Monty Python Star Admits Life Of Brian Could Not Be Made Today

Terry Jones has admitted that The Life of Brian could be made today.

The Monty Python star believes that a "resurgance in religious belief" would have prevented the movie, made in 1980 about a man being mistaken for Jesus Christ, being greenlighted had it been pitched in the current climate.

He told the Radio Times: "I never thought it would be as controversial as it turned out, although I remember saying when we were writing it that some religious nut case may take pot shots at us, and everyone replied 'no'. I took the view it wasn’t blasphemous.

"It was heretical because it criticised the church and the way it interpreted the Gospels. At the time religion seemed to be on the back burner and it felt like kicking a dead donkey. It has come back with a vengeance and we’d think twice about making it now."

When asked if he would consider making a satitrical film about Islam, Jones - an expert in medieval history - said: "Probably not - looking at Salman Rushdie [whose book The Satanic Verses forced him into hiding for ten years]. I suppose people would be frightened. I think it’s whipped up by the arms industry."

Jones's new comedy drama, Holy Flying Circus, which depicts the controversy surrounding the picture, airs on BBC4 on October 19.