Two national treasures walk into a theatre sounds like the beginning of a Monty Python sketch, but it was in fact the recipe for a truly special evening. Sir Michael Palin took to the stage for a chat with his friend, legendary comedy producer John Lloyd in London's Gillian Lynne Theatre on Monday April 27. Both men are raconteurs in their own right. Throw 50-years of friendship and an innate knowledge of each other's lives into the mix and what you get is more than a Q&A. Rather, it is an intimate insight into their psyches.

The show was the brainchild of Lloyd who hopes to make these evenings, in which he probes one of his showbiz friends for 90 minutes, a regular series. The concept is simple - the two of them take to the stage of a lovely theatre on a night when it would usually be "dark" and chat to each other with no interval and no gimmicks. The show ends in time for people to grab a drink or a bite to eat afterwards making for a very entertaining and civilised evening.

Born out of a similar event Lloyd did with Palin's fellow Python John Cleese, this saw the two of them simply sitting opposite each other bantering. However, with over 100 years of showbusiness history between them this is no ordinary banter and both have plenty of stories to tell.

Palin fondly remembered late Monty Python star Graham Chapman in his anecdotes, although he didn't shy away from discussing his foibles.

Meanwhile, Lloyd, who has worked with the who's who of British comedy on shows such as Not The Nine O'Clock News, Blackadder and, most recently, QI, teased Palin about the job he turned down which ultimately made another comedian millions.

As promised, there were no special effects or surprises. Just good old fashioned conversation. Both men were clearly relaxed in each other's company and this made for a wonderfully candid chat, which both seemed to thoroughly enjoy.

While Lloyd seemingly had a series of questions he wanted to ask more often than not the talk took a delightful tangent in the way only old friends can. It all felt quite personal and intimate.

It was as if you were watching them having a chat over a pint, which is what Lloyd was seemingly aiming for, saying he "felt it was time to provide a stage for the sort of heart-to-heart chats that usually only happen in private or in the corner of a quiet pub." It felt like a real privilege to be privy to their thoughts and the audience definitely felt they were part of something special.

At time of writing, there is currently one more event scheduled on May 4 in which John will chat to QI host Sandi Toksvig - another person he has a long history with.

Given that his address book contains the who's who of showbiz, it would be a shame if this delightful series of chats couldn't run and run.

Sandi Toksvig On a Roll - Sauced up by John Lloyd will take place in the New London Theatre on May 4. Tickets are available here.