Terry Jones

Terry Jones studied Medieval Literature while at Oxford and then went straight into comedy sketch writing! He's had a varied career since the Monty Python TV show ended and besides directing the three Monty Python films, he's written children's books, written books and presented series about perspectives on History and written and or directed several movies.

I hope to be providing a fuller retrospective of Terry Jones' work in 2009...but for now...

N.B.: See Michael Palin for the BBC Comedy series written with Palin, Ripping Yarns

Children's Books:

Bert Fegg's Nasty Book (with Michael Palin)

"...Written soon after the end of the Python TV series, Bert Fegg's Nasty Book is Python for kids with some very nasty lies from the totally bogus Bert Fegg..." Your webmaster

The Curse Of The Vampire Socks with illustrations by Michael Foreman

"...Somewhere between Shel Silverstein and Monty Python's silliness, this one will make you laugh!..." Amazon reviewer Engrmom

The Beast With A Thousand Teeth with illustrations by Michael Foreman

"...These two briskly told "20th Century Fairy Tales'' have the trappings of traditional forays into fairyland, but an unmistakable glee beneath the deadpan tones of the narrative warns that all is not as it seems.

A herring swims around the world and returns home smug in his new-found superiority. All it takes, however, is a fishing trawler's well-aimed net to reduce him to a fish-and-chips supper.

A king offers 100 bags of gold to anyone who can rid the town of a terrifying, toothy monster. When the baker's son discovers the creature's love of pink icing, the reward is only a toothache and a pair of pliers away..." Amazon blurb

Books:

Chaucer's Knight

"...This is an epic diagnosis of a character in Chaucer's Canterberry Tales. Not for the casual reader, this in depth study of the character and his times is done in a professional (non comedic)manner...." Norman Hawley Amazon Reviewer

"...Terry Jones reveals Chaucer's Knight to be a Thug-for-Hire. He cogently explains the historical background, the concept of "chivalrie" in the 14th century, and in his own words, explains a 600 year old joke. The book is written with both style and wit..." Zoe Ellen Brain Amazon Reviewer

Who Murdered Chaucer?

Was Britain's premier 14th Century pop star murdered?

"...Jones looks past the propaganda of that time and paints a more accurate picture of what was going on in England in that time. Who was really the bad guys of those times? The defeated or the conqueror? And to what great lengths would powerful individuals go to to stomp out unpopular opinion? The book is far from just a boring romp through history. There is a bit of humor added in and the book never tries to be too confusing for the reader..." Amazon Reviewer M Kapa

Terry Jones' War on Terror

"...This is a collection of columns written by humorist Terry Jones, beginning in in 2001 shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, and leaving off after Iraq's provisional government was granted limited sovereignty in the summer of 2004.

Jones, known for his work with the Monty Python troupe and for his own books ...is a phlegmatic critic of the American Bush administration, and of the aid and comfort led to the American President by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The book ranges from satire, some of it brilliant to sarcastic rimming to editorial spleen..." Amazon Reviewer Algernon D'Ammassa

Historical Books &

BBC TV Series:

The Crusades:

Terry Jones: The Crusades book

The Crusades DVD

"...It's difficult to find a documentary that is informative and engaging. This one manages to pull it off. It is filmed partly on location and includes interviews with historians as well as reenactments. Jones, not surprisingly, narrates---and even recreates some incidents---in a witty and entertaining manner..." Amazon Reviewer C. Goette

Medieval Lives:

Terry Jones Medieval Lives book

"...When Terry Jones joined Monty Python, he kept his day job. He is a scholar and professor of medieval studies. Which means, MEDIEVAL LIVES is serious history for general readers, but it is also history dished up in a fluent voice that chuckles over human folly, is appropriately stern at the abuses of power that caused incredible pain and suffering, and returns with awe at the lights of human achievement that managed to flicker in an epoch of constant bloodshed..." Amazon Reviewer C. Eberling

Medieval Lives DVD

"...Medieval Lives has to be the most entertaining, informative treasures of man's ascent from the bog! The DVD format is wonderfully produced with much of the creative descendants of Monty Python; brilliant use of art, music, interviews with academics and a whole range of scientific observation. Mr. Jones creates the perfect balance of humor and historical perspective as he traverses the map of civilization - dispelling the myth of Roman superiority with hilarious delight..." Amazon Reviewer Julie P. Weeks

Barbarians:

Terry Jones : Barbarians book

"...Terry Jones travels round the geography of the Roman Empire and through 700 years of history - bringing wit, irreverence, passion and the very latest scholarship to transform our view of the legacy of the Roman Empire and the creation of the modern world..." Amazon Reviewer EquesNiger

Barbarians DVD

"...Terry Jones' Barbarians is a 4-part TV documentary series first broadcast on BBC 2 in 2006. It was presented and written by ex-Python Terry Jones, challenging the received Roman and Roman Catholic notion of the barbarian..." Amazon Reviewer J. Lovins

"...As with most of these types of historical documentaries, each is filmed on location and includes plenty of interviews by experts (and some interesting demonstrations of inventions by Archimedes), as well as life action shots with actors dressed in period costume..." Amazon Reviewer Isadardar

"...This was an excellent buy. Really worth it. It was more indepth than I had expected, which was a bonus. It turns the traditional historical view on its head, and gets the audience thinking, which is a must in my book! Thoroughly recommend this DVD to anyone who likes learning about history without being force fed one-sided facts..." Amazon Reviewer Mrs. G. Palmer

Movies:

Screenplay: Labyrinth 1986

Produced by George Lucas and directed by Jim Henson, Labyrinth is a fantasy picture for girls, starring David Bowie.

Director: Personal Services 1987

Ever-so-slightly smutty and very warm real-life story of Cynthia Payne, known in the movie as Christine Painter (Julie Walters), who fell into low-key prostitution through circumstance...and soon moved on to the better paying niche of catering for mens' exotic fantasies. Her clients soon included many of the highest in the land.

Writer / Director Erik The Viking 1989

An only partially successful attempt to meld Norse mythology with Monty Python. Stars Tim Robbins with John Cleese as the bad guy & Terry Jones as the dimwit King of Atlantis.

Writer / Director Wind In The Willows 1997

Swallowed up on both sides of the Atlantic by extremely poor marketing campaigns, Wind In The Willows isn't a "cute & cuddly" movie, it's a fairly accurate representation of author Kenneth Graham's warning about disappearing traditional values...with one difference...the "animals" have human faces.

Starring Terry Jones (as a very green Toad), Eric Idle (as Ratty) & John Cleese (as a mean human lawyer).