Surviving a knife attack

On 30 December 1999, an intruder broke into George's mansion and attacked the star with a kitchen knife.

Michael Abram - who was a schizophrenic - stabbed George five times and he suffered a punctured lung and head injuries.

His wife Olivia was able to stop the attack after swiping at the man repeatedly with a fire poker and a lamp.

His friend Idle recalled how George still retained his sense of humour in the aftermath of the ordeal.

The Monty Python comedian recalled: "When they picked him up, they put him on this stretcher. They’re carrying him downstairs, and there were two people who had just started to work that weekend.

"He’s being carried out stabbed with eight stab wounds and he looks over and says, ‘So what do you think of the job so far?'"