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League of Gentlemen’s Shearsmith to star in ITV1 hotel comedy

Published Thursday 30 August 2007 at 14:10 by Matthew Hemley

Reece Shearsmith and Pam Ferris are to appear in an ITV1 comedy drama set in an Eastbourne hotel that has been left in the hands of a hapless assistant manager over Christmas

Christmas at the Riviera, made by Hotel Babylon producer Carnival Films, stars The League of Gentlemen’s Shearsmith as the assistant manager Ashley Dodds, who, left in charge at the last minute, is determined to make it a festive holiday to remember.

However, his plans go wrong when the guests start arriving and soon seasonal goodwill is put to the test.

Ferris plays man-eating divorcee Avril, alongside Warren Clarke as the cantankerous Maurice and Alexander Armstrong as Reverend Miles Rogers.

It has been written by Mark Bussell and Justin Sbresni.

ITV director of drama Laura Mackie said: “Justin Sbresni and Mark Bussell’s lively and captivating script combines their talent for high comedy with poignant drama and captures all the highs and lows of the festive season.”

Carnival Films managing director Gareth Neame added: “This comedy drama film for Christmas, with its prestigious cast and creative team, further underlines Carnival’s commitment to build an exciting and diverse range of drama productions.

25/8/2007

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24/8/2007

Channel 4 has commissioned six one-off comedy pilots to air in November.

The Comedy Playhouse shows, which include a Victorian sitcom from the creators of Peep Show, will form part of the broadcaster's 25th anniversary celebrations.

Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong’s script is called Ladies And Gentlemen. It is set in 1865 and will star The League of Gentlemen's Reece Shearsmith (pictured) and Smack the Pony's Darren Boyd.

Another show, Plus One, is described as a British take on My Name Is Earl. It was written by Tim Allsop and Stewart Williams and is about a man whose ex-girlfriend is getting married to Duncan from boy band Blue, who makes a cameo.

Father Ted co-creator Arthur Mathews’s show about an Irish pub band, Eejits, is another pilot, as is a vehicle for Star Stories actor Kevin Bishop.

Martin Freeman plays a former teenage magic prodigy reduced to stacking shelves in a shop in Other People; while romantic sitcom Bitter And Twisted completes the line-up.

21/8/2007

From Debs:

The two book signings planned for 4th September at Waterstones, Leadenhall Market and Borders, Oxford Street have been POSTPONED as one of the Gents has TV commitments that he can't get out of.

PLEASE NOTE...this does not effect the Phoenix Cinema event on Sunday, 9th September which is still going ahead as planned.

Mark in the Guardian

As one-quarter of The League of Gentlemen, Mark Gatiss is used to playing odd characters - great practice for his stage role in All About My Mother. He talks to Sarah Dempster

Later, we will hear tell of Nubian effigies and septuagenarian sauce, of outrageous folly and the dashed inconvenience of finding oneself betrothed to not one but two Fannies. But first, a cautionary tale re: the hidden perils of high-street gadgetry. "I recently bought a digital dictaphone," announces Mark Gatiss, solemnly. "But when I got it home I noticed that there was already a 35-second recording on it. I thought, 'Hello'. So I pressed play and all I heard was (he adopts a casserole-thick cockney drawl): "'Errr ... Boxing Day mornin'. Lookin' aaht the window. Contemplatin' ... 'avin' a wank.' And that was it. Obviously, whoever it was had his festive wank, decided he had no further use for his dictaphone, and then took it back to the shop. Wonderful!" he hoots. "I immediately thought, 'Yes!' [He raises a fist in triumph.] 'This is the dictaphone for me!'"

Well, of course it is. Gatiss's imagination thrives on such peculiarities. From The League of Gentlemen's hapless, unemployable Mickey Michaels to Nighty Night's sexually stunted Glenn Bulb, his characters are often bleakly hilarious fusions of the strange and the wrong.

Today, sitting in a quiet corner of the National Theatre's artificial turf lawn, Gatiss cuts a rakish figure. Resplendent in a flapping, 1930s-style pinstripe suit and fetching brogues, there is an air of Boy's Own mischief to the chap, a dandy-in-aspic glee that echoes that of Lucifer Box, the all-quipping, all-boffing secret service hero of Gatiss's literary period romps The Vesuvius Club, The Devil in Amber and still-in-the-planning Clawhammer (in which a now-elderly Box finds himself up to his walloping libido in 1950s naughtiness).

In much the same spirit of adventure, Gatiss's latest role is that of a forthright transvestite called Agrado in the Old Vic's production of All About My Mother - Pedro Almodóvar's beloved paean to female resilience. The rehearsals, he says, are going "swimmingly". His fellow cast members - who include Diana Rigg and Lesley Manville - are "just wonderful". And yet a cumulonimbus hovers on his otherwise tranquil horizon.

"Word came from Madrid," he confides, sotto voce, "that Pedro wants me to lose weight." Clearly, this is preposterous. The man is thinner than rhubarb. And yet, having seen snaps of Gatiss dressed as volcanic redhead Agrado, the Spanish director was apparently insistent. "I know from my experience on the League that you can get quite ... boxy," he says. "I've got to have a prosthetic chest and the more you build out, the bigger you become. Nobody's saying I'm fat. But basically, I'm off the bread."

Now 40, Gatiss's voice is as warm as a recently vacated bath chair, his northern inflections softened by his many years in London and an outlook that always reached far beyond the terraced rooftops of his Sedgefield, County Durham childhood. His CV bears testament to this ambition, his enduring fascination with nostalgia and grotesques, and the overriding, shining importance of Not Just Doing Any Old Rubbish. "I'm very lucky," he says. "I always used to say, in the olden days, when any kind of career looked like a pipe dream, that the thing I'd really like to do is become well known for something and then, as a result, be offered all kinds of different things. And that's exactly what's happened. That was my dream plan - I never thought it would ever happen. It's amazing how the League has opened so many wonderful doors."

Roles in The Wind in the Willows (as Rat), BBC4's live remake of The Quatermass Experiment (as a worried boffin), the excellent Fear of Fanny (as the titular Cradock's downtrodden husband) and Starter for Ten (as Bamber Gascoigne) have demonstrated his versatility, but it is his involvement with the multi-award-winning League of Gentlemen that continues to generate the loudest online burble.

Persistent forum-generated rumours that the troupe has called it a day are met by Gatiss with a mock-theatrical sigh. "We haven't split up. We're on a sabbatical. We had lunch the other day. But it's difficult at the moment because we're all doing different stuff."

Will there be future projects with fellow Gentlemen Steve Pemberton, Jeremy Dyson and Reece Shearsmith? "I certainly hope so. I mean, Steve and Reece have written a new BBC2 thing by themselves (Psychoville), so that's interesting. I don't want it to be seen as the League, or only half the League, as it were, but I suppose that's inevitable. But we all want to do something together.

