Sandy, you MAY have made these comparisons before as I seem to recall responding to something similar. What you say is extremely flattering but, sadly, I can't agree. Monty Python was stunningly original. While all the members openly confessed to being influenced by the great Spike Milligan (as I was), they took TV comedy to a whole new level. Likewise with Blackadder. This was basically a sitcom but one that had never been seen before. Nobody previously had taken a brilliant character and then followed his bloodline across the centuries. Like Monty Python, it was truly inspired.
My cartoon strips had no originality. I was following a well-worn path that I had learned in my time writing for children's comics. You take an established hero---like a foreign legionnaire or a cowboy---and then come up with a wimpy, useless version. As I said, there was no originality involved. This is not false modesty on my part. I think Andrew and I produced some decent work---he was a brilliant artist and I was a consistent writer and that's a strong combination. Certainly, it was enough to give us a long career but, no, we came nowhere near the genius of the shows you mention. Having said that---thank you!
