Eric Idle, co-founder of the English comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus, figures he and Mel Brooks saved musical comedy from extinction.

The art form was almost dead, he says, driven out by more serious musicals, like “Miss Saigon” and “Phantom of the Opera.”

“Musical comedy was gone for 10 or 15 years,” Idle said in a recent phone interview from his home in L.A. “It was all about helicopters and people with plates on their faces.”

Then two newer shows came along:

1. “The Producers,” adapted by Brooks his 1968 film of the same name. It opened on Broadway in 2001, and a new movie version of the musical came out in 2005.

2. “Monty Python’s ‘Spamalot, based on the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” It opened on Broadway in 2005 and won three Tony Awards,, including Best Musical. The touring production is in San Francisco now.

“‘The Producers,’ first and then us. We brought back musical comedy, the most fun form of theater there is,” Idle said.

“When ‘The Producers’ came out, I said, ‘Oh thank, God! Now I’ll be able to produce ‘Spamalot,'” he added.

But here’s something you probably didn’t know: Idle originally wanted Mel Brooks to let him to adapt “Producers” for the stage himself.

“I did go to him in the ’80s and ask him if I could do ‘The Producers’ as a musical, but he was busy directing films then, and that’s what he wanted to do,” Idle said. “I think ‘The Producers’ was always a shoo-in Broadway hit. It’s about Broadway.”

“Monty Python’s ‘Spamalot” runs through July 5 at the Golden Gate Theatre. For tickets ($30-$99) or information: (415) 512-7770, tickemaster.com, shnsf.com.