Michael Palin gives evidence in 'Spamalot' suit

The Associated Press, Wednesday, December 5, 2012, 8:39am (PST)

LONDON (AP) — Michael Palin has rejected a movie producer's claim that the producer was the unofficial seventh member of the Monty Python comedy troupe and is entitled to more royalties from the musical "Spamalot."

Mark Forstater has sued over the show, which is based on the 1975 movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

Forstater produced the film and his lawyer claims it was agreed that he would be "treated as the seventh Python" financially.

Palin told a hearing at London's High Court on Wednesday that the idea of a seventh member "was never going to be accepted by the Pythons."

And he disputed Forstater's claim to have helped written the film, saying: "There were six of us. We were a tight group. We wrote our own material."