The Irish Mail on Sunday

CHEESY DOES IT

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The Cheese Shop Cleese plays a loquacious customer attempting a (doomed) purchase from Ye National Cheese Emporium, proprietor one Arthur Wensleydal­e (Palin) Cleese recalls how the idea for the ‘Cheese Shop’ sketch came about. He tells how he and Chapman were in the car, returning from Folkestone, where he had been tremendous­ly seasick while filming. Chapman had advised him to eat something to settle his stomach, but the only thing he could face was a piece of cheese.

They passed a chemist, which led them to discuss what kind of cheese a chemist might sell. The next day they decided that it was a good idea for a sketch, but why would someone be going to a chemist for cheese? Because the cheese shop didn’t have any? Now there was an even better idea for a sketch…

Cleese needed some persuading by Chapman that the sketch was actually funny, but he had a great respect for his writing partner’s opinions on humour. Even then it took Palin’s reaction – he laughed hysterical­ly until he fell off his chair – for him to realise they were really on to something. Palin, of course, played the straight-faced shopkeeper and both he and John have admitted that performing the sketch has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of the live shows, as they compete to force one another to corpse.

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