Michael Palin In Nigeria review: Palin's legendary charm is pushed to the limit ... trends now
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Michael Palin In Nigeria (Ch5)
Who would win a fight between a crocodile and a Python? Michael Palin wasn't sticking around to find out, at a festival in Nigeria.
Standing in a colourful crowd watching men running knives over their bare skin in an ecstatic frenzy, the Monty Python veteran turned to see a young chap with a croc slung over one shoulder.
The reptile's mouth was tied shut. 'It's taped up, it's not going to bite me,' Michael shouted over the din. Then the man undid the knot. 'Oh, it is going to bite me...'
In fact, the animal was let loose in the square, where it charged around pursuing the festival-goers.
Clearly, the West African magic that prevents knife blades from drawing blood was not proof against crocodile teeth.
Who would win a fight between a crocodile and a Python? Michael Palin (pictured) wasn't sticking around to find out at a festival in Nigeria
This attraction to the bizarre and lurid has always been what sets aside a Palin travelogue from the usual escapades of a comedian abroad.
He has always been drawn to the surreal, and Michael Palin In Nigeria is no different.
On an empty beach in Lagos, he perused a placard proclaiming the local bylaws: no fighting, no stealing and no weapons... nothing odd about that.