"When we sort of paused, we'd been working together continuously for almost 12 years, from the beginning of our Fringe life to the film (The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse). I would never have been able to do a show like All About My Mother because we never had three months off. So I think it's a lovely thing to step off the treadmill. And because we've all done different stuff we'll come back with different experiences. Then it'll become a total pleasure to reform, rather than, 'What the hell are we going to do next?'"

Television remains a constant source of passion for Gatiss, its highs ("Upstairs, Downstairs is wonderful!") and lows ("I want to write a drama about ratings - the whole system is fucking bollocks!") negotiated with equal gusto. Above all, however, is his love of Doctor Who. "In a way, it's been the spine of my career," he says. "It was my first TV memory and I always wanted to be in it and write for it. In the interregnum, in the dark days, I wrote Doctor Who books [he has written four to date]. And then when it came back, Russell [T Davies] asked me to write for it. And now I've been in it as well [as Professor Lazarus]. So it's all fantastic - hah-hah!"

His home life displays a similarly chipper disregard for convention. A few years ago, Gatiss decided to build a Victorian laboratory in a spare bedroom. "We had this fabulous room, blood red, beautiful fireplace. I bought all the furniture, chemical bottles and a fantastic wax head of a Nubian boy with a fez on it. All original. Amazing stuff. But then all I ever did was show it to people. I'm not quite sure what I thought I was going to be able to do with it - turn back time or something. It was a folly. At one point, I toyed with the idea of covering it in cobwebs and then just showing people it through the keyhole. But it was a case of be careful what you wish for. I wanted a laboratory as a kid; then I had one and just thought, 'Oh'. So I dismantled it. I've kept nearly all of the stuff, though. It's around the house."

Does his partner, Ian, share his affection for such monstrosities? "He ... tolerates it," says Gatiss, affectionately. As, presumably, does the couple's rumpled, sensible labrador, Bunsen. "He is extraordinary. He's the light of our lives."

The next few months will see the genial multi-tasker juggle a flurry of new projects - a situation that Gatiss ("not a workaholic, but nearly") is "very comfortable" with. The BBC are planning to adapt his Lucifer Box novels, he will "possibly" write an episode for the fourth series of Doctor Who, and there will be appearances in Consenting Adults - a BBC4 drama based around the Wolfenden report - and Andrew Davies's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility: "I play John Dashwood, who has a terrible wife called Fanny. Yes, another Fanny! It's my fate. What have I done to deserve them?

"As long as I'm able to write and perform stuff that gives me the same excitement as I've always felt, I can't imagine wanting much else," says Gatiss, smoothing out the creases in his voluminous trousers in preparation for a suitably dandy-ish evening stroll. "To be able to sit down and write, 'Interior: Tardis'. Or write a very spooky ghost story. They're the same preoccupations I've had since I was little. That's what makes me happy".

All About My Mother is at The Old Vic from August 27. Box office 0870 060 6628.

oldvictheatre.com

17/8/2007

The League of Gentlemen's Book of Precious things

Available to pre-order Here

"The League of Gentlemen" have been making audiences laugh for years, but what makes them tick and what is behind their dark, twisted humour? In this book, all four members have assembled a stunning collection of prose, poetry, sketches, lyrics and classic film scenes to create a very special "Book of Precious Things". "The League of Gentlemen" was critically acclaimed when the first series was shown on BBC2 in 1999. Already known from their radio show "On The Town...," the League were much discussed, with their unique mixture of very black comedy and harrowing social observation set in the fictional town of Royston Vasey. With a mind-blowing mixture of influences from "Hammer Horror", "Carry On" and Martin Amis to Monty Python, Shakespeare and Victoria Wood, the League are utterly unique and more than a little disturbing!

12/8/2007

The Signs are back!

From today on you can now order the Welcome to Royston Vasey - You'll never leave! Road Signs, exactly the same as before, quality and quick delivery!

The first twenty ordered will receive a FREE League of Gentlemen Gift bag containing a mixture of merchandise from Beer mats and badges to ?? Well one will contain a Signed Apocalypse DVD! (Winners name will be avaulable after 31st September)

Click on the Advert at the top of the page or just buy now!

Book signings

Although its a while before the event I thought advanced notice would
be a good idea so anyone wanting to go has time to arrange travel,
getting time off work, college etc...

There are TWO signings on Tuesday, 4th September!

The League of Gentlemen

Jeremy Dyson, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith

The "League of Gentlemen"'s Book of Precious Things

WATERSTONE'S LEADENHALL MARKET

Tuesday, 4 September 2007, 12:30PM

The League of Gentlemen team will be signing their new book, a
collection of comedy sketches, films, songs and poems that inspire
them.

Further details: 020 7220 7882

Waterstone's Leadenhall Market
1-3 Whittington Avenue
London
EC3V 1PJ

The nearest two tube stations to Waterstone's Leadenhall Market are
Monument tube (5 minutes) or Bank (6 minutes). For railway stations,
Fenchurch Street Railway Station (6 minutes) or Cannon Street Railway
Station (8 minutes)

**I think the reason Mark can't make is because 'All About My Mother'
has its official opening night on 4th Sept...**

Then in the afternoon...

BORDERS, OXFORD STREET

Tuesday, 4 September 2007, 5.00pm

Borders,
197-203 Oxford Street,
London W1D 2LE

Tel: 0207 292 1600

**NB: Only books bought on that day at those particular shops will be
signed by the gents**

**Other items of memorabilia that fans want to get signed may be
limited to one**

Then on Sunday, 9th September there is an event for fans at the
Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley from 2-6pm with three of the Gents
(Reece won't be there unfortunately)

52 High Road, East Finchley, London N2 9PJ

Details to follow!!!!

Deborah

4/7/2007

Mark Mark and Mark...

The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss will join Diana Rigg and Lesley
Manville the cast of Samuel Adamson's stage adaptation of Pedro
Almodóvar's Oscar-winning 1999 film All About My Mother, which is at
the Old Vic from 4 September (previews from 25 August) to 24 November .

As part of the League of Gentlemen, Gatiss won the Perrier Award for
comedy, a BAFTA and the Golden Rose of Montreux Award. The troupe's
acclaimed, cult BBC2 TV show spawned two live stage productions and
one feature film. He previously appeared in the West End in Art,
along with his fellow Leaguers, Reece Shearsmith, who made his
musical debut in The Producers last year, and Steve Pemberton, who
makes his in The Drowsy Chaperone this month (See News, 22 Jun 2007).

As previously reported, the All About My Mother cast also features
Colin Morgan, Joanne Froggatt and Charlotte Randle. The play is
directed by Tom Cairns and designed by Hildegard Bechtler, with
lighting by Bruno Poet and sound by Christopher Shutt. It features
the film score by long-time Almodóvar collaborator Alberto Iglesias
supplemented with new stage music by Ben and Max Ringham.

