And Now for Some Completely Different Stamps

And now for something completely different: Britain's Royal Mail has issued stamps celebrating the absurdist comedy of Monty Python. The 10-stamp series announced on Thursday celebrates some of the troupe's most iconic characters and catchphrases, from "Nudge, nudge" to "The Lumberjack Song," the AP reports.

• Six stamps depict scenes from the sketch-comedy TV series Monty Python's Flying Circus, including "The Spanish Inquisition," "The Ministry of Silly Walks," "Dead Parrot" and "The Nude Organist."
• Another four mark the 50th anniversary of the cult classic 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, including one showing the limb-losing Black Knight insisting, "'Tis but a scratch."

The stamps can be pre-ordered from Thursday and go on sale Aug. 14. Made up of Michael Palin, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Graham Chapman, Monty Python brought a unique blend of satire, surrealism, and silliness to British TV screens in a series that ran from 1969 to 1974. The troupe also made several feature films, including And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. David Gold, Royal Mail's director of external affairs, said the collection "honors a body of work that has shaped the comedic landscape for nearly six decades." Palin said he was "very glad to share a stamp with the nude organist!"