At least one way of measuring the freedom of any society is the amount of comedy that is permitted, and clearly a healthy society permits more satirical comment than a repressive, so that if comedy is to function in some way as a safety release then it must obviously deal with these taboo areas. This is part of the responsibility we accord our licensed jesters, that nothing be excused the searching light of comedy. If anything can survive the probe of humour it is clearly of value, and conversely all groups who claim immunity from laughter are claiming special privileges which should not be granted.

Idle maintains that there was little to do at the school and boredom drove him to study hard and consequently won a place at Cambridge University. Career


Pre-Python career (1965–1969)
Idle attended Pembroke College at Cambridge where he studied English. "
Idle's work in Python is often characterised by an obsession with language and communication: many of his characters have verbal peculiarities such as the man who speaks in anagrams the man who says words in the wrong order and the butcher who alternates between rudeness and politeness every time he speaks.

Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English comedian actor author singer writer and comedic composer.