And more...

Mark Gatiss is among the judges for a new screenwriting competition.

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/17329/ex-eastenders-writer-
jordan-launches

And still more...

Mark was on Jonathan Ross's Radio Two show on Saturday (30th June). It's on
Listen again, about 48:30 minutes in and he's on for over 20 mins. He talks
about his new play, some stuff about the TV version of Vesuvius Club (no,
he's not playing Lucifer!), and the fact that the Gents are doing a "Most
Haunted" special.

Really lovely interview, with Jonathan chucking in a load of gothic
references. Mark sounded like he really enjoyed himself.

Tara

26/06/2007

I'm Agatha Christie with Attitude

Mark Gatiss is contemplating the nature of his hero, the decadent dandy and thoroughly patriotic secret service agent Lucifer Box. 'He has to be a bit of a rotter,' he says thoughtfully, swirling his coffee conspiratorially, 'but not a complete shit.' Box, whose adventure-laden period pastiches have jumped from the Edwardian era in The Vesuvius Club, published three years ago, to the glamorous but extremism-tinged Thirties in The Devil in Amber, which is about to come out in paperback, is definitely 'on the side of the angels', according to his creator. 'He's terribly vain and quite callous, but he's fun and you can't help but like him. It's a definite decision for him not to be too nice; that just gets in the way.'

For Gatiss, probably still best known for his membership of the terrifyingly inventive comic ensemble the League of Gentlemen, but more recently seen playing opposite Julia Davis as Fanny Cradock's husband Johnnie in Fear of Fanny, as Ratty in The Wind in the Willows and sharing an on-screen clinch with Thelma Barlow in Doctor Who, one suspects that not being nice - or at least indulging in high-calibre mischief-making - is one of the great pleasures of writing fiction. In person, he could barely be more affable, articulate and open - our conversation ranges from memories of grim episodes of Seaside Special in the Seventies to his scepticism about the contemporary novel, barring favourites Sarah Waters and Beryl Bainbridge; from why he thinks the English might go to pieces if the country ever won the World Cup again to his admiration for Agatha Christie. He is forthright, but rarely less than generous. On paper, though, one continues to sense that what he relishes most is the opportunity to be naughty.

There is, for a start, the prodigious amount of sexual success that Lucifer enjoys - with both men (most notably in The Devil in Amber with a bellhop called Rex, whose 'bum looked dashed appealing in those tight blue trousers') and women (The Vesuvius Club's cheesily named young lovely Bella Pok). Then there's Box's relish for violence, slightly more easily achieved in the first novel, when he was a young blade, than in its sequel, in which he is middle-aged 'but still has to do a lot of derring-do'. In the third of the series, which Gatiss plans to call Clawhammer, we will pick up the action in 1952, when Box will be in his seventies, although one imagines that, even if the flesh is weak, the spirit will be more than willing.

Originally, all three novels were to be set in the early 1900s, but: 'When I finished The Vesuvius Club, I just had an idea in the bath, as I usually do - it's the only place I have ideas. I'm not sure if it's been done before. Flashman goes through the ages, but actually to do three definite jumps like that... as soon as I had the idea I just thought it was a very interesting framework, to look at a character who in the first one is almost arrogantly, smugly self-confident, and then suddenly to pull the rug from under him - he's old, he's got people snapping at his heels, he's got an unsympathetic new boss.'

The other great attraction was that Gatiss could draw on a whole new set of influences. Where The Vesuvius Club had tuned into its author's love of Sherlock Holmes, garlanded with a liberal smattering of Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley, The Devil in Amber was firmly rooted in the occult potboilers of Dennis Wheatley. 'For me, one of the most exciting things about planning the book was precisely that strange and indefinable collision between Nazism and Satanism. It's to do with the paperback covers of Dennis Wheatley books when I was little. My dad had them all. He loved them. He'd collected them since he'd been in his teens himself and he had book-club editions and then, later on, those big fat paperbacks that always had naked-breasted girls, black candles and goats on them. I couldn't look at them, I was so frightened. And then a swastika in the background. A huge influence is Raiders of the Lost Ark, because it's tapping into exactly the same thing. The Nazis are still frightening. They're not clownish Nazis like in a Tarzan film. They're made more frightening by the fact they might have something supernatural on their side. I think it's just amazingly evocative.'

The Devil in Amber centres on Lucifer's attempts to foil fascist Olympus Mons in his bid for world domination, in which he is aided by an army of Amber Shirts and none other than Lucifer's estranged sister Pandora (remember Bella Pok and work it out). But caperish though the novel undoubtedly is, Gatiss was anything but casual about researching it. Aside from Wheatley and John Buchan, he also read acres of material by and about the Mitfords and the diaries of 'Chips' Channon and Duff Cooper, not just mining for historical material but in order to pick up the exact nuances of language and atmosphere. He recalls a phrase from a Boy's Own-style magazine called Chums that captures exactly what he was aiming for: 'He was at Mafeking with Baden-Powell and knows a thing or two.'

For Clawhammer, he plans to immerse himself in early Ian Fleming - and more. 'I think it would be fun to move it into that Sovietish world of spies. I love all that, all those le Carre and Fifties and Sixties films. The Harry Palmer films, they're great, even though they were meant to be the antidote to Bond. I love the sort of wet-newspaper, going-down-the-shops kind of feel to it. And although obviously you don't want to lose the fun, I think it would be quite nice to have an Edwardian in the Fifties, in Austerity Britain.'

Describing himself as a 'retro addict', Gatiss admits that one of his favourite writing moments was devising the spoof advertisements from the Bunsen Book Club, which decorate The Devil in Amber's flyleaves: With Vinegar and Brown Paper by Ariadne Oliver (a nod to an Agatha Christie character ), 'Terrier' Masterson Hits Out by 'Slapper' and Edward Fleisch-Cutter's Up Pluto's Core. But affectionate in-jokes aside, there is something significantly more substantial about Gatiss's emergent writing career than that of many actors and comedians who churn out a novel between telly gigs. Not least, one senses, a thoughtful engagement with English culture's treatment of danger, masculinity and change. He may describe the moment in the late Eighties when his first Doctor Who novel was accepted - he has had four published in all, and has subsequently written two episodes of the show's latest incarnation - as the most exciting day of his life, but one suspects that it is unlikely to be the pinnacle of his literary career. Time alone, as the good Doctor himself might reflect, will tell.

The Devil in Amber (Pocket Books £7.99) is published in paperback on 2 July. To order a copy for only £3.99 click here.

Steve on stage!

Steve Pemberton, best known as one quarter of comedy team The League
Of Gentlemen, joins the cast of The Drowsy Chaperone from 10 July.
Pemberton replaces Bob Martin as Man In Chair, the show's narrator.
This is the second time in the space of a year that Pemberton has
been seen in a London musical. Over the Christmas period he played
the narrator in the Rocky Horror Show at the Comedy.

