Monty Python star Eric Idle has cancelled his upcoming speaking tour due to health issues.

The 83-year-old comedian had been due to head Down Under for shows throughout November and December but he has called off the entire trek and admitted he must listen to his doctors’ advice.

“It is with great regret that, on the advice of my doctors, I must withdraw from my planned An Evening of Idle Conversation tour of Australia and New Zealand,” Idle said in a statement.

“This isn’t a decision I take lightly, but when the doctors talk, I must listen. My apologies to the venues and to all those who were coming to see me.

“Thank you for your support, as ever, and I will do all I can to get back there soon, health permitting. Meanwhile, you can still read my book.”

The news comes four years after Idle was given the all-clear following a secret battle with pancreatic cancer.

Idle was diagnosed with the deadly condition in 2019 but he underwent treatment and made a good recovery and he previously admitted he thought the diagnosis was a “joke” because his doctor had previously suggested the same illness would be a suitable way to kill off a character in a stage show called Death: The Musical he was writing.

The actor and comedian has also admitted he felt like he had been given a “reprieve” since surviving cancer and he thinks people should appreciate being in good health and not worry about ageing because “there’s not much you can do about it”.