The League of Gentlemen – 1999
Something a little different. This show has been labelled with a bit of every tag in TV: Horror, Comedy, Cult. Officially it was written as a comedy.
The League of Gentlemen are a quartet of British dark comedy writers/performers, formed in 1995 by Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. The show as it’s origins as a stage show that began in late 1994. The performers decided to name themselves after a movie entitled The League of Gentlemen which had been a crime thriller starring Jack Hawkins in 1960.
Fast Forward three years to 1997 and a performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival won them a Perrier Award for comedy. Later the same year, the show moved to BBC Radio 4 where it was entitled ‘On the Town with The League of Gentlemen’ this was set in a fictional town of Spent. Running for six episodes the show also won an award this time a Sony Award.
Two years later the show appeared on TV. The first series aired in 1999 on BBC Two, quickly acquiring cult status. A total of three series were made, the second in 2000 and the third in 2002. A Christmas special was broadcast in 2000.
Summary
The series is set in the fictional village of Royston Vasey and follows the lives of dozens of the town’s bizarre inhabitants.
The first two series were very much sketch show based, whilst the third was more sitcom like with each episode revolving around a different character.
Clips
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Cast
Mark Gatiss
Steve Pemberton
Reece Shearsmith
Details
Channel: BBC Two
Created By:
Jeremy Dyson
Mark Gatiss
Steve Pemberton
Reece Shearsmith
Original Transmission Dates: 11th January 1999 – 31st October 2002