And Now for Something Completely Different

A cunning couple, Mr & Mrs Watson of Hull, decided to go camping to avoid being seen. They made the mistake of setting up camp at the side of a lake. This is of course Black Park Lake in the Black Park Country Park, Slough SL3. This park is next to Pinewood Studios and unsurprisingly has been used many times in TV & film over the years including Hammer Horror films, Carry On films, James Bond movies and some early Doctor Who.

A certain Mr Gumby is a neighbour of the Watsons. He told people where the couple had gone. He is standing (for his final few seconds before being blown-up!) outside 1a Finchley Park, London, N12 9JL. Upon capturing the 'now' shot for us Ian McDonald established that this is actually No. 40 Finchley Park. (RL)

With thanks to Ian for taking the shot for us and establishing the exact house number. (RL)

John Cleese introduces the film...from a desk in Black Park Country Park, Slough SL3.

Police Constable Graham Chapman cycles quickly to the tobaconists to arrest an Hungarian gentlemen (John Cleese) who is in possession of a questionable phrase book. Although much of the exteriors of this film were shot in Finchley, the Tobacconists is in Totteridge Village, London N20 8AE.

Local resident Thomas Fisher grabbed this updated location shot when he was out and about in Totteridge Village.

Terry Jones tries an example of the questionable Hungarian-to-English phrase book on a commuting Graham Chapman at 928 High Road, North Finchley.

Peter wonders if the bus stop has been moved.

The camera pans across the London skyline as the voice over talks about a new type of terror sweeping the streets of 1970's London. You can spot the Wellington Arch in the middle ground. It is also known as Constitution Arch or the Green Park Arch, and is located to the south of Hyde Park in central London and at the western corner of Green Park. The building on the right is Apsley House, the Duke of Wellington's townhouse Museum with a fine art collection and a Antonio Canova statue of Napoleon.

Hells Grannies show some fit young men that they have every reason to be scared. This seems to be Swan Lane Open Space in Whetstone, London N20. It is a public park in the London Borough of Barnet. It is the smallest of Barnet's sixteen 'Premier Parks'. The park was created around the 1930s on the site of former gravel pits beside a nineteenth-century estate. Steve Favell tells us that it is indeed Swan lane Open space or “pits park” as known locally. The children’s Wendy house can be seen in the background. As a school boy he recall one scene being filmed in the dirt track behind St John’s school in Brittania Road, backing onto Finchley park. He is pretty sure that this was the scene with the policeman – make tea, not war slogan. (RL)

Local resident Thomas Fisher risked walking around the Hells Grannies territory to grab this updated location shot. Very brave indeed!

The Grannies swagger along outside 821 High Road, North Finchley street. Tony Martin tells us that he used to live above the 'David Alan' shop and believes that the "Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink" scene took place in the 'Torrington' pub on the corner. (RL)

The post box still resides in the same place in Peter's comparison.

The senile delinquents treat everyone badly. They trip the young woman in an alley next to 60 Lodge Lane North Finchley, Greater London.

Dave Bell found no 'senile delinquents' when taking this shot at the end of Church Path as it leads on to Lodge Lane. Clearly the neighbourhood has improved significantly. (RL)

The layabouts-in-lace kick a can around in an unidentified yard. Probably in the old garden areas around Church Path near the alley-way in the previous shot.

Eli Perl provides a shot of the same location now adding that the wall in the original still would line up with the left border of the yellow box and the Mini is parked where the back wall of the old houses once stood. The grannies are actually playing on the ruins of 24 and 26 Lodge Lane, London N12.... No. 26 being the childhood home of David Jason! Steve Favell adds that the waste ground is behind the Torrington pub in Lodge Lane. (RL)

Doing his best Alan Whicker impression means Eric Idle gets dropped down an open manhole at 811 High Road North Finchley; Michael Palin gives a crazed senior look before they scatter . . .

From across the road as a modern 'Morris column' hinders an accurate shot for Peter.

The group run off from 811 High Road in North Finchley, striking out at members of the public as they go. See if you can spot the pram to be used by the baby snatchers on the right side of this pic.

Peter zooms in for a closer view of the location.

Another prime target for vandalism are telephone boxes. This one looks like it was stolen where Woodside Lane meets Woodside Avenue in Finchley, London N12.

Here is a Google image to show what looks to be the same location. The original building has obviously gone and a foreground tree has been added but everything else seems to fit.

The Grannies power up their BSA (Birmingham Small Arms Company Ltd) motorbikes and ride down an alley-way which is almost certainly amongst houses at the end of Finchley Park, London N12.

