Rare 15th century manuscript contains comedy performance 'similar to Monty Python'

Rare 15th century manuscript contains comedy performance 'similar to Monty Python'

Dr James Wade of Cambridge University says the script offers the "rarest glimpse of a medieval world rich in oral storytelling and popular entertainments".

Rare manuscripts reveal medieval 'stand-up comedy'

Dr James Wade, of Cambridge University, says the "risky" texts "poke fun at everyone, high and low".

‘Mad and offensive’ texts shed light on the role played by minstrels in medieval society

The Heege Manuscript which ‘pokes fun at everyone, high and low’ is among the earliest evidence of the life and work of a real minstrel

Manuscript gives ‘rarest glimpse’ of medieval live comedy performance

The 15th century text mocks kings, priests and peasants, and encourages audiences to get drunk.

Unique 'bawdy bard' act discovered, revealing 15th-century roots of British comedy

An unprecedented record of medieval live comedy performance has been identified in a 15th-century manuscript. Raucous texts—mocking kings, priests and peasants; encouraging audiences to get drunk; and shocking them with slapstick—shed new light on Britain's famous sense of humor and the role played by minstrels in medieval society.

Manuscript gives ‘rarest glimpse’ of medieval live comedy performance

A record of medieval live comedy performance has been identified in a 15th-century manuscript, giving the “rarest glimpse of a medieval world rich in oral storytelling and popular entertainments”.