"[2] In 2013, the Pythons lost a legal case to Mark Forstater, the producer of their second film, Holy Grail, over royalties for its musical adaptation Spamalot.

It soon became apparent to the group that owing to his theatrical experience with the creation of Spamalot (and because his schedule was free), Eric Idle was best suited to supervise the production.

He envisaged an extensive assembly of the best-known Python sketches; to facilitate costume changes, they would be linked by short video clips and elaborate routines of the troupe's songs.

[10][11] Robin Williams was scheduled to be the 'Blackmail' special guest for the final night but declined, as according to Idle he was "suffering from severe depression" at the time, which ultimately contributed to his suicide in August 2014.

[12] The last of the ten performances was broadcast in the UK on the television channel Gold and internationally in cinemas by Fathom Events through a Dish Network satellite link on Sunday 20 July 2014.

[14] A re-edited audio-only recording of the show was exclusively included on two Compact Discs which formed part of the “Deluxe Edition” of the release – a 60-page 12 inch (30 cm) square hardback picture book with the DVD, Blu-ray and the two CDs housed inside the back cover.

[13] A negatively tinged review from the Daily Mail was incorporated into the last show, with John Cleese and Michael Palin criticising the newspaper and its editor, Paul Dacre, onstage.

[13] The ten-night show was a financial success, allowing the members of the troupe to pay off their creditor, earn £2.2 million each and donate to selected charities.