Mostly the grannies live for kicks. Here they ride their motorbikes up Finchley Park, London N12.

It was a brighter day when Peter visited.

and here continue along Finchley Park, London N12, heading in the direction of High Road, with the turn for Lynton Avenue on the left.

LIttle difference in the architecture here for John Harwood's comparison. (SJ)

But other vicious gangs also roam the streets. The Baby Snatchers stike again on 811 High Road, North Finchley. One of the 3000 Home and Colonial's grocery shops.

Eli has also provided us with a shot of two of the three shops that have replaced the H&C. (RL)

And there is the little know gang of keep left signs, who here attack vicar Eric Idle on Woodside Avenue, London N12.

And here is a Google sample to show the location with the red postbox still in place. No sign of the Keep Left Sign gang though. Maybe the area is safer these days . . .

And now for a military precision drilling at Holloway School, Hilldrop Road, Greater London.

Mr Palin has had his wallet stolen. Constable Cleese can't do much about that on a currently unidentified road (mostly likely in Finchley). But they both find a distraction...

A grubby Terry Jones is flashing along Mayfield Avenue N12.

Not appreciating his 3 Blind Mice act, the crowd chase 'musician' Mouse Organist Ken Ewing (Terry Jones) out of the club and along Park Lane, Mayfair.

Looking from Hamilton Place north-west with the London Hilton out of shot on the right. SJ

Just after the Edward 'Eddie Baby' Ross interview, the chase for Mouse Organist Ken Ewing continues through the unidentified studio doors...Gareth Randall advises that there was a real company 'TVR', that started in the mid-60s operating independent TV studios in two central London locations, one at 9-11 Windmill Street W1 and the other round the corner at 44 Whitfield Street. It is highly likely therefore, that both the “Eddie Baby” sequence and the chase through the studio doors happened at one of the TVR locations, at a guess Whitfield Street because that held the larger studios. TVR became TVI in the early 1970s but no longer exists; both buildings have since been redeveloped. (RL)

...and then along Mayfield Avenue N12 (look out for the Ernest Scribbler cameo as the camera pans!)

As Ian McDonald panned, nobody came into view. (RL)

The funniest joke in the world is delivered to the war department. In reality these two houses seem to be 2 & 4 Finchley Park N12 9RT. This is the same road as the Hells Granny's ride along, where Terry Jones flashes the camera and where Mr Gumby explodes. The large brick building on the left has been demolished since filming.

The 'Blackmail' TV crew pursue their latest victim in Grove Rd, London N12. Presenter Herbert Anchovy (Michael Palin) claims the location is in Stansted!

The Blackmail footage continues to unfold on Grove Road, with some houses of Woodhouse Road N12 in the background.

Fortunately, Ian did not blackmail us for this shot of Grove Road. (RL)

The 127th Upper Class Twit of the Year contestants take to the field. For this new version of the sketch it was re-made at what was Stirling Corner Sports Ground near Borehamwood. The site is currently derelict and heavily overgrown. It is situated next to the Stirling Corner roundabout with the A1 and A411.

The Twits are as follows: Oliver St. John-Mollusc (Graham Chapman), Gervaise Brook-Hampster (Michael Palin), Nigel Incubator-Jones (Terry Jones), Simon Zinc-Trumpet-Harris (Eric Idle) and Vivian Smith-Smythe-Smith (John Cleese). All under starters orders in the former sports ground next to the Barnet By-Pass, Barnet, Borehamwood WD6.

After mostly managing to walk along the straight line, the next challenge on the former sports ground next to the Barnet By-Pass, is the Matchbox Jump. Several of the Pythons played differently named Twits from the TV show to the film version.

Nigel Incubator-Jones, whose best friend is a tree, attempts a round of Kicking the Beggar (Fred Wood).

Simon Zinc-Trumpet-Harris, who is married to a very attractive table lamp, runs over the cardboard old lady in his 1970 MG MGB MkII.

Next Simon Zinc-Trumpet-Harris (Eric Idle) must try to wake the neighbour by slamming his car door. All still filmed on the old sports ground next to the Barnet bypass next to the Stirling Corner roundabout.

Taking The Bras Off The Debutantes. This is a particularly difficult event for most of the twits. Simon gets away first. You can see the old sports building in the background of this shot.

Out of sequence, but Eli could not resist including the manhole down which Eric Idle 'falls". (RL)

As well as providing a shot of the less lethal obstacle. (RL)