Ripping Yarns

Ripping Yarns was a British television comedy series loosely in the style of Monty Python's Flying Circus, written by former Pythons Michael Palin and Terry Jones. Each episode neatly parodied some pre-war schoolboy genre or other.

Video and DVD

The series was released on three VHS tapes in the UK in the 1980s. Two of these compilations were reissued (not by the BBC) on Region 0 (worldwide) DVD in 2000, but fans were disappointed that no attempt had been made to remaster the sound and picture quality and that only 6 of the 9 episodes were included.

Related Topics:
VHS - 1980s - DVD - 2000

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Fans continued to hope for a fully-restored complete edition, and this was finally fulfilled in October 2004 with the release of The Complete Ripping Yarns on a 2-disc Region 2 DVD set, with extras including commentaries on all nine episodes by Palin and Jones and a deleted scene (without soundtrack) from "Murder at Moorstones Manor". All of the episodes except "Tomkinson's Schooldays" and "Murder at Moorstones Manor" also have optional laugh-free soundtracks.

Related Topics:
October - 2004

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The DVD set also includes the only surviving (and rather poor quality) recording of Palin and Jones's comic BBC play Secrets from 1973.

Related Topics:
Secrets - 1973

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