Pemberton previously appeared in the West End in Art at the Whitehall
(now Trafalgar Studios), opposite his League Of Gentlemen colleagues
Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith. On screen he appeared in three
series of The League Of Gentlemen, which he also co-wrote, plus
Blackpool, Gormenghast and Benidorm.

The Drowsy Chaperone opened at the Novello on 6 June. It follows Man
In Chair, a fan of old musicals who cheers himself up by playing the
recording of his favourite musical, 1928 comedy The Drowsy Chaperone.
As he does so, the tale of a starlet about to give up fame and
fortune for married life comes to life in his living room.

Pemberton joins a cast that also includes rising West End star Summer
Strallen and musical theatre royalty Elaine Paige.

http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/news/display/cm/contentId/94525

New Film Cells available

I have sourced some extremely rare film cells of Steve Pemberton in the film 'Lassie' these are on a first come first served basis as I only have 15 sets. A set is 3 strips of five film cells showing Steve in various scenes!

£15 delivered

6/06/2007

Behind the scenes clip - never before seen!

Unofficial Behind the scenes

Jason

22/05/2007

SALE NOW ON!

If you head over to the Signed section of the merchandise I am having a bit of a clear out!

The Local shop models are also reduced and for a limited time only I will send 3 free film cells with all orders!

20/05/2007

THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN co-writer Jeremy Dyson is updating the fairytale Three Billy Goats Gruff for the BBC.

His modern-day version features 'Billy Goat' a boyband made up of brothers Connor (Paul Nicholl) and Dean Gruff (Mathew Horne) and their mate Rafiq Bhavani (Nick Mohammed).

They’re enjoying local success in Northern clubs, but crave pastures new, fame and fortune.

The twist of the tale? In this world, trolls live side-by-side with humans and Billy Goat are unfortunate enough to have a threatening troll as their manager, Grettongrat - played by Bernard Hill.

He eats mice as snacks and has got the lads locked in a watertight contract!

“I've always loved The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” says writer Jeremy Dyson.

“This was my favourite fairytale and like any good story, it resonates today – people wanting to achieve more, discovering if the grass really is greener on the other side.”

The production is one of four modern updates of fairytales commissioned by BBC1. Filming is now underway in Northern Ireland.

03/05/2007

I just want to let people know of a Meet Up for fans taking place
at the Canal Cafe Theatre on Friday, 17th August, between 12pm to
6.00pm...

There is a MySpace site set up by my fellow organiser...

www.myspace.com/leagueoflocals

You can find details about the day & how to contact the organisers
to reserve a ticket (its limited to 40 places due to the size of the
Canal Cafe & there are now only a few tickets left...) in case anyone
is interested in going.

Deborah

28.4.2007

A round up of news...

Gatiss thriller heads for TV

Ben Dowell
Friday April 27, 2007

MediaGuardian.co.uk

The BBC is developing a TV drama based on The Vesuvius Club, the
period thriller by League of Gentleman actor and writer Mark Gatiss. Gatiss's book revolves around dandyish hero Lucifer Box, a
fashionable Edwardian portrait painter with a sideline in espionage.

The Vesuvius Club concerns itself with the mysterious deaths of
several scientists, leading Box to penetrate a secret Neapolitan
crime ring.

The BBC hopes that a successful adaptation could lead to a second
drama based on Gatiss's sequel The Devil in Amber, as well as a third
which he is writing.

Both books, Gatiss's first non-Doctor Who novels, are narrated by
Box - painter, secret agent, bisexual rake and resident of Number
Nine, Downing Street.

Gatiss's third Lucifer Box book would make a "neat trilogy",
according to a BBC source.

The project has not yet been cast but it is envisaged that Gatiss,
who dressed as a dandy on his publicity tour for The Vesuvius Club,
will play the hero as well as write the adaptation.

The Vesuvius Club, was published in 2004 and won a best newcomer
nomination in the 2006 British Book Awards.

A BBC spokeswoman confirmed the project was in development, but said
that the project was in "too early a development stage to comment
further".

There is also an article on Mark in this weeks Radio Times.

Reece to lead in new film

Producer Ken Marshall
Director Paul Andrew Williams
Starring Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith, Jennifer Ellison
Filmed March - April 2007

Synopsis: David and his youngest brother Peter arrive at a desolate
cottage in the middle of the night. When Peter goes out to the car
and opens the trunk we see an unconscious Tracey bound and gagged
inside. Tracey is the daughter of underworld boss Arnie and they've
kidnapped her for ransom. Not long afterwards a car appears at the
cottage: it's Andrew, the black-sheep brother of Tracey who is hoping
the money they extort will allow him to leave his domineering
father's life for good. What none of them realise is that two of
Arnie's henchmen, the Oriental Thugs, have followed Andrew to the
cottage. They are desperate to inflict pain on the kidnappers but
Arnie tells them they have to wait patiently. However, they never
anticipated having to deal with somebody lurking in the darkness: The
Farmer. Who will survive and what will be left? And what are those
scraping noises coming from under the trapdoor in the kitchen?!

06/02/2007

The Abbey - ITV1 Wednesday 14th Feb

Well, you girls out there are getting Reece for Valentines...

'The Abbey', the pilot show starring Reece as the rehab clinic's
doctor, Dr Darren, is being shown on ITV1 on Wednesday, 14th February
at 10.00pm

After a spectacularly public nervous breakdown, faded ex-rocker Marianne Hope opens a retreat for those worn down celebrities needing to shelter from the spotlight. But while she is off cleansing her chakras, manager Tony may not have the best of intentions towards the recovering addicts at The Abbey. Can the one medical professional on site Dr Darren find time to help the nymphomaniac pensioner, crack addict DJ and suicidal MP's wife. Or will one meltdown for the waiting tabloid cameras?

Starring: Morwenna Banks, Omid Djalili, Reece Shearsmith, Russell Brand

24/01/2007

New Gents Project...almost!

LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN stars Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith are returning to the BBC with new comedy Psychoville.

Steve told us: “It’s a character comedy mystery in which different characters are linked in a strange way. It’s been inspired by shows such as 24 and Lost.

“It’s being developed for the BBC and we’re busy writing scripts for it and plan to appear in it.”

But he admitted there are no plans for a League Of Gentlemen return to Royston Vasey, home of the "local shop for local people." The BBC comedy ran for three series and there was a spin-off film.

Steve added: “I think that it’s wrong to say that it’s completely finished, but we feel that it’s time to leave it to one side.

“But some of the characters could re-appear in other projects. It’s hard to leave behind something which is so established.”

Fellow League Of Gentlemen stars Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson are also working together on other ideas but all four are also developing their own projects.

Steve himself is appearing in two new ITV1 comedies Benidorm with Johnny Vegas and The Bad Mother’s Handbook with Catherine Tate next month.

