40 Years of Monty Python

Life of Brian
In its second full-length feature film, the troupe took on the stories of the Gospel, imagining the life of a young man who is born at the same time and location as Jesus Christ and who is ultimately mistaken for him. The hero, born one Brian Cohen (played by Graham Chapman) joins a nascent resistance movement (the Peoples' Front of Judea) and, after many misadventures, finds himself brought before a Pontius Pilate (played by Palin, above), who is afflicted with a severe speech impediment. Pilate's efforts to grant clemency are thwarted by his difficulty pronouncing the prisoners' names, a situation exacerbated by the guards, who suggest only men whose names include the letter r. ("Vewy well. I shall welease Wodewick!")

• A History of Stand-Up Comedy