Michael Palin reads a letter to a friend after the loss of their leg

[@StringsandWings]

Michael Palin is a world treasure.

[@TillyOrifice]

So was GBS.

[@Namdor2012]

"For a man of your profession two legs are an extravagance" what a quip..lol..

[@jhudson225]

I had the pleasure to meet a soldier who lost a leg in Somalia in the 90's. He made up a list of 100 reasons he was better off without the leg: A pair of socks would last twice as long. He could never get athletes feet, only athletes foot. etc, etc. He had previously been a member of the Golden Knights (The US Army Parachute Team) and he said he was going back. He was told they had never taken an amputee. He said, "I know, I'm going to be the first!". He was. Humor is incredibly important.

[@maghurt]

Now, THAT is a good friend!

[@alexacharney]

No one better to read this particular communication.

[@scroggins100]

Reminds me of when I broke my leg and was in a wheel chair.. I do not make a good patient. One day the wife was pushing me around the town and I was in a foul mood. Eventually, we came to a pedestrian crossing and I swore at the lady who could not seem to press the button. My wife leaned forward and whispered "One more word from you and I will push you under the first bus we see". I shut up.

[@amadeusendymion1272]

I think I might have married her...

[@ontheotherhand7627]

Keep her. She gave you a fair warning.

[@debbiehodson8469]

I think I may have married him....

[@AndySalinger33]

This was a great reading, but I specifically came here for an argument!

[@msjennifer6119]

No you didn’t. That was just a contradiction.

[@aqacefan]

And I told you, I can't continue until you pay.

[@megnotmegan1966]

Pretty sure that’s the next door on the right down the hall….

[@FoCoPuffs]

Will that be a five minute argument or the full half-hour?

[@R.M.MacFru]

Time's up!

[@08mlascelles]

So funny and also poignant. Humour and grief have such a delicate but vitally important relationship. I can imagine the reader having the most tearful belly laugh of his life.

[@vicbrava2410]

I wish I could show this to my grandpa, who passed twelve years ago. He was a WWII veteran himself who unfortunately lost the use of right leg after shattering his hip from a bad fall down the stairs in late 70's. He tried getting hip replacements but they weren't good in those days and tended to fail, and it did. He lived the rest of his life, three decades, on crutches. He managed quite well despite it all though.

[@pyroMaximilian]

This intersection of two such great talents is an extravagance and a welcome one at that. Thank you!

[@EL-gu8fv]

Legends, both the writer and reader!

[@MiceAndMinecraft]

as a wheelchair user, albeit with 2 legs, which are only partially useful around the house: legs are overrated (and wheelchairs are awesome)

[@EverLearningDragon]

OMG This! For so many years I was told how bad it would be to be “confined” to a wheelchair. I’ve never felt so free and so many times I thoroughly enjoy the rush of zipping ahead of those limited by having legs. I’m so annoyed that no one told me how much fun wheelchairs can be.

[@juicymclucy]

Ditto, sing it loud and proud

[@JaRule6]

​​@@EverLearningDragonI love that you both not only made lemonade out of the lemons but you, metaphorically, added a little booze to it to make it more fun ❤

[@ottovonbismarck2443]

I don't know about the rocking part, but you keep on rolling, my friend ! 🙂

[@larissasplaylists]

"legs are overrated" lol

[@somedutchguy9184]

"Woke up this morning; One sock too many!"

[@melvert33]

"A tiger....in Africa?"

[@redbarchetta8782]

It's all about perspective. LOVE IT!

[@cliveambrose2251]

"I've got nothing against your right leg..."

[@kerrydavenport7190]

Wins! Best comment ever!

[@penfold7455]

"The trouble is, neither do you."

[@seamusoflatcap]

Peter Cooke and Dudley.Moore.

[@ArchieAndy27]

"The trouble is, neither have you!" Glad to see someone made a Pete & Dud reference! 😅

[@kpaasial]

He is deficient in the leg division, to the tune of one.

[@janespond922]

I'm hearing this for tge first time 7 years after the reading😊 How wonderful KZbin is!

[@EmpyrionBlackthorn]

Michael Palin ❤Lovely sweet man

[@WillScarlet16]

Because of course, Michael DID play Shaw in Monty Python's 'Oscar Wilde' sketch.

[@macronencer]

"...you shine out like a shaft of gold, when all around is dark!"

[@joeholm4591]

And possibly THE funniest, most literate comedy sketches ever.

[@tA-bc3rw]

Great delivery but an award to the writ. What wit!

[@BradGryphonn]

Gold.

[@666ruth666]

Shaw is the king! ❤

[@MartinAhlman]

This is what the internet is for!

