"Spamalot" has been on stage for 8 years now, and has done very well for itself, having received three Tony's since its debut in 2005. Written by Python Eric Idle, the play is a spin-off of the 1974 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail". As a part of their contract, the Python's receive a specific cut financially from any merchandise or related material based on the original film. Grail's producer, Mark Forstater believes he is entitled to the same cut the they are, and apparently the judge agreed.
According to BBC News, Forstater, who filed for bankruptcy back in 2012 but has since recovered, has claimed since the show's beginning that he is entitled to one-seventh of the royalties; an equal amount of what the actors receive, as he believes he is, financially, "the seventh Python". Idle, on the other hand, finds this notion laughable. It was determined in 2005 that Forstater was entitled one-fourteenth of the proceeds, and has been receiving said amount since.
Three of the original group, Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones were present at the trial, acting as witnesses and gave evidence for their side of the case. Although the amount due to Forstater is still to be determined, the producer says that he believes he is owed around £200,000.
He may have won his case, but Sky News reports that Forstater feels bittersweet. "There is a sadness though about having to face people who were my friends in court... The friendship has gone. Terry Gilliam and I used to share a flat. We go back 51 years," he says.
Fortunately for us, the case was nothing against stopping the show from continuing its run. You can purchase tickets to see the hilarious "Spamalot" here.