Editing The League of Gentlemen

{{short description|British comedy television series}}
{{distinguish|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image          = TheLeagueOfGentlemen-TitleCard.jpg
| runtime        = 30–60 mins.
| genre          = [[Black comedy]]<br/>[[Comedy horror]]
| creator        = {{Plainlist|
* [[Jeremy Dyson]]
* [[Mark Gatiss]]
* [[Steve Pemberton]]
* [[Reece Shearsmith]]
}}
| writer         = {{Plainlist|
* Jeremy Dyson
* Mark Gatiss
* Steve Pemberton
* Reece Shearsmith
}}
| director       = [[Steve Bendelack]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* Mark Gatiss
* Steve Pemberton
* Reece Shearsmith
}}
| music          = [[Joby Talbot]]
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
| network        = [[BBC Two]]
| first_aired    = {{Start date|1999|01|11|df=y}}
| last_aired     = {{End date|2002|10|31|df=y}}
| first_aired2   = {{Start date|2017|12|18|df=y}}
| last_aired2    = {{End date|2017|12|20|df=y}}
| num_series     = 4
| num_episodes   = 22
| list_episodes  =
| related        = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[Psychoville]]'' 
* ''[[Inside No. 9]]'' 
}} 
}}

'''''The League of Gentlemen''''' is a British [[Surreal humour|surreal]] [[comedy horror]] series that premiered on [[BBC Two]] in 1999. The programme is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in northern England originally based on [[Alston, Cumbria]],<ref name="BBC Scripts">{{cite book |title=The League of Gentlemen: Scripts and That |publisher=BBC Worldwide |year=2003 |isbn=0-563-48775-5 |location=London }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.lep.co.uk/whats-on/the-league-of-gentlemen-to-make-tv-comeback-writer-announces-1129050 |title=The League of Gentlemen to make TV comeback, writer announces |work=[[Lancashire Evening Post]] |date=25 April 2017}}</ref> and follows the lives of [[List of characters in The League of Gentlemen|bizarre characters]], most of whom are played by three of the show's four writers – [[Mark Gatiss]], [[Steve Pemberton]], and [[Reece Shearsmith]] – who, along with [[Jeremy Dyson]], formed the League of Gentlemen comedy troupe in 1995. The series originally aired for three series from 1999 until 2002, and was followed by a film ''[[The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse]]'' (2005), a stage production ''[[The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You!]]'' (2005), and another live show, ''The League of Gentlemen: Live Again!'' (2018)

The BBC announced in August 2017 that three new episodes would be produced to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the group's first appearance on [[BBC Radio 4]].<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2017/bbc-two-edinburgh?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_press_office&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=corporate |title=Patrick Holland announces range of new titles for BBC Two |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The aforementioned episodes aired on BBC2 on 18–20 December 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/tv/league-of-gentleman-revival-and-alan-partridge-documentary-among-bbc-highlights-for-christmas-2017-2166017 |title='League of Gentlemen' revival and 'Alan Partridge' documentary among BBC highlights for Christmas 2017 |website=[[NME]] |date=28 November 2017 |access-date=20 December 2017}}</ref>

