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"The Spanish Inquisition" was a series of Monty Python Sketches , Parody ing the Spanish Inquisition . The principal Catchphrase in these sketches was "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" PLOT SYNOPSIS This was a recurring sketch always predicated on an unrelated sketch in which one character, expressing irritation at being questioned by another, would announce "I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition!" At this point the Inquisition—consisting of Cardinals Ximénez ( Michael Palin ), Biggles ( Terry Jones ), and Fang ( Terry Gilliam )—would burst into the room at the sound of a jarring chord. Ximénez would shout, with a particular and high-pitched emphasis on the first syllable, "''Nobody'' expects the Spanish Inquisition!" After entering, the Inquisition frequently got bogged down in recitations of their weapons ("Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope , and nice red uniforms!"). Ximénez would state the number of weapons they had ("Our two/three/four weapons are..."), then list one more than he had counted, then start again using a higher number. After several attempts, Ximénez would state, "I'll come in again...", and herd The Inquisition back off the set. The Straight Man would then deliver the Cue Line again, the Inquisition would burst back in (complete with jarring chord), and the introduction tried again. This was repeated two or three times before Ximénez gave up and moved on. Ximénez repeatedly ran into the problem of not being able to reliably Torture anyone. When he called for "the Rack ," Cardinal Biggles produced a dish-drying rack. When poking the victim with soft cushions produced no confession, Ximénez would inquire whether his assistants had gotten all the stuffing together into one end of the cushions, for supposed maximum effectiveness. Failing that, forcing the victim to sit in the comfy chair was tried. In '' Monty Python's Flying Circus '', Series 2 Episode 2 (itself entitled "The Spanish Inquisition"), the Inquisition makes several "unexpected" appearances. At the very end of the show, in " Court Charades ", they are caught by surprise when a Defendant (who is also a Judge from another court) in session at the Old Bailey says "I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition". The whole court rises and looks expectantly at the witness entrance door (obviously expecting the Spanish Inquisition). As the closing credits roll the Inquisitors race to the Old Bailey by bus, to the tune of Devil's Gallop , only to arrive just as the words "THE END" appear. Ximénez has just enough time to say "Nobody expects the Spa...oh, Bugger !" before the episode ends. "Bugger" was a strong word for a BBC comedy show at the time, and some BBC regions omitted it from the broadcast. SKETCHES INCLUDING THE SPANISH INQUISITION
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