Monty Python stars will 'rally round' Terry Jones after dementia diagnosis
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Version 0 of 1. The Monty Python team will “rally round” Terry Jones following his dementia diagnosis, Michael Palin has said. Palin, a fellow Python and friend of Jones since they met while studying at Oxford in the early 1960s, said it was a “terribly sad thing to befall anyone”. Jones announced last month that he had been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, a form of dementia that will rob him of the power of speech. “I’ve known that Terry’s memory was fading for a couple of years,” Palin told the Radio Times. “This is progressive and the loss of the ability to speak is one of the things it brings. I grew up with a father who stammered and that was difficult enough for him. But for words just not to even be there, not to utter anything, it’s a terribly sad thing to befall anyone. “I saw John [Cleese] yesterday and there’s nothing much we can do but stand there and say, ‘Oh God, what has happened to our friend?’ But the Pythons will rally round.” The news about Jones’s health came as Bafta Cymru announced he was to be given a special award for outstanding contribution to Welsh film and television and his spokesperson said he would no longer be able to give interviews. The award was given to celebrate almost 50 years of work, both with the Monty Python team and as a documentary presenter and director. Jones is also the author of several popular children’s books. Palin presented his friend with the award at the ceremony in Cardiff on Sunday evening after telling the audience about his career achievements. He said: “Life seemed more exciting when Terry was around. The first sketch we performed was as a pair of police officers at the Edinburgh festival and for the next few years we were inseparable. “His force of character and tireless workaholism kept us all up to the mark. He has been relentlessly prolific while being a wonderful friend.” In his first public appearance since announcing his diagnosis, Jones was accompanied on stage by his son Bill and was given a standing ovation by the audience. He spoke only to say “quieten down”, before his son spoke on his behalf and said it was a great honour. Bill Jones’s voice cracked as he told the audience in a short but emotional speech: “The struggles we’re having at the moment, it’s a bit hard but we’re so proud of him. Thank you.” Palin was asked by the Radio Times about his own retirement, saying he did not think there would be any more Python shows. “I thought we should bring the curtain down after the 10 shows we did. I wouldn’t say everybody in the Pythons sympathised exactly with my view, but I think everybody understood it. There were no recriminations.” Asked if they were all still friends, the award-winning comedian and presenter said: “Oh yes, we sit with our pipes and slippers saying, ‘Oh, I used to go on stage in a dress.’ It was great and remarkable. “We are not a very sentimental bunch but I think that’s the bond that we all feel, ‘My God, we’re the only ones that have ever been Pythons.’ No one else can ever experience it.” |