The series was filmed mainly in [[Hadfield, Derbyshire]]; other locations include [[Bacup]], Lancashire; [[Glossop]], [[Gamesley]], and [[Hope Valley, Derbyshire|Hope Valley]] in [[Derbyshire]]; [[Marsden, West Yorkshire|Marsden]], [[Todmorden]], and [[Sowerby Bridge]] in [[West Yorkshire]]; and [[Mottram in Longdendale|Mottram]] in [[Greater Manchester]].<ref name=bbc-comedymap>{{cite web |title=''BBC Comedy Map'' – Series 1: The West – Birmingham to Manchester |publisher=[[BBC Online]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/comedymap/queryengine?attrib_1=episode_number&oper_1=eq&val_1_1=4&Send=Search&current_section=series1&heading=Birmingham%20to%20Manchester |access-date=29 March 2013 |archive-date=22 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722172737/http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/comedymap/queryengine?attrib_1=episode_number&oper_1=eq&val_1_1=4&Send=Search&current_section=series1&heading=Birmingham%20to%20Manchester |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==History==
Three of the four members of the League of Gentlemen (Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith) met at [[Bretton Hall College of Education]]. They met their final member – Jeremy Dyson – later in their comedy career. He does not act as such in the franchise but does have a few small cameo roles throughout the series. The stage show began in late 1994, and it was not long before the team took as their name the title of a 1960 [[Jack Hawkins]] film, ''[[The League of Gentlemen (film)|The League of Gentlemen]]''. In 1997, they were awarded the [[Perrier Comedy Award|Perrier award]] for comedy at the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]] and their [[Radio programming|radio series]] ''On the Town with the League of Gentlemen'', debuted on [[BBC Radio 4]]. ''On the Town'' was set in the fictional town of Spent. They won a [[Sony Radio Academy Awards|Sony Award]] for this six-episode run. In 1999 the show moved to [[television]] and quickly acquired a [[cult following]]; three series were produced, the first airing in 1999, the second in 2000 and the third in 2002. A Christmas special was broadcast in December 2000, after the airing of the second series. For television, Spent was renamed Royston Vasey – the real name of comedian [[Roy Chubby Brown]], who appears in the series, notably as the Mayor of Royston Vasey in series 2. Its influence can be seen on later series, particularly ''[[Little Britain (TV series)|Little Britain]]'' (the first series of which was directed by [[Steve Bendelack]] and script-edited by Gatiss).

Filming took place mainly on location in the north [[Derbyshire]] town of [[Hadfield, Derbyshire|Hadfield]] and consequently had no live audience.<ref name=bbc-comedymap /> A [[laugh track]] was added to the first and second series, by inviting a studio audience to watch a playback of the completed episodes as well as the filming of certain interior scenes, such as the Dentons'. The laughter track was dropped from the Christmas Special and series 3 when shown in the United Kingdom.

The group took the show on tour for the first time in 2001, using a mixture of old and new material. In early 2005 a special one-off sketch was broadcast on the BBC for [[Comic Aid]], a charity benefit for the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake|tsunami disaster]]. In this, two of the most popular characters, Tubbs and [[Papa Lazarou]], kidnapped [[Miranda Richardson]]. A feature-length film, ''[[The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse]]'', was released on 3 June 2005. Later in the same year, the League toured the UK with their new pantomime-themed show, ''[[The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You!]]'', which ran from October to mid-December.

In September 2006, the unofficial website reported that The League of Gentlemen were to 'reunite' at the beginning of 2007, most likely to plan for the fourth series.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.leagueofgentlemen.co.uk/newlatest.shtml |title=Latest News about The League of Gentlemen |first=Jason |last=Kenny |website=The League of Gentlemen Web site |access-date=2009-03-16}}</ref> Shearsmith and Pemberton appeared on ''[[The Russell Brand Show (TV series)|The Russell Brand Show]]'' on 22 December 2006. When asked "Will there be any more of ''The League of Gentlemen''?", Shearsmith simply replied "Yes" but was quick to change the subject and not reveal anything about a new series. On the official website, Shearsmith's [[blog]] entry for 23 May 2007 stated that the troupe had recently met up in London's [[West End of London|West End]]: "We discussed our next project – it seems we have hit upon something. Early days – but exciting nevertheless."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thisisalocalshop.com/blogs/entryview.php?Submit=View&Id=21 |title=Blog &#124; This Is A Local Shop – The Official League of Gentlemen Web site |publisher=This Is A Local Shop |access-date=2009-03-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219101054/https://www.thisisalocalshop.com/blogs/entryview.php?Submit=View&Id=21 |archive-date=19 December 2007}}</ref>

