1. Michael Palin and Terry Jones’ series of filmed comedies was originally broadcast with a laugh track - this being during a time when it was considered the norm for all light entertainment shows to have one. The results were, as always, mixed to say the least. Wilmut mentions, in ‘Fringe To Flying Circus’ that the ‘Testing Of Eric Olthwaite’ show was nearly ruined by the studio audience who giggled throughout the scene where the bank robber (Ken Colley) threatens to shoot ‘Eric’ (Palin). He also mentions that for repeat showings of the episode, the audience were mixed down for that scene.

2. The most recent repeats of the series however took a different stand and all the shows (apart from ‘Tomkinson’s Schooldays’, which was the only show to feature live studio scenes) were broadcast sans laugh track. Considering the BBC's war on 'reusable videotape' in the 70s it is doubtful they would have kept tapes of the shows with and without a laughter track and it's entirely possible that only the (unwipable) celluloid edits of the shows survive anyway.