The world lost a great comedian yesterday when Terry Jones passed away at the age of 77.

Terry Jones was best-known as one of the players of the Monty Python troupe. Jones not only starred in their various sketches and feature films. He was also a co-writer and director on 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', 'Life of Brian' and 'The Meaning of Life'.

Jones was a member of the comedy group alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman (who passed away in 1989), Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin. But of all of them, Jones was closest to Palin, who he'd met while studying at Oxford University. The pair worked as writing partners on a couple of programmes before creating 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' with their colleagues.

That background makes this BBC interview conducted with Palin, in which he reflects on his friendship with Jones, all the more poignant.

Palin said that losing Jones is like "losing a limb" and describes him as "one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation."

He reflected: "Even in the last few years when Terry was doing his thing I was doing my thing, we would still meet up. We were very close friends and I valued Terry's opinion probably more than any other; he was very, very astute.

"Terry didn't do private particularly; Terry was a very warm man. He'd talk to you about absolutely anything so what you see in the characters that he plays. That slightly manic but always rather warm and enthusiastic characters that he used to play are very much Terry."

He tearfully added: "I shall miss the sociable Terry - sorry - I just miss putting my arm around him and having a drink.

"He was just a wonderful companion, a terrific man and I shall miss our trips to the bar, I'll miss our pints and I shall miss our sessions putting the world to rights."

 

John Cleese, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam took to Twitter to share tributes to their friend too.