Shearsmith and Pemberton later collaborated to create another dark comedy series, ''[[Psychoville]]'' (2009); Gatiss appeared in one episode. In May 2008, Shearsmith confirmed that although he and Pemberton would be making ''[[Psychoville]]'' without the other members of the League, the League would reunite in the future. The three also performed together in the fourth series of ''[[Horrible Histories (2009 TV series)|Horrible Histories]]'', in which they play American film producers who hear [[Pitch (filmmaking)|film pitches]] from historical figures.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-04-09/why-did-the-league-of-gentlemen-choose-to-reform-on-horrible-histories |title=Why did the League of Gentlemen choose to reform on Horrible Histories? |work=[[Radio Times]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410073926/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-04-09/why-did-the-league-of-gentlemen-choose-to-reform-on-horrible-histories |archive-date=2012-04-10}}</ref> Shearsmith and Pemberton also wrote and starred in the black comedy [[anthology series]] ''[[Inside No. 9]]'', which premiered on BBC Two in 2014. Gatiss appeared in two episodes, in 2022 and 2024.

A one-off radio show, ''The League of Gentlemen's Ghost Chase'', was broadcast on 28 October 2010 for Halloween.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vhfjn/The_League_of_Gentlemens_Ghost_Chase/ |title=BBC Radio 4 – The League of Gentlemen's Ghost Chase |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Unlike other shows, this was not a scripted dark comedy but a documentary of the members spending a night at the [[Ancient Ram Inn]], reputedly the most haunted hotel in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theancientraminn.com/hauntings.html |title=The Ancient Ram Inn |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828122906/http://www.theancientraminn.com/hauntings.html |archive-date=2008-08-28}}</ref>

Speaking to [[BBC Radio 6 Music|BBC Radio 6]] in October 2016, Mark Gatiss spoke about the desire of the creators to revive the programme in some form with Brexit forming a suitable background to revive it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/oct/12/league-of-gentlemen-mark-gatiss-return-tv-bbc|title=Mark Gatiss: League of Gentlemen star hints at 'Brexity' return to TV|last=Jackson|first=Jasper|date=2016-10-13|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=2017-01-13}}</ref>

In April 2017, both Gatiss and Shearsmith confirmed that the programme would be returning for an anniversary special.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/tv/the-league-of-gentlemen-is-making-a-tv-comeback|title=The League of Gentlemen is making a TV comeback|date=24 April 2017 }}</ref> The BBC announced in August 2017 that three special new episodes were to be produced, to be aired in December 2017.<ref name="auto"/>

==Writing and inspiration==
One source of inspiration is the town of [[Alston, Cumbria|Alston]] in Cumbria.<ref name="BBC Scripts"/> Gatiss has said in interview that the local shop was inspired by a shop in the village of [[Rottingdean]] in [[East Sussex]], and that he was influenced growing up around the former [[Winterton Hospital]] asylum near [[Sedgefield]] in [[County Durham]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20041107/ai_n12591433/ |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090628141017/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20041107/ai_n12591433/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-06-28 |title=Renaissance gentleman |work=The Sunday herald|date=2004-11-07 |access-date=2009-04-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=2000-10-04|title=You ask the questions – Profiles – People – The Independent|publisher=The Independent, London|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/you-ask-the-questions-637601.html|access-date=2015-03-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307112323/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/you-ask-the-questions-637601.html|archive-date=2015-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=2001-02-10|title=Odd men out|work=The Guardian|location=London|url=https://www.theguardian.com/weekend/story/0,,435803,00.html|access-date=2009-03-16}}</ref>

