Which episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus included the first Gumby sketch?

The first Gumby sketch appeared in the episode “The Ant, An Introduction.”

That episode was the ninth broadcast instalment of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and aired on 14 December 1969. Its sketch list includes “Gumby Crooner,” identified in the episode guide as the first Gumby sketch. The Gumby was a recurring comic character, usually portrayed as a middle-aged, working-class figure wearing a knotted handkerchief and speaking in a loud, stereotyped voice.

The title can cause confusion because Gumby appearances and announcements recur throughout later episodes, while some episode titles are alternative or unofficial labels. “Owl-Stretching Time,” “Déjà Vu,” and “Face the Press” belong to other parts of the early series and are not the episode credited with the character’s first sketch.

The episode also featured the Lumberjack Song, the Kilimanjaro Expedition, and several deliberately disconnected scenes. This mixture of recurring characters, one-off sketches, animation, and abrupt transitions helped establish the format that made the series distinctive.