Monty Python's Life of Brian to begin, long-time Monty Python fan and former member of the Beatles, George Harrison, arranged financing for "Life of Brian" through the formation of his company HandMade Films. The film contains themes of religious satire that were controversial at the time of its release, drawing accusations of blasphemy, and protests from some religious groups. Thirty-nine local authorities in the United Kingdom either imposed an outright ban, or imposed an X (18 years) certificate, effectively preventing the film from being shown, since the distributors said it could not be shown unless it was unedited and carried the original AA (14) certificate.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail spinoff, "Spamalot". Written primarily by Idle, the show has more of an overarching plot and leaves out certain portions of the movie due to difficulties in rendering certain effects on stage. Nonetheless, many of the jokes from the film are present in the show. In 2011, an ABC prime-time special, "", counted down the best films chosen by fans based on results of a poll conducted by ABC and "People". "Holy Grail" was selected as the second best comedy after "Airplane!". In 2013, the Pythons lost a legal case to Mark Forstater, the film's producer, over royalties for the derivative