Monty Python's Life of Brian December 1976, with a first draft completed by mid-1977. The final pre-production draft was ready in January 1978, following "a concentrated two-week writing and water-skiing period in Barbados". The film would not have been made without Python fan former Beatle George Harrison, who set up HandMade Films to help fund it at a cost of £3 million. Harrison put up the money for it as he "wanted to see the movie" — later described by Terry Jones as the "world's most expensive cinema ticket." The original backers, EMI Films, had been scared off at the last minute by the subject
Monty Python's Life of Brian upon "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", and was sung by the rest of the Monty Python group at Graham Chapman's memorial service and at the "Monty Python Live At Aspen" special. The song is a staple at Iron Maiden concerts, where the recording is played after the final encore. For the original British and Australian releases, a spoof travelogue narrated by John Cleese, "Away From It All", was shown before the film itself. It consisted mostly of stock travelogue footage and featured arch comments from Cleese. For instance, a shot of Bulgarian girls in ceremonial dresses was accompanied by