Eric Idle has withdrawn from his planned An Evening of Idle Conversation tour of Australia and New Zealand, the 83-year-old Monty Python veteran announced, after his medical team advised against the trip. The decision cancels a series that was scheduled to unfold across the Antipodes from November through December, leaving venues and ticket holders to adjust plans on short notice. In a statement shared online, Idle expressed sincere regret, apologising to the organisations involved and to the audiences who had been looking forward to the show.
The news was delivered via a concise message, in which Idle wrote: “It is with great regret that, on the advice of my doctors, I must withdraw from my planned An Evening of Idle Conversation tour of Australia and New Zealand. This isn’t a decision I take lightly, but when the doctors talk, I must listen. My apologies to the venues and to all those who were coming to see me. Thank you for your support, as ever, and I will do all I can to get back there soon, health permitting. Meanwhile, you can still read my book.”
The cancellation casts a shadow over a tour that would have marked the comic’s first major solo outing to the region in several years. Venues had already begun promoting the event