Michael Palin has canceled his upcoming UK book tour after a bathroom fall left him with multiple fractures.
The Monty Python star, 83, revealed on Instagram Tuesday that he slipped in his family bathroom and suffered three broken ribs plus a minor pelvic fracture. The accident forces him to withdraw from all promotional events for “Michael Palin in the Philippines” for what he estimates will be “the next few months.”
“My accident was quite unsensational, a slip in the family bathroom where I’ve walked for 58 years,” Palin wrote on the platform. “I fell heavily on my left side resulting in three fractured ribs and a minor pelvic fracture.”
“The recovery of bone fractures takes a long time especially when you’re 83,” he added in the same post.
Palin maintained his characteristic humor throughout the announcement, describing the incident as a “comedy fall with no audience there to see it.” He then referenced one of Monty Python’s most famous sketches, writing, “I shall stick to fish slapping dances from now on.”
The canceled tour was set to promote his latest travel book, which documents his journey through the Southeast Asian archipelago. “Michael Palin in the Philippines” explores the country’s contrasts, from Manila’s notorious Smokey Mountain garbage dump—where impoverished residents have built homes atop waste—to the pristine beaches of Cadlao Island. The book is currently available for pre-order.
Palin expressed regret for the disruption his injuries would cause to the tour’s organizers. “Sincere apologies to everyone who has already put in a lot of work on the tour,” he shared. He also extended gratitude to Britain’s National Health Service, writing, “Id also like to say a huge thanks to the NHS for their incredible care.”
The accident marks another health setback for the beloved entertainer, who has remained remarkably active in his eighth decade. Beyond his Monty Python legacy, Palin built a second career as one of Britain’s most respected travel documentarians and authors, circling the globe for BBC series and companion books that have sold millions of copies.
His Philippines project follows this established pattern of immersive, weeks-long journeys through countries both celebrated and misunderstood by Western audiences. A synopsis for the book notes that Palin encountered some of the “warmest and friendliest people” during his travels there, while witnessing “extreme poverty for many” alongside tourist-friendly destinations.
The former Python member has not specified whether television appearances or other commitments beyond the book tour will also be affected by his recovery timeline.
Palin rose to fame in the 1970s alongside Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, and Terry Jones in Monty Python’s Flying Circus, before co-writing and starring in cult films including “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” “Life of Brian,” and the heist comedy “A Fish Called Wanda,” for which he earned a BAFTA.
No rescheduled dates for the book tour have been announced.