Comedy legend Eric Idle won’t hear a bad word said about the tinned delicacy Spam, declaring it Britain’s saviour. The Monty Python star labelled the processed meat a “luxury” item - saying those who turn their noses up at it don’t know they are born. The comedy favourite sung the praises of the chopped pork classic after being questioned by a fan about the comfort foods he enjoyed as a youngster.

He quickly replied that he was a spam-lover, saying the cheap and cheerful meal “saved Europe from starvation after WW2”. He said: “Comfort food? We had rationing, you have no idea! Spam was a luxury. It saved Europe from starvation, thanks to the Marshall plan.

Thanks America.” Idle, who starred in one of the show’s most famous sketches about spam, said he would never turn his back on the tinned grub. In the sketch, famous around the world, two customers are in a greasy spoon café and try to order a breakfast from a menu that includes Spam in almost every dish, much to the confusion of Idle who played the husband, next to his wife - played by Graham Chapman in drag.

Idle asks the waitress: “Well, what’ve you got?” And she replies: “Well, there’s egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam.” Last year the Daily Star launched the Save Our Spam campaign after worrying stats found Brit.