So...whilst not entirely a Gents project it is as close as we are going to get for now! By the way, psychoville is the name the Japanese gave to the Original series!

Mark and the Penguins!

BBC Four programme highlights for the Winter/Spring schedules
includes 'The Worst Journey in the World' featuring Mark & some
penguins...

Its called 'The Worst Journey in the World' & features Mark in search
of penguin eggs.

Here's some blurb about it:-

BBC Four's Edwardian season also looks back to the time when, prior
to Captain Scott's fateful journey to Antarctica in 1912, Scott and
his men spent two years conducting scientific experiments in that
harsh environment.

One such task saw three men set forth in the snow, facing the
harshest of conditions and risking their lives and their sanity - all
for a penguin egg.

In The Worst Journey In The World, Mark Gatiss tells this often
overlooked story of epic endurance."

Benidorm - 1st February

New sitcom, starring Johnny Vegas & Steve Pemberton, set in the Spanish
package holiday industry where customers at the all-inclusive Santiago
apartments are determined to get value for money.

Characters include swingers, Jacqueline (Janine Duvitski) and Donald (Kenny Ireland); Kate (Abigail Cruttenden) and Martin Weedon (Nicholas Burns) who are going through a rough patch in their marriage, Lancashire's depressed pub
quiz champion Geoff Maltby (Johnny Vegas); hair salon owners Gavin
(Hugh Sachs) and Troy (Paul Bazely); and Janice and Mick Garvey (Siobhan Finneran and Steve Pemberton), a Yorkshire couple on their first holiday abroad with their teenage daughter Chantelle, eight-year- old son Michael and Janice's mum Madge (Sheila Reid). Made by Tiger Aspect; written by Derren Litten.

The first episode will be broadcast on February the 1st at 10pm on ITV.

Comedy Map of Britain

Starting this Saturday on BBC2 at 10.10pm the first of a six part series where comedy heroes of past and present visit the places that have played a major part in their lives. Broadcasting legend Alan Whicker narrates an animated journey around the UK, pinpointing the special places that have inspired and affected our major comic talents.

This is the series that Steve & Reece went up to Hadfield for in late November & were driven around in Babs Cab!

The first part is about the West country & features Michael Palin, Bill
Bailey, Stephen Merchant & Nick Park...

10/01/2007

Happy New year!

I have updated quite a bit of the website in the last few days and it is now live. We have some new video clips in the TV Shows section and in general the site has had an early spring clean! There are three new sections waiting to be written, the Local Show, The Panto and Gents other. If you feel you could write and entry into the Gents encyclopedia based on any of those three areas let me know here and I will be in touch!

As this site moves into it 8th year (Gulp) we have a lot to , look forward to! The Gents will be getting together this year to write something new, maybe somethin unrelated to Royston Vasey! I think I would like to see something new from them, comedy has moved on since series 1 in 1999, yet I can only hope they are not influenced by the likes of Little Britain (previously influenced by the league!) as I for one would not like to see the same joke each week just set in a differant scenario!

Reece and the Freak

Reece will be on the freaky Russel Brands show on the 13th january

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/brand/

22/12/2006

Reece on Radio

Reece Shearsmith is hosting a radio programme tonight at 11:30pm on Radio 4 called Two Coconut Shells, a Blow Lamp and a Raspberry

Northern Echo interview with Mark

'I always wanted to be a rat'

AS Christmas approaches, Mark Gatiss will be out among the shoppers in his home town of Darlington but I doubt you'll recognise him as he hasn't been himself over the past 12 months.

The real Gatiss has been hidden behind a number of guises, including real life personalities Johnny Cradock, husband of chef Fanny, and University Challenge questioner Bamber Gascoigne. And next he'll be seen disguised as Rat in BBC1's new adaptation of children's classic, The Wind In The Willows.

When we spoke he'd just finished playing another real person, writer Robert Louis Stevenson, in yet another BBC1 film, Jekyll.

As the title suggests, this is a reworking of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde, but more than that he cannot say as the project is hush-hush, just like his role in the next series of Doctor Who.

Gatiss is not only busy but multi-skilled. Having made his name on stage, TV and cinema as one of the award-winning comedy troupe, The League Of Gentlemen, he's now carving a solo career as an actor, which is what he trained to be in the first place.

He'll be appearing without any disguise at a book signing at Waterstone's in Darlington tomorrow. The Devil In Amber is the second in his Lucifer Box books, following the successful The Vesuvius Club. Box is a daring secret agent - "the gorgeous butterfly of King Bertie's reign, portraitist, dandy and terribly good secret agent" - who, in his second adventure, finds himself up against a fascist leader and framed for murder in New York.

He's a man who rates himself highly, remarking: "I cut quite a dash. I'm afraid I rather fancy myself, but then everyone else did, so why should I be left out of the fun." And then again: "I'm always trying to recapture my youth - but he keeps on escaping."

Gatiss was commissioned to write three books, saying the second was easier to write. "I learnt a lot by doing the first and I had this idea for the next as soon as I'd finished it. Instead of doing another Edwardian story, I'd do a book 20 years on. That really inspired me, to take the same character and put in a different age of detection," he explains.

His research included reading a lot of Bulldog Drummond stories - "a guilty pleasure" - and he's pleased with the result, The Devil In Amber. "Like The 39 Steps, it's one long chase and is much more of a thriller than the first book," he adds.

He already has a title for the third, Clawhammer, and "bits and pieces" of ideas. The influences are less obvious than before, although he points to "early Ian Fleming" as an indication of the style.

The Vesuvius Club earned him a best newcomer nomination at the British Book Awards, part of the favourable reaction that he admits took him aback. The book is now in its ninth printing, and has been published in the US, Italy, Germany and Russia. "It has sold very well and, after doing publicity for the second one, I realised that lots of people really enjoyed it," he says.

A film or TV version seems an obvious next move but, so far, plans haven't materialised because "people just want to make it like something else and I don't see the point. I'm in a very lucky position, I don't have to do it. I'd much rather not do it at all than do it badly".

He's keen that any screen version should capture the cheekiness, the sense of fun of the original and points to The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (no relation to his League) which was a great comic book but a very ordinary film.

What he is pleased about is playing Rat in the BBC1 live action version of The Wind In The Willows. Little Britain star Matt Lucas is Toad in the adaptation by Newcastle-born Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall.

"Rattie is just one of those parts I wanted to do. I auditioned for it and completely threw myself into it. It can completely backfire because if you want a job very much it can be the worst audition you give. I went for all the animal stuff they asked me to do which, in the end, we didn't do. And I watched Ring Of Bright Water," he says.

"The experience of filming in Romania was quite challenging but we had a great time. We were at the castle Bond was at in Casino Royale. It was quite hot and a lot of the story is in winter so we were in three pairs of tweeds.

