Sir Michael Palin returns to Shrewsbury School

Shrewsbury School was delighted to welcome former pupil and broadcaster, writer and actor, Sir Michael Palin back to the school for a special visit.

Sir Michael attended Shrewsbury School from 1957-61, where he boarded in Rigg’s Hall. His visit on Tuesday saw him spend time with pupils and staff, take a tour around the site and reminisce on his school days.

Headmaster Leo Winkley commented: “It was wonderful to welcome Sir Michael Palin back to Shrewsbury. 

“He gave so generously of his time, meeting with pupils and staff, touring the site, visiting old haunts, such as his boarding house, Rigg’s Hall.  He spoke enthusiastically about recent developments and the enduring spirit of the School. 

“Sir Michael epitomises all that is great about a Shrewsbury education – the desire to go out into the world, connect positively with others and make a difference.” 

While he returned to Shrewsbury to conduct research into his family history, the school ensured Sir Michael enjoyed a jam-packed day of events.

After dropping into a geography and history lesson, the Monty Python writer met with current school chronicler and his former school tutor, Dr David Gee, whose career at Shrewsbury spans 50 years. The pair discussed Sir Michael’s time at school, before heading over to our archives to view his old school reports, as well as the history of the school and his family’s long connection with the establishment.

He enjoyed lunch with Geography pupils and Sir Michael Palin Scholars, recipients of an all-rounder scholarship that was named after him in 2016, where Sir Michael spoke of his pathway to performing and his love of adventure, before visiting his former boarding house to officially open the building following a recent refurbishment.

Housemaster of Rigg’s Hall, Matthew Barrett, said: “It was a great privilege to welcome Sir Michael back to his old house. It is always wonderful to meet Old Riggites and hear their stories and we feel very fortunate that Sir Michael was able to come back to see us on his visit. He was incredibly generous with his time and hopefully his visit has reminded him of the good times he had during his time as a boy here in Rigg's Hall.”

Head of House, Upper Sixth Former Jake L, who presented Sir Michael with a house scarf, added: “It truly was an honour to meet Sir Michael. As we were taking a tour around Rigg's he reminisced about his time in the house, and it was interesting to hear how much it has changed but how it has kept its core values.”

Sir Michael then officially opened the school’s Barnes Theatre, which was opened in 2020 thanks to a generous donation from the late Sir David Barnes and other gracious donors. The theatre, home to a 240-seat auditorium and two state-of-the-art dance studios, was filled with distinguished guests, including Lady Barnes, who helped Sir Michael officially open the space.

The theatre was then treated to some of the best displays of performing arts that Shrewsbury has to offer, with Director of Drama Dr Helen Brown adding: “It was wonderful to be able to welcome one of our most famous Old Salopian actors back to the theatre to showcase the talents of the current generation of Shrewsbury students. I was very proud of the range and quality of all the pieces performed.”

The visit cumulated with ‘An Evening with Sir Michael Palin’, where he presented to a packed-out Alington Hall, using the very stage he performed on as a pupil.  The audience comprising of the Sir Michael Palin scholars, the wider student body and staff filled the hall, and all were entertained with stories from his travels across the globe, his life as a Python and his Shrewsbury School experiences.

A question-and-answer session following his presentation in the evening gave the audience an opportunity to ask questions about his time as a broadcaster and as part of the well-known comedy troupe, Monty Python, with Sir Michael even revealing that the famous ‘Knights who say ‘Ni’’ sketch from Monty Python and the Holy Grail was inspired by a former Shrewsbury School teacher.

Sir Michael said of the day: “It’s very nice to be back, because school is a very important part of one’s life.

"Shrewsbury encourages independent voices and independent ways of looking at things, allowing pupils to make their mind and have their own voice. Coming back, I’m struck straightaway by the beauty of the site, but I remember that from when I was here.

It’s a terrific honour to be here today to offically open Barnes Theatre. It is so important that Shrewsbury does regard arts, the theatre and music with such importance in the life of the school, and I think some great things will come of it and it makes me even more proud of the school I was at.

At the end, Sir Michael was presented with a book by our Head of School, Nick A, that was filled with reports, achievements and pictures from his time at Shrewsbury, rounding off a most memorable visit for both Sir Michael and the school community in a very fitting way.