The majority of the inhabitants of the village – male and female – are played by [[Reece Shearsmith]], [[Steve Pemberton]], and [[Mark Gatiss]], and the script was written by these three, along with [[Jeremy Dyson]]. Dyson, not an actor like the others, appears only in [[Cameo appearance|cameo]] roles. As there are usually only three actors on screen at any one time, the different characters mostly play out their own stories in several serialised sketches, rarely crossing into each other's storylines. Only rarely do actors "meet themselves". Exceptions include Papa Lazarou facing the Reverend Bernice in the Christmas Special (both Reece Shearsmith), Les McQueen buying a magazine from Pop's son (both Mark Gatiss), and Alvin Steele buying food from Iris at a supermarket checkout in Series 2 (again, both Mark Gatiss). The idea is taken further in ''[[The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse]]'', when the characters meet the actors (especially when Herr Lipp meets his creator, Steve Pemberton). In the live shows, when Pam Doove was auditioning for a part in the Christmas Nativity Play, directed by Ollie Plimsolls, Pam had to audition in front of Ollie's Legz Akimbo colleague Dave (Pemberton), who said that Ollie couldn't make it "for obvious reasons" (Shearsmith plays both Pam and Ollie in the television series).

===Royston Vasey===
'''Royston Vasey''' is a fictional English town featured in the [[BBC]] television comedy series ''The League of Gentlemen''.<ref>{{cite web|title=The League of Gentlemen|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/leagueofgentlemen/|publisher=BBC|access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref> The exterior shots for the series were filmed in [[Hadfield, Derbyshire]], and, according to the writers of the series, the town is based on Alston in Cumbria.<ref name="BBC Scripts"/> The preceding radio series ''On the Town with the League of Gentlemen'' was set in the equally fictional and almost identical town of Spent.

Royston Vasey draws on the upbringing of all the League of Gentlemen's members – [[Mark Gatiss]], [[Steve Pemberton]], [[Reece Shearsmith]] and [[Jeremy Dyson]] – all of whom were raised in the north of England.<ref name=viner/> Royston Vasey is the real name of British stand-up comedian [[Roy Chubby Brown]].<ref name=viner/><ref name="royston">{{cite news |title=Roy 'Chubby' Brown denies assault |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tees/8442150.stm |access-date=2 January 2021 |work=BBC News |date=5 Jan 2010}}</ref> Brown played the part of the town's mayor in a [[cameo appearance]].

====Description====
The town as it appears in the TV show has a sign which ominously declares "Welcome to Royston Vasey. You'll never leave!" The first building many visitors come across is the "Local Shop". The Local Shop is located some distance from the town itself on a lonely hilltop moor.

====Events in the fictional town====
In the first television series of ''The League of Gentlemen'' a construction company called PQ Construction threatens the isolation of Royston Vasey by building a "New Road" near the Local Shop.<ref>{{cite web |title=The League of Gentlemen: Series 1–2. The Road To Royston Vasey |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/kbqtq/the-league-of-gentlemen--series-1---2-the-road-to-royston-vasey |work=Radio Times |access-date=16 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328144935/http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/kbqtq/the-league-of-gentlemen--series-1---2-the-road-to-royston-vasey |archive-date=2014-03-28}}</ref> The project is first delayed when a monster (later revealed to be parts of a goat, a pig and a chimp crudely stitched together by Edward Tattsyrup) is unearthed on the construction site and comes to an end in the final episode when the owner of PQ Construction, David Tattsyrup, is revealed to be the son of Edward and Tubbs who convince him to "live locally".

In the second series Royston Vasey receives visits from both a travelling circus and a group of German exchange students. The town becomes gradually overrun by a deadly nosebleed epidemic which causes a high percentage of the town's residents to experience incessant bleeding and death, usually within 24 hours.<ref>{{cite book|last=Terrace|first=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 Through 2010|year=2011|publisher=McFarland}}</ref> Eventually the epidemic devastates the town, with the [[Ministry of Health (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Health]] running riot in a desperate attempt to stanch the plague. The cause of the nosebleeds can be traced to a substance known only as the "Special Stuff", a highly addictive and mysterious foodstuff served by demonic butcher Hilary [[Briss]], which becomes deadly when cut with sandwich paste. However, the surviving local residents mistakenly accuse Edward and Tubbs of spreading the disease and burn the Local Shop to the ground.