'I had the idea of having a David Niven-ish moustache which terminated in whiskers. The make-up suggests animals. I had false ears, moustache, teeth and a wig made of yak hair which is very tough."

That's showing on New Year's Day, the day after Gatiss can be seen in Fear Of Fanny on BBC2. The play about one of TV's first celebrity chefs, Fanny Cradock and her monocled husband Johnny, was premiered on BBC4 earlier this year.

He welcomed the chance to work again with Julia Davis - they were in the comedy series Nighty Night together - and to show Johnny's role in the relationship. "It's quite a background part but I tried to bring some pathos to it. The script was beautifully written. It stresses that although they threw everyone else away, they were totally devoted to each other. It's a curious love story. But that's the last of my broken, spineless husbands I'm going to play," he says.

He appeared as Bamber Gascoigne in the film, Starter For Ten, another in his real people roles. "You bear a responsibility when you're playing someone real, although it's different when it's someone long gone like Stevenson," he says. "Bamber was supposed to be visiting the set when I was doing him but he didn't appear."

The other big thing in his life is Doctor Who. He's a lifelong fan, who names Jon Pertwee as his favourite time lord. "I adored him as a child. I remember when he left I was utterly bereft, and it took a long time to warm to Tom Baker," he recalls.

He's written Doctor Who books in the past and wrote an episode when the series was first revived the other year. He was too busy to write one this year but achieved his dream of appearing in the show. "It came completely out of the blue. I play a mad scientist, that's all I can say. It's a really wonderful part and was definitely worth the wait," he says.

"I was pinching myself that it was true. The whole set-up is like any other job but it's not for me. It was all night shoots. The hours were very tough and it was quite gruelling, but obviously I was never going to complain.

"There were a couple of moments when the Doctor Who-ness hit me, like being shut in a machine filling up with dry ice. It was like watching myself in an episode."

We probably haven't seen the end of The League Of Gentlemen. He says they're on a sabbatical, soon to reconvene and talk about the future. "We're not going to do something just for the sake of it. We'll have to see what comes to us," he says.

"Personally, I've had a great year and done a lot of things. I was able to commit two months to do The Wind In The Willows, something I haven't been able to do before because of The League. I've done lots of acting and been very pleased with the response to what I've done. I'd like to do a lot more."

* Mark Gatiss will be signing copies of The Devil In Amber (Simon & Schuster, £15) at Waterstone's in Darlington tomorrow from 6.30-7.30pm

* The Wind In The Willows is on BBC1 at 6.20pm on New Year's Day.

* Fear Of Fanny is on BBC4 at 9pm on Christmas Eve and on BBC2 at 9pm on New Year's Eve.

For the best price in Xbox 360 , Nintendo Wii and DS Lite games plus PSP and PS2 PS3 games visit this website

21/12/06

Merry Local Christmas!

Just to make you laugh, have a look at this totally unofficial clip on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzK9kMxDcG0&NR

Plus...

Steve and Reece are appearing on 'Russell Brand's Got Issues' this
coming Friday, 22nd December on Channel 4 at 11:25pm.

(The show is repeated the following Wednesday on E4)

And...

Mark Gatiss is doing a book signing (The Devil in Amber) at Waterstones (formerly Ottakars) in Darlington on Thursday 21st December from 6.30pm

15/12/2006

Christmas Presents

With xmas fast approaching I have reduced some of the rare and signed merchandise that can be found here. I don't have much left but a sale before xmas is a bit of a novelty so have a browse!

27/11/2006

New - A highly detailed model of the Local Shop

As the real shop no longer exists, not even in cardboard prop form, this is surely the next best thing. An amazingly detailed model by acclaimed artist Neil Sims. Look at it here.

24/11/2006

DVD Signing

At the Virgin Megastore on Oxford street on November 27th.

The League in Hadfield

Steve and Reece were in Hadfield this weekend filming an interview for a new series called 'The Comedy Map' which looks at various places of comical interest in the UK...should be a good show!

13/11/2006

Extras for the 'Behind you' DVD

A Gents' commentary

Outtakes

Exclusive behind the scenes Pantomentary!

Thanks to Deborah for the information! ORDER IT HERE

06/11/06

Starter for Ten

Mark appears as Bamber Gascoine in the new film 'Starter for ten' see the trailer here

http://www.starterfortenthemovie.co.uk/main.php

Jeremy to rewrite Cinderella

BBC brings fairy tales to Northern Ireland

The BBC has commissioned four contemporary adaptations of classic
fairy tales be shot in Northern Ireland, with the support of the
Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission.

Fairy Tales, a Hat Trick/BBC Northern Ireland production for BBC1,
will see Debbie Horsfield (Cutting It) adapt The Emperor's New
Clothes; Steve Coombs (Outlaws) adapt Billy Goat Gruff; and Jeremy
Dyson (The League of Gentleman) adapt Cinderella; with one further
writer and story yet to be announced.

Patrick Spence, head of drama at BBC Northern Ireland, said the four
writers will bring the stories to life in a "thoroughly modern"
way. "But best of all, we're going to shoot them all in Northern
Ireland, and show what an utterly beautiful country it is," he added.

Casting and filming will commence in summer 2007 and Fairy Tales will
transmit in autumn 2007.

12/10/2006

Farts

Reece is the presenter of a forthcoming half-hour documentary on
Radio Four, all about the sound effects created for radio comedy
programmes through the years...

Two Coconut Shells, A Blow Lamp And A Raspberry

Tuesday 24 October
11.30am-12.00noon BBC RADIO 4

Reece Shearsmith (The League Of Gentlemen) examines the use of comedy
sound effects on British radio and reveals the fascinating work of
effects makers from the earliest broadcasts to the present day.

Listeners have always been strangely enthralled by noises emitting
from the radio, from the grumbling racket of Major Bloodnock's
stomach in The Goon Show to the outlandish sounds of the synthesizer
in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

The best-known team, the world-renowned Radiophonic Workshop, was
established in 1958. The unit used a wide range of equipment to
generate effects and soon acquired an enviable reputation for the
sounds and music it supplied to radio and television. The Radiophonic
Workshop closed its doors in 1996 and, although since then the whole
process of providing "spot effects" for drama and comedy has become
easier, this programme reveals that many producers are still using
traditional methods to manufacture the very particular noises they
want for their scenes.

Along with contributions from former BBC sound engineer Dick Mills,
the programme features many weird and wonderful comedic noises and an
engaging collection of examples of how effects were used in
listeners' favourite radio comedies.

Presenter/Reece Shearsmith, Producer/Stephen Garner

05/10/206

Fanny

'Fear of Fanny' starring Julia Davis and Mark Gatiss will be given its
first showing on BBC4 on Monday, 23rd October at 9.00pm...

Here's a link to the BBC4 website with information about 'Fear of
Fanny'...hopefully the clips can be played too.

Video Clips Here!

