Michael Palin’s diaries begin when he was newly married and struggling to make a name for himself in the world of television comedy. But Monty Python was just around the cornerEnjoying an unlikely cult status early on, the Pythons then proceeded to tour in the United States and Canada, appearing at sold-out stadiums coast to coast. As their popularity grew, so Palin relates how the group went their separate ways, later to re-form for stages shows and the celebrated films The Holy Grail and Life of Brian.The birth and childhood of his children, living through the three-day week and the miners’ strike, and all the trials of a peripatetic life are also essential ingredients of these perceptive and funny diaries.