Innes stays out of shallow end

Although many would delight at the idea of a gigantic foot coming down upon Anne Robinson's head, it seems anybody with a remotely eccentric funnybone has been told "you are the weakest link...goodbye" by TV schedulers across the land.

Something that Neil Innes, Monty Python collaborator and co-founder with Eric Idle of The Beatles parody The Rutles, quite literally thumbs his nose at.

"It's all so pigeon-holed nowadays. You're not allowed to be eccentric. I'm in the backwater and you know, I refuse to change," he explains.

"In my show, we thumb our noses and blow raspberries at the media. All this television advertising, here's your cuddly toy, there's your free gift. Follow this cartoon character to cheaper insurance. There's just nothing sincere or remotely engaging about it all."

He sighs: "Oh. I'm turning into Walter Matthau you know, a grumpy old man."

Mr Innes, 56, will be visiting The Bull theatre, High Street, Barnet, for a show tomorrow looking back at the days when he was more of a silly young man a left field retrospective entitled Innes Own Words.

He first made his name with the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band in 1968 their smash hit I'm The Urban Spaceman was produced by Apollo C Vermouth, aka Paul McCartney before joining up with the Python team to help pen tunes for their albums, films and concert tours. He also appeared four times in the 1975 classic Monty Python And The Holy Grail.

He also managed to squeeze in a few screen appearances, including four in undisputed 1975 comedy classic Monty Python And The Holy Grail receiving credits as The First Self Destructive Monk, Robin's Least Favourite Minstrel, The Page Crushed By A Rabbit and The Owner Of A Duck.

All in day's work for Mr Innes.

"I remember wearing soggy chainmail, which was made out of string, in the cold, doing my crossword," he recalls drily. "It was all great fun."

His biggest success followed shortly after, with The Rutles, a mock-Beatles outfit with Python Eric Idle. After impressing audiences throughout the country, success followed them Stateside with a film, All You Need Is Cash, and frequent Saturday Night Live appearances where top American comedians Bill Murray and John Belushi joined in the fun.

And the Fab Four didn't seem to take offence, either.

"Not at all. George Harrison worked with us quite closely on it," Neil explains.

"It was all so serious, just the fact that the band even existed. They were so bloody popular we had to diffuse the situation. At the end of the day, they're just four guys in a van, okay, so they wrote a few good songs, but, hey!"

"John Lennon liked The Rutles though, I know that. When he was asked what he thought of us he responded by singing 'Cheese and Onions' [Innes' moving ode to the tasty crisp flavour]."

The four-piece are now set for something of a comeback their last was with their 1997 album, Archeology (sic) with a new documentary film, working title: Rutles 2, that Eric Idle is working on now, with celebrities involved already including big name stars Tom Hanks and Steve Martin.

Mr Innes can also look forward to jetting over to Los Angeles to receive an honour at the Museum of Film and Television for The Rutles' services to comedy and music next March.

"I'm looking forward to receiving a lunchtime achievement award," he says.

"I've just had a great, accidental career and worked with good, fun people, he said.

I'm lucky enough never to have gone to the shallow end of showbiz if you're happy and you know it, clap you hands stuff. That's not what I'm about."

Neil Innes will perform songs, sketches and look back over his career at The Bull, High Street, Barnet, tomorrow (Feb 23) at 8pm. Tickets cost £12. Call the box office on 020 8449 0048.