Eric Idle withdraws from Australia and New Zealand tour on doctors' advice

Left · 2Eric Idle, the 83-year-old Monty Python comedian, has withdrawn from his planned An Evening of Idle Conversation tour of Australia and New Zealand, saying doctors advised him not to go ahead. 1 2 Left · 1In a statement Idle said: "It is with great regret that, on the advice of my doctors, I must withdraw", adding "when the doctors talk, I must listen" and apologising to venues and ticket-holders. 1 Left · 2He said he would "do all I can to get back there soon, health permitting", and added: "Meanwhile, you can still read my book." The Mirror reports he vowed to try to return to the stage next year. 1 2

Left · 2Neither outlet reports what health problem prompted the doctors' advice; both note that the news comes four years after Idle was given the all-clear following a secret battle with pancreatic cancer, diagnosed in 2019. 1 2 Left · 2Idle has said he thought the diagnosis was a "joke" because his doctor had earlier suggested the illness as a way to kill off a character in a stage show he was writing; he told The Sunday Times he survived and that "Every day is extra time for me." 1 2 Left · 2Speaking to The Big Issue, he said he felt he had had a "reprieve" since surviving cancer in 2019 and was "lucky every single day". 1 2

Left · 1Idle was part of the Monty Python troupe, whose BBC series began in 1969, and wrote the musical Spamalot, inspired by the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail; the Mirror says fans online showered him with support after the announcement. 2