Film producer Mark Forstater has won a High Court case against the surviving members of the Monty Python team over royalties related to Spamalot.
The producer of Monty Python and the Holy Grail took the team behind the musical to court wanting a share of proceeds from the production, which is described as being "lovingly ripped off" from the film.
The producer of Monty Python and the Holy Grail took the team behind the musical to court wanting a share of proceeds from the production, which is described as being "lovingly ripped off" from the film.
As part of a 1974 agreement with Python (Monty) Pictures (PMP), investors were entitled to a share in 50% of all merchandise revenues and spin-off income. Forstater had argued that he was entitled to one-seventh of this figure, but the team argued he was entitled to only one-fourteenth - the sum he has been paid since the musical's launch in 2005.
Forstater said "I have always been adamant I was correct. I have been proved right - justice has prevailed. There is a sadness, though, about having to face people who were my friends in court. We have been friends for a long time. Monty Python are an institution. I like the fact that they have apparently joked about the litigation. I still think they are very funny."
Pythons Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones gave evidence at the trial. Palin had argued during the case against claims that Forstater was the 'seventh Python'.
Palin said "I don't think there was ever any suggestion this man was going to be a 'seventh Python'. He was not the creator of the film. The film had been created by the Python team entirely. Mark came on board. He became the producer. But I don't think he was entitled to anything beyond that. Mark was not part of our team. There were six of us. We were a tight group. We wrote our own material."
Final figures will be worked out at future hearings, but Forstater estimates that he is entitled to over £200,000.
Joe Pasquale recently joined Bonnie Langford in the West End production of Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre, following in the footsteps of Stephen Tompkinson, Jon Culshaw and Marcus Brigstocke who have all played King Arthur.
Spamalot is a 'kind-of new musical' with a book by Eric Idle and an entirely new score for the new production created by Eric Idle and John Du Prez.
'Spamalot tells the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and features a bevy (or possibly a brace) of beautiful show girls, witch burnings (cancelled due to health and safety) not to mention cows, killer rabbits and French people. The show features fantastic tunes more magical than a Camelot convention, including He Is Not Dead Yet, Knights of the Round Table, Find Your Grail and of course the Nation's Favourite Comedy Song (Reader's Digest Poll 2010 - before it went bust), Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.'
Click here to read West End Frame's recent interview with Bonnie Langford and Joe Pasquale.
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