Monty Python were mostly making fun of the BBC; the BBC at the time had very stiff and paternalistic presenters. It's why the BBC had the nickname "Auntie", aft

Monty Python were mostly making fun of the BBC; the BBC at the time had very stiff and paternalistic presenters. It's why the BBC had the nickname "Auntie", after your old-fashioned Auntie who know's what's best for you. I think the requirement that they must speak RP had ended by the 1960s, but the BBC still had a lot of programmes and presenters with that schtick. Here's an example from 1968: https://youtu.be/GwRRSJ_wtIg?t=152 https://youtu.be/GwRRSJ_wtIg?t=152 They do make fun of the upper class speech in e.g. Woody and Tinny Words https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3-51DhOzHE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3-51DhOzHE In terms of comedy, a lot of what Monty Python did had already been done in the 1950s by The Goon Show - the surreal situations, the funny voices, the silly noises; Python were massive fans of the Goons, and to their credit, the Pythons were able to bring that energy to television in a way that the Goons couldn't.