Minister of Silly Walks

The Minister of Silly Walks is John Cleese’s portrayal of an unnamed bowler-hatted civil servant within a fictitious British government department dedicated to developing and funding absurd walking styles. Appearing in Monty Python's Flying Circus series 2, episode 1 titled 'The Ministry of Silly Walks', which first aired on 15 October 1970, the sketch satirizes bureaucratic inefficiency by treating silly locomotion as a matter of serious state concern. Cleese plays the Minister with utter deadpan seriousness, skewering the self-importance of Whitehall through exaggerated physical comedy. The character’s popularity stems largely from these varied, contorted walks rather than dialogue, inspired in part by Max Wall’s performance as Professor Wallofski.

Quick Facts

First appearance

Monty Python's Flying Circus
Series 2
Episode 1 ('The Ministry of Silly Walks')
15 October 1970

Lore & Background

The Ministry of Silly Walks operates on the northern end of Whitehall, where employees exhibit their own peculiar walks before reaching offices. In one memorable scene, he demonstrates an increasingly bizarre walk around his office while justifying the ministry’s budget. Cleese has cited Max Wall’s physical comedy as key to the sketch’s conception.

Reader's Guide

Key moments include dismissing Mr Putey’s inadequate silliness, demonstrating the department's budget logic through physical contortion, and overseeing La Marche Futile—a parody of Concorde’s development. In live performances like Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Carol Cleveland played Mrs Two-Lumps, spilling coffee directly on Cleese. Over time, Cleese found the walks increasingly difficult to perform, leading him to decline doing the sketch during Monty Python Live (Mostly) in 2014; it was replaced by 'The Silly Walks Song' performed by younger dancers mimicking his original movements.

Did You Know?

Research published in the British Medical Journal states a 'silly walk' would take about 2.5 times as much energy as normal walking.
The sketch ranked 15th greatest comedy sketch of all time in a 2005 Channel 4 poll, one of five Monty Python sketches in the top 50.