In the third and final series, several of the residents of Royston Vasey are involved in a traffic collision which leaves Lance Longthorne and [[Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen]] dead while Geoff Tipps is facially disfigured. The travelling circus also returns.

In the film ''[[The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse]]'', the town is on the verge of destruction when the League of Gentlemen – [[Jeremy Dyson]], [[Mark Gatiss]], [[Steve Pemberton]], and [[Reece Shearsmith]] – agree to stop writing for Royston Vasey. This causes meteorites to rain from the sky until the entire town is razed to the ground. The destruction of Royston Vasey can only be prevented when all four of the writers are killed, but it transpires that the entire ordeal was conceived by Dyson while unconscious in a hospital.

In the Anniversary Specials, the town of Royston Vasey is facing a threat more terrible than anything it has faced before: boundary changes that will erase the town from the map forever.  The fight to save the community from administrative annihilation comes from unexpected and surprising directions, all of them local, as the crisis reaches its earth-shattering climax.

====Other====
The League of Gentlemen book, ''A Local Book for Local People'', released between the second and third series, describes Royston Vasey's history in a brochure, from its beginnings, as mentioned in an appendix to the [[Domesday Book]] as "an hutte with a pigge outside" to the construction of the [[town hall]] in the late 1930s, as designed by [[Albert Speer]]. The endpapers of the book show real maps of northern England turned upside down and with fictional place names, Royston Vasey corresponding to the real town of Settle, North Yorkshire (close by to Panties/Giggleswick).

The town's most featured landmarks include the Local Shop, an angelic [[war memorial]], H. Briss & Son Butchers, the St Mary of Bethlehem hospital, the Windermere B&B, and the local [[Job Centre]].

== Filming location ==

Filming of the television series mainly took place in the [[Derbyshire]] village of [[Hadfield, Derbyshire|Hadfield]], located in a [[Pennines]] valley.<ref name=viner>{{cite news|last=Viner|first=Brian|title=Welcome to the real Royston Vasey – You'll never leave|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/welcome-to-the-real-royston-vasey--youll-never-leave-726913.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/welcome-to-the-real-royston-vasey--youll-never-leave-726913.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=16 April 2013|newspaper=The Independent|location=UK|date=17 February 2000}}</ref> The League considered a number of filming locations before settling on Hadfield.<ref name=viner/> Another town to feature prominently in the series was [[Bacup]] in Rossendale, and the West Yorkshire town of [[Todmorden]] was used for some later scenes. Other locations include [[Glossop]], [[Gamesley]], and [[Hope Valley, Derbyshire|Hope Valley]] in [[Derbyshire]]; [[Marsden, West Yorkshire|Marsden]] and [[Sowerby Bridge]] in [[West Yorkshire]]; and [[Mottram in Longdendale|Mottram]] in [[Greater Manchester]].<ref name=bbc-comedymap/>

The "Local Shop" is a purpose-built building on nearby [[Marsden Moor]].<ref name=viner/>

==Characters==
{{Main|List of The League of Gentlemen characters}}

[[File:Steve Pemberton.jpg|thumb|alt=A photograph of a person wearing a light blue jacket, a pink shirt, a navy skirt, navy high-heeled shoes, and glasses while standing on a sidewalk and looking to the left|[[Steve Pemberton]] in character as Pauline Campbell-Jones]]

''The League of Gentlemen'' have played in total nearly a hundred characters, many created in the early stage shows, others during the span of the television series and some especially for the team's film. Most of the characters live in Royston Vasey.

