Please leave comments as I like reading them! I'm going to wait until my most recent review gets 40-...
Please leave comments as I like reading them! I'm going to wait until my most recent review gets 40-50 ratings before submitting a new one so if you like my reviews, please rate them! Also on dooyoo as jesperado
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Jess
Member since:25.02.2009
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*EDIT* Thanks to jesi for her questions. Just to clarify, this review is of the first series in the three series of League of Gentlemen. I have focused on the programme itself rather than the DVD as a whole. Each series contains 6 30 minute episodes and there are also Christmas specials and a live show available on DVD. All of the main characters are played by Shearsmith, Pemberton and Gatiss.
WHAT IS IT: The League of Gentlemen is a British comedy series originally transmitted in 1999. The series is set in the fictional town of Royston Vasey with the strangest 'locals' you are ever likely to meet. It stars Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Mark Gatiss and was written by the cast and Jeremy Dyson. It is a mixture of dark humour, homage to British horror and absurdity. It is difficult to sum up this series in a review but I will try to give an overview of some of the main characters and recurring themes.
TUBBS AND EDWARD:
The keepers of the local shop, pig-nosed Tubbs and Edward aim to keep their village 'local' by any means necessary. Any outsiders visiting the shop seem to disappear under mysterious circumstances and pay a high price for touching Tubbs' 'special things'. Their son David returns to them in the first series and decides he must once again become 'local'. These are two of the most grotesque characaters in the series and are superbly acted by Reece Shearsmith (Edward) and Steve Pemberton (Tubbs). To give you an insight into just how weird they are, one scene ends with Tubbs breastfeeding a pig and eating an onion as if it is an apple!
THE DENTON FAMILY: Harvey and Val Denton live with their twin daughters Chloe and Radcliffe and invite their nephew Benjamin to stay with them for a while. Nothing too strange about this you might think, until you actually meet them. The Denton's have a creepy obsession with toads only exceeded by their compulsion for hygiene. They have brushes to clean their brushes and when Benjamin arrives they set about explaining to him that he must refrain from 'indulging himself'. Creepier still are the twins who seem to be able to appear out of nowhere and have something of a malevolent presence. These characters are extremely funny with their ridiculous rules about hygiene and seemingly endless stock of euphemisms. Chloe and Radcliffe are a classic horror staple and Reece Shearsmith is excellent as Benjamin, the straight man to Pemberton and Gatiss' sublime weirdos.
PAULINE: Pauline is Royston Vasey's tyrannical unemployment officer who lives to belittle job centre clients and only has love for her pens. She comes out with some hilarious put-downs but finally meets her match in Ross, one of Pauline's 'dole scum' clients who has a secret that will change Pauline's life forever.
MR CHINNERY: This local veterinarian really should see Pauline for a new job. Dogs, cows, tortoises and goldfish all fall prey to this hapless vet.
THEMES: As well as a variety of recurring characters in the series, there are many little recurring jokes such as the 'Lost' poster at the beginning of each episode which gets more ridiculous as the series goes on. There are also many references to horror films such as 'American Werewolf in London' and 'The Wicker Man'. Although you don't have to have seen these films to enjoy the series, spotting the little references as enjoyment to an already fantastic show.
GOOD POINTS: I really enjoy this series and it is one of those shows you can watch again and again. Each time I watch it, I notice a weird little detail that I have never seen before. It is incredibly inventive and original without sacrificing plot or storylines. The characterisation is amazing and the transformations are so complete that sometimes you cannot tell which actor is playing which part. All three actors have different strengths which complement each other beautifully in this series. As well as creating some of the most memorable comedy characters of their generation, the League often manage to create real emotion in the midst of their comedy.
BAD POINTS: As I have mentioned, this series pays a great debt to the horror genre and delights in the grotesque. This may put some people off and this may be very difficult viewing for those who are squeamish!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Set in a fictitious village in the north of England called Royston Vasey we witness the ... more
lives of over sixty depressing but hilarious characters. All 6 episodes of Series One which introduces some of the characters: Tubbs and Edward: The Pig nosed...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Royston Vasey: it may look like any other bleak town you've ever seen, but it's the locals ... more
you have to worry about...Tubbs and Edward. The Pig nosed propretors of the local shop who don't like change, in fact they don't even give change. The Denton Fam...
Advantages: An excellent piece of live comedy, the live show is much better than the TV series Disadvantages: The dark humour might not appeal to all tastes
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