John Cleese has reignited tensions with former Monty Python colleague Eric Idle by accusing him of lying about the nature of their feud.
Idle, 81, has claimed that Cleese, 84, fired the troupe's manager, Jim Beach, and replaced him with Terry Gilliam’s daughter, Holly.
He also tweeted that he hadn’t seen Cleese for "seven years" but that the distance had made him "happy."
A fan responded: "This is awful to hear. I had no idea you guys disliked each other. Very sad. I saw you together in that movie a way back, Splitting Heirs. I thought you were friends [in real life]."
Idle bluntly replied, "I don’t mind but once they put Gilliam's daughter in as manager and Cleese fires Jim Beach, well it’s over."
Cleese, seemingly bothered by the comments, took to social media on Wednesday to hit back. "This is an invention. Jim, who was an old friend of mine from Cambridge days, became Python manager after the O2 show.
“About four years ago he suffered a bad stroke and subsequently resigned as our manager. His number two, Holly Gilliam, automatically took over as Python manager."
This is not the first time the two have clashed over Holly’s role. In February, Idle blamed her for the troupe’s financial problems, saying: "We own everything we ever made in Python, and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously.
“But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager, you should not be so surprised. One Gilliam is bad enough. Two can take out any company."
He also remarked: “I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster. Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”
Cleese, who co-founded the Monty Python troupe with Idle, Gilliam, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman in 1969, stood by Holly.
"I have worked with Holly for the last ten years, and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant to have dealings with. Michael Palin has asked me to make it clear that he shares this opinion. Terry Gilliam is also in agreement."
When asked by a fan if he had fallen out with Idle, Cleese joked, "We always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge."
The spat follows a reunion dinner in May to celebrate Palin’s 81st birthday, which Idle did not attend.
