Something completely different ...

A WPT exclusive interview with the Python-turned-historian

When Terry Jones was a college student attending Oxford University, he was admittedly not the best math student at the revered school.

Sure, he excelled at his English studies, which was beneficial for a man who would go onto a long career of television and book writing. And, his interest in the classics of literature surely helped him while preparing material as one of the six members of Monty Python, as well as the books, lectures and projects he has written and produced about author Geoffrey Chaucer since the 1970s.

But, math was never in the cards for Jones. So, it is a bit more than curious that he is the host of The Story of One, a new special about the importance of the most singular digit throughout history which premiers at 7 p.m. Wednesday on WPT.

"It does seem a bit funny," Jones says, laughing from his home in London. "I'm afraid that math has always been pretty much a closed book to me. So, I figured this might be the time to jump right in.

"I've enjoyed being a part of a number of documentary projects through the years and I've found that the best part for me is that I get to learn the topic as I go along with the production," he adds. "I tend to not like to work on documentaries about things I know much about. For me, there's not much sense in that." (Continued...)

Most people have probably never pondered the importance the simplest of digits has had on the development of human civilization. In The Story of One, Jones travels the globe and through time to show just how significant the act of counting has been. From the discovery of the Ishango bone, a grooved bone that contains the earliest proof of humans collecting counting marks into defined numerical groupings to the invention of the binary system of counting by a German mathematician in the 17th century, the number one has played an increasingly important role in our history.

If an hour of mathematics seems daunting, viewers need to remember that Jones made his name through the wry and off-kilter wit of Monty Python. The Story of One is rife with Jones' humor - an attribute he thinks could help the worldview of history immensely.

"I'm fascinated by the ideas of history," he says. "Too often people make the mistake of letting on that learning is too difficult of a task. I think a lot of people would have a bigger interest in it if it weren't presented in such a difficult way. Too many professor types say, 'History should be very serious.' - as if there was never any humor in the past or that historical figures didn't enjoy a good joke."

As part of arguably the highest regarded British comedy troupe, Jones has spent plenty of time riffing on historical figures in a comedic context. Since the 1969 premier of The Flying Circus, all of Jones' work has been undeniably linked to his comic work with Michael Palin, Eric idle, terry Gilliam, John Cleese and Graham Chapman. He also was the director of the Python films, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian and Meaning of Life.

Recently, the five remaining Python members (Chapman died in 1989) had the opportunity to create their own "greatest hits" take on their Python work as part of the Monty Python's Personal Best series. Jones' Personal Best airs Saturday at 11 p.m. on WPT. The unique project took the clip show's content out of the hands of external producers and back into the control of the material's creators, a process Jones says he appreciated.

"Yes, it was great," he says. "The best part for me was an opportunity to re-edit some of the material that I never thought worked as well as it could.

"One of my favorite sketches, a take on 'The Killer Joke,' (a scene that shows soldiers using the literally deathly joke as a weapon in World War II) was originally nine and a half minutes long," Jones explains. "I was able to cut it down to six minutes without losing any of the original jokes. Now it looks much more like I had planned it."

In addition to the five self-made Personal Best episodes, the troupe worked together to create an episode for Chapman. The program included footage intertwined with personal memories from the Pythons. And, while the episode is a touching tribute, Jones says he knows better than to assume the eccentric Chapman would've been happy with it.

"I would hope so," Jones remarks, laughing, "but Graham is an unknown quantity and I would be afraid to guess what he might think about it, because he just as well could've thought it was pure nonsense."

Jones says he is enjoying the resurgence of Monty Python on television. No matter what project he undertakes, he knows there will be questions about his comedy past that come along with it. But, that hasn't stopped him from pursuing his historical studies.

With an upcoming lecture series, a book in progress, a historical novel that is awaiting publishing and the release of a newly edited version of his 1989 film, Erik the Viking, on the horizon, Jones is keeping busy. One project he mentions being interested in is a complete re-editing of the Flying Circus series, but he admits it would be a daunting undertaking.

Purist fans that see such a thought as blasphemy don't have to worry about the idea any time soon, Jones says. In the mean time, they can enjoy watching the original series in its entirety on WPT beginning at 10 p.m., Saturday, April 8.

"It amazes me how well most of the bits have stood up through all this time," Jones says. "Sure, some of them come off as a bit old, but generally, most of it still works quite well. It's always good to see a new generation having the chance to be exposed to all of the mind-sapping nonsense that we created back then."