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.
His Name Is Legs (Ladies and Gentlemen) of "The Lumberjack Song", for which he again used the Ohnothimagen moniker, their collaborations began with his guest appearance on "Rutland Weekend Television", which aired on BBC2 on 26 December 1975. In 1978, Harrison participated in "", a TV film starring Idle, Innes and Palin that satirised the Beatles' history, and he formed HandMade Films that year in order to fund the production of Monty Python's third movie, "Life of Brian" (1979), in which he also appeared. HandMade became Britain's most successful independent film company and went on to make other films involving one or more members of Monty Python,