== Episodes ==
{{Series overview
| color1       = #B3001B
| link1        = 
| episodes1    = 6
| start1       = {{Start date|1999|1|11|df=y}}
| end1         = {{End date|1999|2|15|df=y}}

| color2       = #2AA5B2
| link2        = 
| episodes2    = 6
| start2       = {{Start date|2000|1|14|df=y}}
| end2         = {{End date|2000|2|18|df=y}}

| color2S      = #E9B116
| link2S       = 
| linkT2S      = Christmas Special 
| start2S      = {{Start date|2000|12|27|df=y}}

| color3       = #39AE6C
| link3        = 
| episodes3    = 6
| start3       = {{Start date|2002|9|26|df=y}}
| end3         = {{End date|2002|10|24|df=y}}

| color4       = #A79548
| link4        =
| linkT4       = Anniversary Specials
| episodes4    = 3
| start4      = {{Start date|2017|12|18|df=y}}
| end4        = {{End date|2017|12|20|df=y}}
}}
As well as the normal episodes, ''The Making of the League of Gentlemen'' documentary was broadcast on 27 October 2002.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/34602a98038a4f2982cd5102c3e70611 | title=BBC Programme Index | date=27 October 2002 }}</ref>

=== Series 1 (1999) ===
{{Episode table |background=#B3001B |overall=6 |title=25 |airdate=20 |episodes=

{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=1
 |Title=Welcome to Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|1|11|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Benjamin Denton arrives in Royston Vasey to stay with his relatives: Uncle Harvey; Auntie Val; and twin cousins Chloe and Radclyffe. His friend Martin drops into Tubbs and Edward Tattsyrup's local shop; and we are introduced to pals/workmates Geoff, Brian, and Mike; and to Restart Course leader Pauline.
 |LineColor=B3001B
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=2
 |Title=The Road to Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|1|18|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Tubbs and Edward deal with a pair of construction workers on the new road. Meanwhile, Pauline continues her brutal treatment of the unemployed; and we are introduced to Les McQueen, a former musician whose glory days are ''long'' behind him.
 |LineColor=B3001B
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=3
 |Title=Nightmare in Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|1|25|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Mr. Chinnery, a veterinarian, tries a new method of treating an old woman's pet tortoise's anaemia, and Geoff goes to Lance's joke shop to get a treat to secure his being best man at Mike's wedding.
 |LineColor=B3001B
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=4
 |Title=The Beast of Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|2|1|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Primary school drama group "Legz Akimbo" give a talk on homosexuality entitled "Everybody Out". Meanwhile, the zoo goes missing and the corpse of a grotesque beast is found on the moor.
 |LineColor=B3001B
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=5
 |Title=Love Comes to Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|2|8|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=While Mike and Cheryl tie the knot and Geoff gives a memorable [[Best Man Speech|best-man speech]], Barbara places an ad in the lonely-hearts column and gets a reply from an unexpected caller. Also, Henry and Ally torment a man when watching [[Trois Couleurs Bleu]] in the cinema.
 |LineColor=B3001B
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=6
 |Title=Escape from Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|2|15|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Tubbs and Edward find out that the construction manager for the dreaded "New Road" is their son David, who has not been "local" in the long time since he left to attend university in London. Mr. Chinnery disembowels a cow.|LineColor=B3001B
}}
}}

=== Series 2 (2000) ===
{{Episode table |background=#2AA5B2 |overall=6 |title=25 |airdate=20 |episodes=