31/09/2006

Steve in Benidorm

Johnny Vegas and League of Gentleman's Steve Pemberton will star in
new six-part series Benidorm for ITV1.

The show, which is set in apartments in the popular holiday
destination, is director of entertainment and comedy Paul Jackson's
first commission since taking over the post. It is penned by Derren
Little and produced by Tiger Aspect's Geoffrey Perkins. The network
will be hoping the show will mark a return to form for its highly
criticised comedy output.

"Benidorm is the holiday experience we have all had where you spend
14 days avoiding the lairy couple who sat behind you on the coach.
Derren has created a fantastic range of characters and the sure
quality of his writing has attracted a really exciting cast who will
bring to life the joys and the horrors of the all inclusive package
holiday," says Jackson.

The series also features Waiting for God's Janine Duvitski, Kenny
Ireland, most recently seen in New Tricks, Nicholas Burns from Nathan
Barley, as well as Sheila Reid and The Catherine Tate Show's Hugh
Sachs.

Mark to finally appear in Doctor Who!

CORONATION Street's timid Mavis Wilton is to be a BADDIE in the next
series of Doctor Who.

Veteran actress Thelma Barlow, 77, plays sinister foe Lady Thaw.

She comes up against the Doc, played by David Tennant, in a chilling
episode going out next year...Her episode will also star League Of
Gentleman star Mark Gatiss, 39.

The life-long Doctor Who fan — who wrote two earlier episodes of the
revived show — plays a scientist.

Speaking of Mark...

His follow up to The Vesuvius Club, The Devil in Amber will be published on November 6th, you can read more about it here.

19/09/2006

Great League News

I am glad to report that the League of Gentlemen boys are to reunite early next year, once Reece finishes playing Leo Bloom in the West End version of The Producers. "We will be getting back together then and seeing what we can do," says Mark Gatiss. Sadly Gatiss's really rather funny sci-fi spoof Nebulous has been canned by Radio 4 after only two series. He is none too happy.

04/09/2006

Apocalypse makes it to TV!

The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse is on Filmfour (free to SKY and those with a freeview box) Thursday 7th September at 9pm, the making of is on BBC4 on the 13th September at 10pm...enjoy!

24/08/2006

Reece on Radio2

Reece Shearsmith is on Stuart Maconie (sitting in for Chris Evans) on BBC
Radio 2 at 5:05pm tonight

13/08/2006

Steve Narrating 'Home' on BBC2 tonight at 7pm

03/08/2006

Mark at a book signing!

Mark Gatiss will be signing copies the Doctor Who Storybook 2007 at Forbidden Planet 179 Shaftesbury Ave London on Saturday 12th August 1-2pm. More information at www.forbiddenplanet.com

20/06/2006

Mark is Rat!

Bob Hoskins leads an all star cast in a lavish adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's children's classic The Wind in the Willows, commissioned for BBC ONE from independent Box TV.

Hoskins stars as Badger with Matt Lucas as Toad, Mark Gatiss as Rat, Lee Ingleby as Mole, Imelda Staunton as the Barge Lady, Jim Carter as the engine driver and Anna Maxwell Martin as the Gaoler's daughter.

More...

19/06/2006

Behind you DVD

Jeremy has confirmed that the Gents have completed the commentary for the League of Gentlemen Are Behind you DVD that should be available in time for xmas!

New offer

There is a new offer in the Rare/Signed Merchandise section.

20/05/2006

Back on TV!

BBC4 is starting a repeat run of all three series of The League of Gentlemen starting Thursday, 25th May at 10.00PM. So for the next 18 weeks we'll have the League on our TV screens on BBC4, 10.00PM every Thursday!

Here's a piece of blurb from next week's 'Radio Times' about it:-

"Yes, you've probably already got this on DVD, but its still fun to
watch on "proper telly", the first episode of one of the funniest,
most innovative comedies ever. BBC4 starts weekly screenings of every
episode from each of the three series of The League of Gentlemen...

Brilliant comedy never fades, so it still feels fresh seven years
after its first broadcast. Its even more of a precious thing when you
consider that the Gentlemen are unlikely to make another series in
the near future."

16/05/2006

Great interview with Jeremy

Which you can read here

10/05/2006

The greatest news!

Reece has just done an interview with the Official London Theatre guide, you can read it here but this is the bit we have all been waiting for...

Fans of The League’s macabre brand of humour need not resort to stealing women for fun just yet, as Reece Shearsmith promises the four Gentlemen have not gone their separate ways. Following their film, The League Of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse, they have taken some time to pursue their own projects, all the while mulling over their next joint comedy creation. “Oh yeah, we’ve got some ideas,” Shearsmith says with a knowing nod and a smile that sends a shiver down my spine. The new series won’t take place in Royston Vasey, though, as, for Shearsmith and co, that village of the damned has run its comedy course.

I cannot even speculate on what idea's they may come up with but Royston Vasey and its inhabitants were created over ten years of stage and radio work which led to the TV show. The first and second series were extensions of that work but the third series which in my humle opinion was not as strong as the first two (after watching them again recently, the first two stand the test of time...classics...where the third series is a touch more throw away) was a result of sitting down to write it. So, I guess what I am trying to say is that they are all doing their own work at the moment, Jeremy with his film, TV and books, Mark with his books and TV writing, Steve with his film and theatre work and of course Reece and his west end experience - all this has to give them the same level of depth to write something even better than before. I hope they take their time and craft something special!

I plan to change the site around a little bit soon to reflect the last years and the future years work, instead of sections on the radio series, TV series ETC I will change the sections to be about the Gents themselves!

Jason

14/04/2006

New Book Shop

To celebrate Jeremys new Book I have started a page dedicated to The Leagues books, find it in the merchandise section above!

02/04/2006

Jeremy signing books at Pineapple!

Jeremy will be reading from his new novel \"What Happens Now\" at The Pineapple 51 Leverton Road London NW5 on Sunday April 9th at 8.00,free admission. Further info contact Richard Thomas on 0207 6092543

30/03/2006

Mark and Dr.Who

Doctor Who Confidential - the documentary series about the making of the program - will air on BBC with writer Mark Gatiss ("The Unquiet Dead," "The Idiot's Lantern") narrating the documentary series, replacing last year's narrator Simon Pegg.

24/03/2005

Nebulous and The Exonerated

Nebulous, which is currently repeating its first series on Radio 4 at the moment, starts a second series on Wednesday 5th April with "The Detford Wives" - guesting Peter Davison

Steve is currently in The Exonerated but for one week only! Read more here!

The road signs are on sale until the end of April, £12.50 or £15 with free film cell!

Just a reminder that there is loads of rare and signed merchandise for sale in this section, give it a ganders!

09/03/2006

Officially Download The League of Gentlemen!

Ipod? PSP? Maybe just to listen to on your PC or to burn to a CD? Click this link to download amazing League of Gentlemen Audio CD's!