[@retrorampage484]

the time between sock laundry days has just doubled.

[@shellchenonceau6987]

In 1918, whilst serving in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers during World War I, Irish author St. John Ervine suffered an injury that resulted in the amputation of a leg. Soon after, he received a letter of support from his friend, George Bernard Shaw. Michael Palin joined us to read Shaw's letter at Letters Live at London's Union Chapel back in 2017.

[@cmck472]

Thank you for the information.

[@joeholm4591]

@@cmck472 Same

[@piaauman9020]

fantastic🌟

[@CitizenAyellowblue]

Fantastic!

[@commandert5]

Not just any friend, mind you!

[@matthew-Williams]

Thats my local church, Union Chapel along Upper street in Islington.

[@macronencer]

Aha... anyone remember Blackadder's Puritan Aunt and Uncle? "Two spikes would be an extravagance!" Can't help wondering whether that was inspired by this letter.

[@freyashipley6556]

Yes! Lady Whiteadder, definitely a descendent of Lady Bracknell!

[@enkisdaughter4795]

@@freyashipley6556Surely Lady Bracknell (Victorian era) would be a descendant of Lady Whiteadder (First Elizabethan era)?

[@freyashipley6556]

@@enkisdaughter4795 True! If we can imagine Lady Whiteadder ever producing offspring. 😳

[@gillie-monger3394]

"Ah, Devil's Dumplings"!

[@gillie-monger3394]

"Ah, Devil's Dumplings"!

[@Enkil-hm6et]

Very good

[@matsfreedom]

The guy born with 3 legs is thoroughly outraged.

[@andrewkepert923]

Four legs shalt thou not have, neither have two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out.

[@thesandwich5321]

The tripod being an indulgence to which no sane man should aspire. Nor indeed, look to for stability in matters marital.

[@Coherers]

Tis but a scratch!

[@mr.mrs.d.7015]

💚

[@shellchenonceau6987]

Michael Palin joined us to read Shaw's letter at Letters Live at London's Union Chapel back in 2017.

[@mathiasthelander7834]

Lost a leg? I suppose you don´t want to march up and down the square then!?

[@rickardroach9075]

A tiger? In Africa?

[@cmtippens9209]

Can't decide if the amputation makes him a less qualified or more qualified candidate for the Ministry of Silly Walks. 🤔🧐

[@PaulTomblin]

He should apply to the lesser known Ministry of Silly Hops.

[@rustycherkas8229]

Hemingway wrote the saddest 6 word story (as a classified ad): "For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn". Ervine could write the sequel: "For Sale: Five Left Boots, Each with varying usage."

[@LloydBraun11]

-Tis' but a scratch!

[@karolleon]

The lack of reverence for the sanctity of the place left me disgusted.

[@stevehillsdon5956]

Makes one think of the Tarzan sketch of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore!

[@bloochoob]

Vote with your foot, Eileen (I lean) Get your dancing shoe on, get on the good foot, let’s go rocking and rolling at the hop

[@maryminty5876]

I had a colleague with an artticial hand which he used to detach and put on my piled up IN tray. Another Milligan type....he used to say "Do you want a hand with that." , dead pan.

[@jonathanmormerod]

A friend of mine lost a leg after being run over by a tank in Bosnia. He also ended up being paraplegic, which led to him having an elective amputation on his other leg. A few years later, he was returning from his holiday shack in the South of France and brought a case of wine back with him. When he arrived at the airport, he was told that he would have to pay an excess baggage charge on the wine. "Why?" he replied. "It weighs less than my legs did."🤣🤣🤣🤣 All the more apt because a couple of years later he started a trip from the Reform Club, travelling around the world in 80 ways, to rasie money for the spinal unit at Stoke Mandeville.

[@PrimarchX]

He is a uni-dexter!

[@ottovonbismarck2443]

After a little spine surgery, I found out that my legs are far too long to put on socks. I could do with half the trouble.

[@jsmcguireIII]

Deficient in the leg department to the tune of one.

[@davewolfy2906]

He bowled me a googlie by reading it as himself. It is not the same you know.

[@gillie-monger3394]

I'm sure he was putting on some sort of Irish Accent.

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@toucheturtle3840]

The fish slapping sketch…😂

[@bigsarge2085]

❤😄

[@MusicGunn]

This reminds me of a time I played golf with a one armed man. He had 2 arms, but one didn't work. He swung one handed. I enjoy golf, but I am not very proficient at it. So, the one armed man was kicking my ass the entire time. Being frustrated at my own game I at one point grumbled that I was getting my ass kicked so badly by a one armed man, that I felt like Dr. Richard Kimble. The one armed gentleman did indeed find this amusing, thankfully.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

I've got two legs From my hips to the ground And when I move them they walk around And when I lift them they climb the stairs And when I shave them they ain't got hairs I've got two Aah

[@TimSoden-p6w]

Can this be translated for an American audience? Just a thought and kind regards Tim

[@joeholm4591]

"I knew a man with one leg named Smith"

[@Mitch_DLG]

What was the name of his other leg?

