My wife, Tania, is very big on dogs, so I'm always paying out to animal charities.

I like the idea of being out there regularly with an audience and with a funny gang of people. That's what I grew up with - doing television, doing shows every week.

Monty Python paid me £20,000 to write, direct and assemble them - the cheapskates! I told them I'd never earned less in a year since leaving Cambridge. The first show sold out in 43 seconds and we ended up performing ten in total. We had no idea there would be such demand.

The dreadful thing about getting older is you cry at the drop of a hat.

I didn't want to be big Mr. Ego walking around.

John Cleese once told me he'd do anything for money. So I offered him a pound to shut up, and he took it.

Many years ago I also bought a house in Provence for about 70,000 francs. It had no electricity or running water, and no road leading to the house, but gradually we made improvements. It's my escape and I love it.