The Spanish Inquisition (Monty Python)
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"The Spanish Inquisition" was a series of sketches in Monty Python's Flying Circus, Series 2 Episode 2 parodying the Spanish Inquisition. This episode was itself entitled "The Spanish Inquisition". The principal catchphrase in these sketches was "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
[edit] Plot synopsis
This was a recurring sketch always predicated on an unrelated sketch in which one character, expressing irritation at being questioned by another, would announce "I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition!" At this point the Inquisition—consisting of Cardinals Ximénez (Michael Palin), Biggles (Terry Jones), and Fang (Terry Gilliam)—would burst into the room at the sound of a jarring chord. Ximénez would shout, with a particular and high-pitched emphasis on the first syllable, "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
After entering, the Inquisition frequently got bogged down in recitations of their weapons ("Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms!"). Ximénez would state the number of weapons they had ("Our two/three/four weapons are..."), then list one more than he had counted, then start again using a higher number. After several attempts, Ximénez would state, "I'll come in again...", and herd The Inquisition back off the set. The straight man would then deliver the cue line again, the Inquisition would burst back in (complete with jarring chord), and the introduction tried again. This was repeated two or three times before Ximénez gave up and moved on.
Ximénez repeatedly ran into the problem of not being able to reliably torture anyone. When he called for "the rack," Cardinal Biggles produced a dish-drying rack. When poking the victim with soft cushions produced no confession, Ximénez would inquire whether his assistants had gotten all the stuffing together into one end of the cushions, for supposed maximum effectiveness. Failing that, forcing the victim to sit in the comfy chair was tried.
At the very end of the show, in "Court Charades", they are caught by surprise when a defendant (who is also a judge from another court) in session at the Old Bailey says "I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition". The whole court rises and looks expectantly at the witness entrance door (obviously expecting the Spanish Inquisition). As the closing credits roll the Inquisitors race to the Old Bailey by bus, to the tune of Devil's Gallop, only to arrive just as the words "THE END" appear. Ximénez has just enough time to say "Nobody expects the Spa...oh, bugger!" before the episode ends. "Bugger" was a strong word for a BBC comedy show at the time, and some BBC regions omitted it from the broadcast.
[edit] References in other works
- In Mystery Science Theater 3000, a running gag was that when a character in the film being watched burst through a door, Tom Servo would yell out "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
- In the film Sliding Doors, John Hannah and Gwyneth Paltrow made a connection with each other using the phrase. At frequent intervals in the film, John Hannah's character would tell another to remember what the Monty Python boys always say. They reply with "Always look on the bright side of life?", to which he replies "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition."
- The popular "Life of Python" sketch, featured in the BBC comedy program, Not The Nine O'Clock News, included a line in which the director of the film General Synod's Life of Christ, in response to a question of how he expected the public to react to his film, exclaims "Well, I certainly didn't expect (slight pause) the Spanish Inquisition".
- In Batman Family #3 a fictional crossover occurred with the Monty Python Inquisition. Robin barrages Batgirl with questions, causing her to reply with "Hey, slow down, I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition!" The next panel features the Spanish Inquisition arriving on horseback. This unlikely event was actually worked in as a part of the overall plot. [1]
- Some versions of the Python computer programming language include a sample of Ximénez' catchphrase as "audiotest.au".
- In an episode of Codename: Kids Next Door the kids are forced to eat spinach by an obviously Spanish group. During a short musical act the "torturers" refer to themselves as The Spinach Inquisition. Later, after Numbuh 2 says that they shouldn't force the kids to eat spinach, (this kid himself enjoys spinach, but does not believe with The Spinach Inquisition's methods) the leader of The Spinach Inquisition says "Si, nobody expects The Spinach Inquisition." followed by a drum roll.
- In the computer game Warlords Battlecry III, the general for the Sirian Knight race is the Inquisitor. One of his lines when clicked on is "Nobody expects the Sirian Inquisition!"
- In the game Worms 3D, when you create a custom platoon of worms, one of the voice option available is "The Spanish Inquisition", which have some of the most famous catchphrases, like "Our chief weapons is fear, fear and surprise" and "Bring on The Comfy Chair!", for example.
- In the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies, if the player is flying for the organization known as the "Imperial Inquisition". One of the Inquisitors training the player, will announce "Nobody Expects the Imperial Inquisition!", upon the completion a particular mission.
- In the Farscape episode Nerve, Crichton agrees to be subjected to continued interrogation by Scorpius by saying, "Bring on the comfy chair."
- In Homestar Runner Halloween toon The House That Gave Sucky Treats, Homestar Runner thinks Strong Bad is dressed as the Spanish Inquisition. Strong Bad is actually dressed as Carmen Sandiego.
- In the sixth episode of the seventh season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Him," Dawn replies to a classmates comment about the inquisition with the line "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition."
