Original Broadcast Date: Jan. 11, 1973
Attempted Synopsis: An announcer attempts to read a book aloud but stumbles on many words; kamikaze Scottish pipers; the phrase "No time to lose" is milked for all comedic possibility; a study of penguins; the Unexploded Scotsman Squad attempt to defuse a suicide piper; the game show "Spot the Looney"; two commentators violently compete for the only available microphone.
Review: Except for another don't-we-just-love-brainless-dolts sketch ("Spot the Looney") and the infinite variations on "No time to lose," this is high-octane Python stuff--straight-faced citizens accepting the most insane behavior as if it was just another day at the office.
Priceless Gags: Two winners here. The illiterate book-readers are a welcome parody of every grade-school read-aloud you've ever heard; and the commentators' fight evolves into a James Bond-like suspense chase and a gut-busting ending for the episode.
(Trivia: Listen closely during the "Spot the Looney" sketch, and you'll hear a snatch of music later used in the opening shot of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.)
Our rating: 
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