As I work in the afternoon on committing to paper some of my morning's thoughts, I find myself just about to close on the knotty question of whether or not I believe in God. In fact I am about to type, 'I do not believe in God', when the sky goes black as ink, there is a thunderclap and a huge crash of thunder and a downpour of epic proportions. I never do complete the sentence.

After Python he began a new career as a travel writer and travel documentarian. In 1984 he reunited with Terry Gilliam to appear in Brazil. In recognition of his services to the promotion of geography Palin was awarded the Livingstone Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in March 2009 along with a Fellowship to the Society.

His journeys have taken him across the world including the North and South Poles the Sahara Desert the Himalayas Eastern Europe and most recently Brazil. Before Monty Python they had worked on other shows such as the Ken Dodd Show The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin continued to work with Jones after Python co-writing Ripping Yarns.