Sir Michael Palin says appearing on The Simpsons was 'terrific' - and like going to Buckingham Palace

The Monty Python star, who grew up in Ranmoor in Sheffield, is guest-starring in the animated US show.

The 77-year-old presenter, who also looks back at his travels around the world in a new BBC series, said it was “terrific” to record his lines.

“To be asked to do a sort of guest appearance on The Simpsons is pretty much like going to Buckingham Palace, except not quite as funny!” quipped the star, who was knighted last year.

“It was lovely to be asked and I’ve recorded my part,” he said. “It’s all done very quickly, efficiently and you are shoehorned into the show. I haven’t yet seen what I look like. I’m looking forward to that.”

He said of being knighted: “It’s not closed any doors or made me feel I can no longer be silly! So I appreciate it greatly. But that was the past and the future lies ahead. And I want to keep working. I want to keep doing things.”

The globe-trotter said that looking back at his adventures, for BBC series Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime, made him feel for younger generations.

He feels “sad… for young people wanting to travel… who just aren’t able to because of Covid, and we just don’t know how long this is going to last”.

Recovering from open heart surgery, and then lockdown, has made him reassess life.

It has “made me actually consider how frantic my life was for the first 50 years as I started in television”, he said.

“And it’s given me a bit of time to think about what I want to do next, and quiet time is good.”

Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime continues on BBC Two, and is available on BBC iPlayer.

-----------------------

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today.

Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers.

So, please - if you can - pay for our work. Just £5 per month is the starting point. If you think that which we are trying to achieve is worth more, you can pay us what you think we are worth. By doing so, you will be investing in something that is becoming increasingly rare. Independent journalism that cares less about right and left and more about right and wrong. Journalism you can trust.

Thank you

James Mitchinson