They followed their television work by making the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979), and The Meaning of Life (1983). The Pythons had creative control which allowed them to experiment with form and content, discarding rules of television comedy. Monty Python's Flying Circus was loosely structured as a sketch show, but its innovative stream-of-consciousness approach and Gilliam's animation skills pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in style and content. Their sketch show has been called 'an important moment in the evolution of television comedy'. Their work then developed into a larger collection that included live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals their influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.