[@davidleedutton]

Shaw's letters were better than his plays. Fight me.

[@SolitaryCynic]

quite the ripping yarn

[@TwoLeftThumbs]

I can’t decide whether that’s stoicism or toxic positivity

[@Mitch_DLG]

It's called a sense of humor.

[@anniehope8651]

'Their leg'? Did they both lose a leg? Were they conjoined twins who both lost the same leg?

[@Baribrotzer]

"Is it TRUE, that YOU, a UNIDEXTER, are trying out for the part of Tarzan?"

[@kristenrosales2919]

Better not sing "I've Got Two Legs" after reading this letter. It would not be helpful to the recipient of the letter.

[@AuntieSingeA]

And now I'm singing it. Thank you for the earworm! 😂

[@trafyknits9222]

"Michael Palin reads a letter to a friend after the loss of their leg." "Michael Palin reads a letter to a friend who lost a leg." (FIFY)

[@dreimar1796]

no worries, those legs will grown spontaneously, right?

[@FauxFoe]

3:08 I'm guessing that the dude on the right is missing a leg and is taking this as a personal attack because he can't find humor in his situation lol

[@46metube]

You couldn't make this up.

[@nickbroadbent4995]

So Pythonesque! ;-)

[@peter1062]

Nonetheless, I am happy to have an above average number of legs.

[@AnnPdeRoo]

Michael Palin was not reading to a friend, he was reading a letter written by George Bernard Shaw to John Erving

[@rileylittleraven]

Right - I believe they titled it as such because it was Shaw's letter to a/his friend, I suppose because they wanted to reveal the writer of said letter at the end.

[@Yngvarfo]

Since all of these readings are of someone else's letters, usually from a historical context, I never thought it was Michael Palin's own letter, and therefore, not to his friend either. But yes, the revelation of the writer's name is such a punchline that I think it would be better if you didn't reveal it.

[@merseyviking]

3:10 Man seems to take the letter personally. 3:40 Same man walks off in disgust. I'm not a big fan of Shaw, but that's going a bit far.

[@joeholm4591]

A nice way to camouflage saying both "you are my good friend" and "suck it up and be an adult" at the same time.

[@loucat2779]

Lemon Curry?

[@kimsherlock8969]

A unique perspective Maybe he deeply thought 🤔 about ? Amputated limbs are difficult to talk about when someone has lost 😕 . What can be said ? This is what George Bernard Shaw wrote , Maybe struggled, 😊 with Military Stiff upper lip old Chum its not that bad 😅 Get on with your life 😅😊 These were brutal times of Wars.

[@AFLOVEable]

A leg does pronouns - who'd thunk that?

[@garysarratt1]

“His”.

[@welshgruff]

The loss of "their" leg? We're more than one persons sharing a leg?

[@danyoutube7491]

It can apply to one person - it's the same as saying 'his' or 'her' but without specifying the gender for whatever reason (I think it's more commonly used when the speaker is being more formal or isn't familiar with the person they are talking about, as if it would be overly familiar to say his or her); it has always been used like that.

[@TSIRKLAND]

