THE TV-AM STUDIO. VERY BRIGHT. MIKE MORRIS SITS THERE WITH THAT MOUSTACHE.
MIKE MORRIS
Graham Chapman died last night after a long battle against cancer. Other members of the Python team were at his bedside at Maidstone General Hospital. Jo Williams has been looking back at the career of a man... (SMILES WARMLY) whose humour... (NODS) delighted the nation.
JO WILLIAMS DOES NOT MATERIALISE, IN ANY CAPACITY. INSTEAD WE GET A THIRTY-SECOND SNIPPET OF THE SPAM SKETCH FROM 'FLYING CIRCUS'.
WE CUT BACK TO THE STUDIO. ERIC IDLE IS THERE ON THE SOFA, GRINNING AND SHAKING HIS HEAD. WE HEAR MIKE MORRIS GUFFAWING AWAY OFF-CAMERA. THEN WE CUT TO MORRIS WHO IS SUDDENLY WEARING A DIFFERENT COLOURED TIE...
MORRIS
Eric, as you watch that, it's difficult I suppose for you to comment on it, but it does retain its humour, doesn't it, some humour ages; that has managed to retain it, hasn't it?
IDLE
I hope so. It's twenty year ago... practically, now.
MORRIS
When you look back on those things which... we were talking earlier, you're f...
IDLE'S FACE FREEZES IN MID GRIN. THE AUDIO STOPS. IT SUDDENLY DAWNS ON US THAT THE ONLY PIECE OF STOCK PYTHON FOOTAGE TV-AM COULD FIND WAS FROM A PREVIOUS SHOW WHERE IDLE WAS A GUEST. AND NOBODY IN THE CONTROL BOOTH KNOWS HOW TO STOP IT RUNNING.
CUT BACK TO MORRIS, LIVE IN THE STUDIO, LOOKING BACK AND FORTH CONFUSED AS THE IDLE INTERVIEW STARTS UP AGAIN IN SOUND ONLY
MORRIS (VO)
..orced to all the time aren't you with people asking you questions, (MORRIS GIVES UP LOOKING CONFUSED, LOOKS AT THE CAMERA IN A 'HEY HO, WE'VE FUCKED UP' KIND OF WAY, SMILES), are things which... (VO FINALLY CUTS OUT)
MORRIS
(A LITTLE EMBARRASSED) Yes... let's stay with me for the moment, shall we? Uh, me in sound and vision. On the phone now is a friend and fellow scriptwriter, Barry Cryer. Good morning to you, Barry.
BARRY CRYER (VO)
Good morning, Mike.
MORRIS
Ahhm, what's your assessment... let's be honest about this, Graham was not the most high-profile of the Python team but whenever you met the other members of the team, they all said he was absolutely vital to them, didn't he?
CUT TO LARGE STILL OF BARRY CRYER GRINNING LIKE A FOOL
CRYER (VO)
Yes he was, he was an absolute sort of lynchpin because he was uh... in the Holy Grail he played King Arthur...
CAMERA CUTS BACK TO MORRIS JUST IN TIME TO CATCH HIM DOING SOMETHING WHICH MAKES A LOUD CLICKING SOUND AND WHICH OBVIOUSLY CAUSES HIM SOME PAIN. HE WINCES, NOTICES THE RED LIGHT AND COMPOSES HIMSELF VERY QUICKLY
...and he played Brian in The Life Of... He was an absolute focal point.
MORRIS
And urm... (FLOUNDERS) obviously high-profile, clearly, er. talented in a dramatic way, people like John Cleese, but what was Graham Chapman's, er, 'contribution', if you like, wh... where did he 'fit in' (GESTURES A 'FITTING IN' HAND SIGNAL) into the team? (FINISHING THE HAND SIGNAL, MORRIS PLACES HANDS UNDER HIS CHIN TO STRIKE AN 'INTERESTED' POSE)
CRYER (VO)
Well he was a sort of 'central figure'. He used to grumble sometimes, it was uh, we used to laugh, he used to grumble about being 'the straight man', you know, while everyone was capering and wheeling about him and he was playing 'The Hero', usually. Uh, and of course his contribution in a writing sense was enormous.
MORRIS
Mm. In every sense, whenever one met Graham Chapman, he was a very pleasant man, wasn't he, a very likeable man.
CRYER (VO)
He was one of the most honest people I ever knew in my life. He was a joy to be with. His honesty was almost painful at times, but you admired it.
MORRIS
You mentioned his painful honesty, he obviously had to withstand painful stories about his private life and so on. He bore those with great dignity, didn't he?
CRYER (VO)
A very tolerant man. Very tolerant. He always saw... er, people's point of view.
MORRIS
Mm. So, Barry, it's a sad day (LOOKS REALLY FUCKING HAPPY ABOUT IT), and if there's one thing that you'll remember Graham for, what do you think it will be? What image and perception do you have of him?
CRYER (VO)
Erm, enormously kind, and I can't think of him for more than two minutes without laughing, because, a lot of memories, I knew him about twenty-five years.
MORRIS
I suspect that's the epitaph he would have wanted. Barry Cryer, thank you very much for sharing your memories of Graham Chapman, who died s...
CRYER (VO)
You're welcome.
MORRIS
(PUT OFF HIS STRIDE) Thank you, Barry. Graham Chapman, who died sadly (RAISES EYEBROWS) last night.
TV-AM (05/10/89)
