Monty Python veteran Michael Palin has revealed that he had a very close escape after he accidentally set fire to his own house.
The 76-year-old, who is also known for his acclaimed TV travel series, underwent open-heart surgery to repair two valves last September and was advised to take it easy for three months.
However, during his prolonged home recuperation, some paper in his kitchen caught alight and his neighbour had to pull him out of the window as flames threatened to engulf his house.
"I leapt up and grasped a hand towel, which briefly smothered the flames before itself catching alight," he wrote in Idler magazine.
"As flames licked up towards the ceiling, I dialled the emergency services, I couldn't hear a word they were saying.
"Just caught something about washing my hands which made me realise that, without my glasses on, I’d rung 111 instead of 999.
"But I washed my hands anyway, and by a fantastic stroke of luck, the loose tap that we never had fixed came apart, dousing the ceiling and partially extinguishing the fire."
He added: "At this point my neighbour, who’s 86 and had a by-pass, wrenched up the window and pulled me to safety."
Palin previously revealed how he feels like a "one previous owner Golf GTI" instead of an "old Ford Anglia" as he recovered from the surgery.