{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=7
 |Title=Destination: Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2000|1|14|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Papa Lazarou brings his Pandemonium Carnival to Royston Vasey and finds that the locals are even stranger than he is. Pauline meets her replacement at the Job Centre and Uncle Harvey's new toad seems to have mythical powers.
 |LineColor=2AA5B2
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=8
 |Title=Lust for Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2000|1|21|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=A tour bus of German exchange students, led by Herr Lipp, arrives in Royston Vasey. Pauline and Mickey get jobs at Burger Me. Dr Chinnery attempts a little dental work on an iguana. Uncle Harvey and Auntie Val nurse Benjamin back to health.
 |LineColor=2AA5B2
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=9
 |Title=A Plague on Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2000|1|28|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Tubbs and Edward take inventory at The Local Shop, and decide that David needs a bride. After being sacked from Burger Me, Pauline and Mickey confront Ross at the Job Centre. Hilary is outraged when Maurice brings his wife to a top secret meeting. A young couple signs a contract with Pop to live in Royston Vasey. 
 |LineColor=2AA5B2
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=10
 |Title=Death in Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2000|2|4|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Benjamin wakes up to find that it is his aunt and uncle's 'Nude Day' and they insist he joins them. A flatulent dog causes concern for Dr Chinnery; Edward and Tubbs start their trip to find David a wife.
 |LineColor=2AA5B2
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=11
 |Title=Anarchy in Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2000|2|11|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Pauline is still holding Ross hostage at the Job Centre, but no one has noticed. Les discovers Crême Brulée have reunited without him. Tubbs and Edward have traveled to the local supermarket in search of a 'No-Tail' for David. Maurice arrives at Hilary's shop in a panic, worrying about the health inspections, while Eunice's sandwiches are suddenly a hot item.
 |LineColor=2AA5B2
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=12
 |Title=Royston Vasey and the Monster from Hell
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2000|2|18|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Barbara and David's big day has arrived, but Royston Vasey is in chaos from the epidemic. The police have a good idea what is causing the deadly illness, though the torch-wielding locals have errantly decided to take care of matters themselves. Meanwhile, Dr. Chinnery accidentally electrocutes a falcon, Judee discovers that Iris is her mother and Benjamin escapes the clutches of his Auntie Val and Uncle Harvey and gathers the locals to destroy the Local Shop. 
 |LineColor=2AA5B2
}}
}}

=== Christmas Special (2000) ===
{{Episode table |background=#E9B116 |title=31 |airdate=20 |episodes=

{{Episode list
 |Title=Yule Never Leave
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2000|12|27|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Bernice listens to three different disturbing tales: Charlie talks about a recurring nightmare involving Stella and a voodoo spell; a tramp talks about how he came to suspect that Herr Lipp was a vampire; Mr Chinnery recounts how his great-grandfather became infected with an ancestral curse which now affects him after an incident with monkey balls.
 |LineColor=E9B116
}}
}}

=== Series 3 (2002) ===
{{Episode table |background=#39AE6C |overall=6 |title=25 |airdate=20 |episodes=

{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=13
 |Title=The Lesbian and the Monkey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2002|9|26|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Ross springs Pauline from jail – provided she can find evidence to convict Mickey and get him off the Dole. 
 |LineColor=39AE6C
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=14
 |Title=The One-Armed Man Is King
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2002|10|3|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Lance goes to hospital in order to have a second arm grafted onto his body. He receives a woman's arm that has a life of its own. 
 |LineColor=39AE6C
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=15
 |Title=Turn Again Geoff Tipps
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2002|10|10|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Fired from his job, Geoff heads down to London to become a stand-up comedian. Meanwhile, Legz Akimbo practise role-playing for a play about disability.
 |LineColor=39AE6C
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=16
 |Title=The Medusa Touch
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2002|10|17|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Alvin and Sunny host a small group of fellow "Sexplorers" to a trial of a new auto-erotic asphyxiation machine. While Alvin slips away to tryst with his mistress, everyone else accidentally dies.
 |LineColor=39AE6C
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=17
 |Title=Beauty and the Beast (Or, Come into My Parlour)
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2002|10|24|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Charlie and Judee team up to form their own beauty parlour, but Charlie ends up performing hand-jobs for male customers and ends up falling in love with one, Tony.
 |LineColor=39AE6C
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=18
 |Title=How the Elephant Got Its Trunk
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2002|10|31|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary=Vinnie dies trying to collect a plastic bag, so Reenie hires a new charity-shop helper, Keith Drop. When Brian tells Keith that his wife went missing when the circus came to town, it is discovered that Keith has a secret identity.
 |LineColor=39AE6C
}}
}}

===Anniversary Specials (2017)===
{{No plot|section|date=August 2020}}
{{Episode table |background=#A79548 |title=31 |airdate=20 |episodes=

