Actor Sir Michael Palin’s illustrious career spans more than half a century. He began behind the scenes as a writer but soon made his way into the limelight, solidifying his fame with the TV comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Ripping Yarns. He gained further recognition for his Monty Python films as well as his performances in A Private Function, Fierce Creatures and A Fish Called Wanda, for which he received a BAFTA Award. All the while, he continued to write, making a name for himself as a screenwriter, playwright, travel writer, novelist, diarist and even children’s book

author. He also carved a place in the world of documentaries as the starring presenter of several highly acclaimed travel series. And for his achievements in TV and film, he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship in 2013. His more recent credits include Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go (2014), a ten-night sellout show with his fellow Pythons; the BBC’s three-part drama miniseries Remember Me (2014); the classic children’s TV program Clangers (2015–2016); Armando Iannucci’s film The Death of Stalin (2017); and the ITV adaptation of Vanity Fair (2018).