Monty Python Live, O2 Arena

Expect ‘a little comedy, a lot of pathos, some music and a tiny piece of ancient sex’. So say the reunited Monty Python clan, who are performing live over 5 dates (extended from 1) at the O2 Arena, in London. Tickets went on sale on November 24 at 10am and sold out by 10.01am. The troupe announced another 4 shows on the 25th, but those will sell out, too. So don't sit on it.

Just why are they regrouping after so long? Now in their seventies, they say they want to ‘see if we are still funny’, but they also make no bones about the fact that they need the cash. It's dubbed the ‘alimony’ tour as John Cleese recently divorced his third wife and needs to find £12m to settle. 

Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones last performed together more than 30 years ago. Graham Chapman, the sixth member of the once-side-splittingly-funny troupe, has died. They refer to the gig as 'One down, five to go’, keeping 'Two down, four to go' in reserve. Accordingly, the press conference announcing their comeback was littered with jokes about heating allowances, backstage nurses and artificial limbs.

Despite restrictions imposed by the passing of the years - Cleese may be hard-pressed to do his famous ‘silly walk’, given his hip and knee replacements - it might just be that they still do ‘silly’ very well. For die-hard fans who are feeling their age, this could be just the dose of Python that you need.

Tickets: £27.50-£95

Address and Map: Peninsula Square, London SE10 0DX

Underground: North Greenwich