{{Episode list
 |Title=Return To Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2017|12|18|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary= Some familiar faces return to the town of Royston Vasey, with old scores to settle and some old friends to dig up – with more bad blood than an abattoir with septicaemia.
 |LineColor=A79548
}}
{{Episode list
 |Title=Save Royston Vasey
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2017|12|19|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary= Boundary changes threaten to wipe the town from the map forever. The fight to save Royston Vasey from administrative annihilation comes from unexpected and surprising directions – all of them local.
 |LineColor=A79548
}}
{{Episode list
 |Title=Royston Vasey Mon Amour
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2017|12|20|df=y}}
 |ShortSummary= The local authorities, local newspaper and local police all play their part as the developing situation in Royston Vasey reaches its earth-shattering climax. What dark forces have been unleashed in the amphibarium?
 |LineColor=A79548
}}
}}

==Film==
{{Main|The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse}} The film was made in 2005. The plot is that Royston Vasey is coming to an end and that the locals appear in the real world to try to save it. In the beginning Jeremy Dyson is killed by Tubbs, Edward and Papa Lazarou.

==Live tours==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Shows
! Notes
|-
| 2000–2001 || ''The League of Gentlemen: Live on Tour'' || 57 dates || DVD release
|-
| 2005 || '' The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You!'' || 38 dates || DVD release
|-
| 2018 || ''The League of Gentlemen Live Again!'' || 48 shows || Released as a BBC Two special
|-
|}

==Reception==

In 2003, its creators were listed in ''[[The Observer]]'' as among the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In 2004, ''[[Radio Times]]'' listed [[Papa Lazarou]] as the 8th funniest comedy sketch of all time.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

The series was cited as an inspiration for the later [[Television in Canada|Canadian television]] series ''[[Death Comes to Town]]'', a reunion project for the Canadian sketch comedy troupe [[The Kids in the Hall]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://twitchfilm.net/reviews/2010/01/the-kids-in-the-hall-death-comes-to-town-review.php |title=The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town |date=12 January 2010 |website=Twitch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117185422/http://twitchfilm.net/reviews/2010/01/the-kids-in-the-hall-death-comes-to-town-review.php |archive-date=17 January 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In June 2020, during the [[George Floyd protests]], the show was withdrawn from distribution on [[Netflix]] due to the character [[Papa Lazarou]]'s makeup resembling [[blackface]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2020/06/10/46288/netflix_pulls_league_of_gentlemen_in_blackface_row|title=Netflix pulls League of Gentlemen in blackface row|date=10 June 2020|newspaper=[[Chortle]]|access-date=10 June 2020}}</ref> The series was kept on the [[BBC iPlayer]] streaming service but a content warning was added before each episode.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-02 |title=BBC iPlayer adds warnings to classic comedies removed from Netflix |url=https://www.nme.com/news/tv/bbc-iplayer-adds-warnings-to-classic-comedies-removed-from-netflix-2700045 |access-date=2023-08-13 |website=[[NME]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Accolades===

*[[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA]] award
*[[Royal Television Society]] award
*[[Rose d'Or|Golden Rose of Montreux]]

==Books==
* ''[[A Local Book for Local People]]'' (2000) London: 4th Estate, {{ISBN|1-84115-346-X}}
* ''[[The League of Gentlemen: Scripts and That]]'' (2003) London: BBC Worldwide, {{ISBN|0-563-48775-5}}
* ''[[The League of Gentlemen's Book of Precious Things]]'' (2007) London: Prion, {{ISBN|1-85375-621-0}}

==See also==
*[[List of films based on British sitcoms]]

==References==
{{reflist|40em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{BBC programme}}
*{{IMDb title|0184135}}
* {{Screenonline TV title | 486326 }}
*{{epguides|LeagueofGentlemen}}
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|the_league_of_gentlemen}}
*[http://www.leagueofgentlemen.co.uk/ www.leagueofgentlemen.co.uk]

{{Shearsmith and Pemberton}}
{{BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy (Programme or Series) 2000–2019}}

{{Authority control}}

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