League of Gentlemen-Collection

"...far more outlandish, far more deranged than nature ever intended comedy to be...  New York Times
"Part Monty Python, part Blue Velvet... bizarre but richly defined characters.  Time Magazine
"Mad as Lewis Carroll's hatter...there's nothing else on television like it and probably won't be for months, years, decades or centuries to come.  Washington Post

Editor's Note Collecting together the first three series' of THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN, this release also includes the ghoulish Christmas Special from 2000. The action is set in the macabre village of Royston Vasey, where actor/creators Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss, and Steve Pemberton act out a variety of weird and wonderful characters. The League got their start on radio and in the theater, and the influence of both these mediums is apparent in the first series, which relies on mostly sketch-based material. The second series took a turn into darker, more cinematic waters, with an increased budget offering the ensemble the chance to stretch their talents and draw on the influence of old horror films, which is one of their abiding influences. The third series saw the format of the show turned on its head yet again, with Shearsmith, Gatiss, Pemberton, and co-creator Jeremy Dyson focusing on just a few characters per episode. The Christmas Special was something of a stylistic precursor to this, and is particularly notable for its exploration of the origins of Herr Lipp in the German town of Duisburg. Utterly compelling watching, THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN is simply one of the most innovative and entertaining television shows ever made.

	Mark Gatiss
	Reece Shearsmith
	Steve Pemberton
	Steve Bendelack - Director