The film was controversial due to its combination of comedy and religious themes. However, it has also been very popular with viewers: in 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted it the greatest comedy film of all time; in 2004, the same magazine named it the 5th greatest British film of all time; in 2006 it was voted the best comedy movie of all time on two separate polls conducted by the British TV channels Channel 4 and Five; and on the Internet Movie Database, the film is consistently ranked among the top 250 films of all time, as well as Monty Python and the Holy Grail.