What is the name of the sketch featuring a man with an absurdly silly walk?

The sketch featuring a man with an absurdly silly walk is called “The Ministry of Silly Walks.” It is one of Monty Python’s most recognizable sketches and first appeared in series 2, episode 1 of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, “Face the Press,” broadcast on 15 September 1970.

John Cleese plays Mr. Teabag, a bowler-hatted civil servant who works for a fictional British ministry responsible for developing silly walks. The sketch turns an ordinary government office into a parody of bureaucratic inefficiency: the ministry gives grants for research, evaluates walking techniques, and treats ridiculous physical movements with complete seriousness.

Michael Palin plays Mr. Putey, an applicant seeking funding for an Anglo-French silly walk. Terry Jones also appears in the sketch, and the exaggerated movement is largely responsible for its lasting popularity. Cleese drew inspiration from the physical comedy of performer Max Wall.

The title is often shortened in conversation to “Ministry of Silly Walks,” but “The Ministry of Silly Walks” is the established title. It is also sometimes confused with the unrelated 2014 mobile game based on the sketch. A 2022 study found that performing a particularly inefficient silly walk could use substantially more energy than normal walking.