Singular they, along with its inflected or derivative forms, them, their, theirs, and themselves (also themself and theirself), is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun. It typically occurs with an indeterminate antecedent, to refer to an unknown person, or to refer to every person of some group, in sentences such as: "Somebody left their umbrella in the office. Could you please let them know where they can get it?"[1] "My personal rule is to never trust anyone who says that they had a good time in high school."[2] "The patient should be told at the outset how much they will be required to pay."[3] "But a journalist should not be forced to reveal their sources."[3] "Everybody can make good pastry if they have the 'know-how'."[2] This use of singular they had emerged by the 14th century, about a century after the plural they.[4][5][2] It has been commonly employed in everyday English ever since and has gained currency in official contexts. Singular they has been criticised since the mid-18th century by prescriptive commentators who consider it an error.[6] Its continued use in modern standard English has become more common and formally accepted with the move toward gender-neutral language.[7][8] Some early-21st-century style guides described it as colloquial and less appropriate in formal writing.[9][10] However, by 2020, most style guides accepted the singular they as a personal pronoun.[11][12][13][14] - from Wikipedia. Much has been written on they, and we aren’t going to attempt to cover it here. We will note that they has been in consistent use as a singular pronoun since the late 1300s; that the development of singular they mirrors the development of the singular you from the plural you, yet we don’t complain that singular you is ungrammatical; and that regardless of what detractors say, nearly everyone uses the singular they in casual conversation and often in formal writing. - from Merriam-Webster dot com Singular they has become the pronoun of choice to replace he and she in cases where the gender of the antecedent - the word the pronoun refers to - is unknown, irrelevant, or nonbinary, or where gender needs to be concealed. It’s the word we use for sentences like Everyone loves his mother. But that’s nothing new. The Oxford English Dictionary traces singular they back to 1375, where it appears in the medieval romance William and the Werewolf. ... In the eighteenth century, grammarians began warning that singular they was an error because a plural pronoun can’t take a singular antecedent. They clearly forgot that singular you was a plural pronoun that had become singular as well. You functioned as a polite singular for centuries, but in the seventeenth century singular you replaced thou, thee, and thy, except for some dialect use. That change met with some resistance. In 1660, George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, wrote a whole book labelling anyone who used singular you an idiot or a fool. And eighteenth-century grammarians like Robert Lowth and Lindley Murray regularly tested students on thou as singular, you as plural, despite the fact that students used singular you when their teachers weren’t looking, and teachers used singular you when their students weren’t looking. Anyone who said thou and thee was seen as a fool and an idiot, or a Quaker, or at least hopelessly out of date. Singular you has become normal and unremarkable. Also unremarkable are the royal we and, in countries without a monarchy, the editorial we: first-person plurals used regularly as singulars and nobody calling anyone an idiot and a fool. And singular they is well on its way to being normal and unremarkable as well. - from the Oxford English Dictionary

[@welshgruff]

Its a modern usage which can cause confusion in some instances. I prefer the old way of using him, his etc unless the gender is known . As used to be said ' grammatically speaking, the male embraces the female'. A much nicer idea🙂

[@TSIRKLAND]

@@welshgruff "Modern" usage? It's been around since the 1300s. Assuming a male pronoun when the gender is unknown is ridiculous in the extreme.

[@patavinity1262]

*after the loss of HIS leg There's only one person with one leg missing here. Get it right.

[@sarahtaylor4037]

'their' makes it clear that the leg which has been lost is that of his friend. It's grammatically correct. 'His' in that sentence would make it seem that Michael Palin had lost his leg.

[@patavinity1262]

@@sarahtaylor4037 No. 'Their' is plural and therefore always grammatically incorrect when talking of a leg belonging to a single person. 'Their leg' implies that the leg belongs to both of them, which is clearly not the case. 'His leg' could indeed possibly be interpreted to refer to the letter-writer's leg and not that of his friend. This is simply a case of unclear sentence construction however, and is not a grammatical fault. A better, unambiguous construction would be: 'Michael Palin reads a letter to a friend who has lost his leg'.

[@ssbohio]

@@patavinity1262 The singular they has been a fixture of the English language for centuries. The first recorded use of the singular they was in the 1375 poem William and the Werewolf, nearly 700 years ago.

[@patavinity1262]

@@ssbohio And poor literacy has been a fixture of human life for millennia. What's your point? Bad English doesn't become good English simply because it was written down a long time ago.

[@ssbohio]

@@patavinity1262 It wasn't considered bad English then, and isn't considered bad English now. "They" has both singular and plural usage.

[@faenethlorhalien]

Not their, his.

[@faenethlorhalien]

The word "friend" is not genderless. It's got the gender of the person it's referring to.

[@natasha.r.m]

​@@faenethlorhalien Exactly.

[@whimsylore]

"Their" is more formal in this case and quite correct, grammatically. It's not always about whether or not the gender is unknown.

[@danyoutube7491]

@@faenethlorhalien How is the word friend not genderless? Which gender does it refer to?!?!?

[@TSIRKLAND]

Singular "they" has been part of the English language for centuries. It was grammatically correct in 1918, and is still so today.

[@libertyblueskyes2564]

Ima sorry but the loss of a limb is like a loss of a family member.

[@miguelclarkeottovonbismarck]

sorry but Mike is performing nothing natural or as I would imagine it being read by the writer in softer homely tones. This just grate against my ears. No thank you.

[@ruthmeb]

You haven't the faintest idea of what Shaw was like, have you? Homely and gentle, hahahaha. He was an aggressive, arrogant and spiky character.

[@richardhole738]

Very sad found Micheal palin Is a (SIR) I really did like this guy but I'm going to stop watching him now taking that title from the Monarchy finished

[@amadeusendymion1272]

Very sad to hear your afflicted with a terminal case of misplaced angst aggravated by a enormously ignorant reading of social history. Must be tough in the echo chamber down at pub.