Forstater & Anor v Python (Monty) Pictures Ltd & Anor [2013] EWHC 1873 (Ch) (05 July 2013)

Forstater & Anor v Python (Monty) Pictures Ltd & Anor [2013] EWHC 1873 (Ch) (05 July 2013)  was a claim by the producer of the film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, for a share of the proceeds from Spamalot, the stage show which is loosely based on the film. It's a somewhat unedifying tale in which greed seems to play a major part: Mr Forstater came out ahead, but in a fairly complicated judgment by Norris J of 155 paragraphs he lost a few claims too, including (though this was not in the gift of the court) to be known as the seventh Python. And though he got his money, it seems to have been at the expense of his relationship with the Pythons which clearly hit the rocks some time ago - as did Mr Forstater, in a way, as the BBC's report explains that he was declared bankrupt a couple of years ago (perhaps having been involved in Dweck v Forstater [2010] EWHC 1874 (QB) (26 July 2010)).