comedy sketches, animation by Terry Gilliam. My dad would come home from school and watch it. Said it was mental but brilliant.
Python Changes Everything
In 1969, the BBC gave Cleese and Chapman their own show. But Cleese wanted Palin involved. So Michael brought his mates: Jones, Idle, and Gilliam. That’s how Monty Python’s Flying Circus came about.
Michael Palin young in Python was something else. He played everything. The lumberjack who wished he was a woman, the dead parrot salesman, the Spanish Inquisition. The bloke was everywhere.
He later said they never set out to make a legacy or break barriers. Just stuffing a show out a week, writing it and performing it all the time. Young, knackered but having a ball.
Best bit? Palin was frequently the straight man to Cleese’s fury. Calm as anything, whilst Cleese lost his mind about a dead parrot or the lack of cheese. That contrast made the sketches work.
The Films That Followed
Python ended on telly in 1974. Palin and Jones made Ripping Yarns after that – three years of comedy sketches about ridiculous British adventures. Proper funny stuff.
Then came the Python films. Monty Python and the Holy Grail in 1975, Life of Brian in 1979, and The Meaning of Life in 1983. Michael Palin movies and TV shows from that era are still watched today. My kids discovered them last year and thought they were new.
In 1980, Palin co-wrote Time Bandits with Terry Gilliam. Played in it too. Then Brazil in 1985. A Fish Called Wanda, in 1988, won him a BAFTA. He was stuttering, Ken, trying to kill Jamie Lee Curtis. Brilliant performance.
Michael Palin Wife Helen Changed His Life
Michael Palin wife Helen Gibbins, met him in 1959. They were both 16, on holiday in Southwold, Suffolk. Michael saw three girls going for a swim. The first two looked happy. The third one looked like she’d rather be anywhere else.
He thought, “That’s the girl for me.” They’re still together; well, they were until Helen died in May 2023 after 57 years of marriage. She had kidney failure and chronic pain for years.
Michael said Helen was “the bedrock of my life.” Every decision he made, she influenced. When he wrote East of Ipswich in 1987, he based it on meeting her that summer.
They married in 1966 when they were in their early twenties. Had three kids – Thomas, William, and Rachel. Four grandchildren, too. Helen never wanted him to be a travel presenter, apparently. Worried about him going to dangerous places like Iraq and North Korea. But she knew if she stopped him, he’d be impossible to live with.
When Travel Took Over
From 1980 onwards, Michael became more known for travel shows than comedy. Around the World in 80 Days in 1989 started it. Alan Whicker and Miles Kington turned it down first. Their loss, Michael’s gain.
Pole to Pole, Full Circle, Sahara, Himalayas, New Europe, Brazil. He went everywhere. In 2018, he went to North Korea for Channel 5. Last year it was filmed in Nigeria. Just finished a series in Venezuela that came out in September 2025.
Michael Palin: live shows sell out constantly. Talks about his diaries and shows photos and videos from his travels. Went to one in 2024 for his “There and Back” tour. Two hours of stories, and everyone loved it.
He was knighted in 2019 for services to travel, culture and geography. Was President of the Royal Geographical Society from 2009 to 2012. Not bad for a comedy writer from Sheffield.
Michael Palin Net Worth and Legacy
Michael Palin net worth isn’t publicly confirmed, but estimates put it around £12-15 million. That’s from decades of Python royalties, travel shows, books, and appearances.
Written loads of books too. Michael Palin book collection includes all his travel books and diaries. The Python Years covered 1969-1979. Halfway to Hollywood covered the 1980s. His latest book, There and Back, covers 1999-2009. Another one coming about Venezuela later this year.
You can read most of his travel books for free on Michael Palin website. All unabridged, complete versions. That’s generous, considering most celebrities would charge for everything.
What Made Young Michael Special
In retrospect, Michael Palin young stood out because he was so ordinary. Not attempting to be the funniest man in the room. Nothing fancy, just solid, reliable and ready to do any part. Terry Gilliam said Michael brought an English sensibility to Python that balanced everyone else. John Cleese was manic, Graham Chapman was strange, and Eric Idle was musical. Michael was the glue holding it together.
He played idiots brilliantly, like the Gumbies with their knotted hankies. But also played calm, reasonable people dealing with unreasonable situations. That range meant he worked in any sketch.
Never stopped working either. After Python ended, straight into Ripping Yarns. Then films. Then travel shows. Always busy, always creating something.
Still Going at 82
Michael’s 82 now, but hasn’t stopped. His Venezuela series aired this year. Still doing live shows. Still writing. After Helen died in 2023, everyone worried he’d retire. But he’s kept going. Said there’s “still so much to do, so much to see.”
He’s got a pacemaker now after heart surgery in 2019. But he told Radio Times recently that his heart’s keeping him going alright. Still gets up and goes out into the world.
That’s Michael Palin young spirit still there at 82. Same curiosity, same drive, same willingness to try new things. Sheffield lad who became a Python, then a travel presenter, then a national treasure.
My dad’s convinced Michael is Britain’s nicest celebrity. Probably right. In 2018, people voted him the greatest Yorkshireman ever. Beat Sean Bean, the Brontës, everyone.
When you watch old Python sketches, you can see young Michael – skinny, full of energy, making everyone laugh without trying too hard. That’s proper talent. And somehow, 60 years later, he’s still doing it.