03/03/2006

Vote for The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse in the Empire Film Awards

Click on this link and register and vote!

01/03/2006

Vote for Mark!

Vote for Mark in the British Book Awards here

A short interview with Reece about his role in 'The Producers':-

BY Nicola Christie

League of Gentleman star Reece Shearsmith has left Royston Vasey to
star in The Producers. Mel Brooks has signed him up as the new Leo
Bloom in the hit musical which is currently playing at the Theatre
Royal, Drury Lane. Shearsmith will be in the role for a year from the
end of March. "I'm still reeling,'' he says. "The
director/choreographer Susan Stroman came to see me in London before
Christmas - she was seeing all sorts of people for the role - and I
had to sing and dance and do a few scenes. But then I heard nothing
for two months.'' No news was good news: Shearsmith is now mid- rehearsal, doing diaphragm exercises and learning how to tap and
trill. "It's going to be an onslaught. Everyone's telling me they
lost four stone doing the role!''

26/02/2006

Huddersfield Literature Festival

Mark and Jeremy will be appearing at the Huddersfield Literature Festival on Friday March 17th at 8.45pm. The venue will be Studio 1, Milton Building, University of Huddersfield.

The web site is http://www.litfest.org.uk and has all the details and booking information

24/02/2006

Bradford Film Festival

You can learn more about Jeremys appearance at the Bradford FIlm Festival here!

20/02/2006

The Gents are not splitting up!

The Mirror and another comic printed a report at the weekend ststing that the Gents are splitting up, well the official word from their management is:The gents are just taking a sabbatical at the moment and are working on individual projects. They have certainly not split up.

This isn't anything different from the last few years, they have always taken time out to do other projects and whilst Mark said in the interview that they have reached a crossroads, that could mean a lot of things and I personally take it that the Gents have reached the point where Royston Vasey has maybe reached the end of its run. The Gents as a writing team have been together for such a long time and have so much writing talent that I am sure they will be back with a new comedy for The League of Gentlemen.

Talking of individual projects...

MODERN MEN SERVE UP TIMELESS LAUGHS

THOSE clever people at Talkback have cooked up the perfect recipe for
a Channel 4 sitcom.

If you follow these instructions - using all the right ingredients -
you too can come up with a hit series! Maybe...

First take a script written by the blokes behind Peep Show - Sam Bain
and Jesse Armstrong.

Then poach (see what we did there?) the director of Da Ali G Show,
James Bobin, and add a pinch of The Office producer Ash Atalla.

Get him to sprinkle some magic on top and bake in a moderate oven for
a couple of months...

Finally garnish with starring roles for the League of Gentlemen's
Reece Shearsmith, Nathan Barley actor Nicholas Burns and Smack The
Pony's Darren Boyd and hey presto! A guaranteed laughter-fest
straight from your kitchen. OK, enough of the cooking references.

The sitcom they are working on is Modern Men. Set in Victorian times,
it has a bunch of blokes being funny while wearing old-fashioned
clothes. Hilarious!

Our man with the splitting sides says: "With a team like that, this
show simply can't fail. Everyone's very excited."

Of course, Sam and Jesse are no strangers to success. They wrote The
Thick of It and Smack the Pony.

A spokeswoman for Talkback - the company behind I'm Alan Partridge
and Never Mind the Buzzcocks - says a pilot is underway. In time- honoured tradition, if it is successful, a series will follow.

She added: "It's about the fact that men worry about the same things
no matter what era they are from. These characters are Victorian -
but their concerns seem very contemporary."

11/02/2006

Behind the Scenes

Here is a little treat! A website all about the making of the stop motion! Click here plus another here! You lucky lucky people!

10/02/2005

No news is...news!

Not a lot happening in Gent news at the moment. Mark has recently said they are having an indefinate break to pursue seperate projects, all of which I will report here of course! Steve appeared in Hotel Babylon to rave reviews, Jeremys book 'What happens Now' is out in April - Read about it Here and Marks follow up to the Vesuvius Club, The Devil in Amber is out in November read about that here!

In other news I have just reduced a lot of the rare and signed merchandise and the film cells are down to £5 each!

Star Artist show in London (Feb2nd)

If you like art please visit this exhibition in February, Ken and Jane are friends of mine and I love their work, I have 4 of Kens paintings myself! Learn more here!

Gents on TV

Steve will be in next weeks Hotel Babylon on BBC1 at 9pm (2nd Feb) and for Reece fans, even better news!

Reece in The Producers

Reece Shearsmith, one quarter of the horrifically hilarious The League Of Gentlemen, will return to the West End stage in March to replace John Gordon Sinclair as Leo Bloom in the multi-award winning musical comedy The Producers. Joining Shearsmith at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane are Cory English, who takes over the role of Max Bialystock from Fred Applegate, and Rachel McDowall, who replaces Leigh Zimmerman as Ulla. Nicolas Colicos, Don Gallagher and Stephen Matthews stay with the production.

Shearsmith is making a habit of West End appearances. Though he came to fame as part of the guffaw-happy four-piece The League Of Gentlemen, whose macabre take on the world of comedy took radio, stage and television by storm, this will now be Shearsmith’s third appearance on the London stage. His first came in 2002 when, with his League cohorts, he starred in the long-running comedy Art. His second came last year, when he starred opposite Helen McCrory and Sienna Miller in As You Like It at the Wyndham’s.

Cory English is no newcomer to the West End either. He previously appeared in Chicago and To Have And To Hold, while on Broadway his credits include Gypsy, Guys And Dolls, Hello Dolly and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. He has also already played Bialystock at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, as he provided walking cover when the show first opened.

The Producers, which is based on the 1968 Mel Brooks film of the same name, opened on Broadway in 2001, where it won a total of 12 Tony Awards. In November 2004 it transferred to London and again stole the show on the awards circuit, winning Best Musical at the Evening Standard, Critics’ Circle and Laurence Olivier Awards. As a sign of the show’s popularity, and to confuse both theatregoers and film fans slightly, a movie based on the musical based on the movie of The Producers has recently opened, starring the original Broadway casting of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.

The plot follows a theatrical producer in desperate need of quick money, who, with the help of his hapless accountant, arrives at a plan to stage a sure-fire musical flop: Springtime For Hitler.

In addition to a shuffle of the casting pack, The Producers has also announced an extension to its booking period. Theatregoers in search of music, laughter and a side helping of questionable taste can now book tickets until 28 October 2006.

10/01/2006

Rudolf Rocker Gig

Jeremy will be appearing with Rudolf Rocker at The Mixing Tin, 14 Albion Arcade, Leeds LS1 (0113 246 8899) this coming Saturday 14th January. The club's open 8 pm - 2 am, with Rudolf Rocker expected to be on around midnight (give or take!) I believe entry is a very reasonable £4 or thereabouts.

05/12/2006

Happy new year to all of our 'Locals'!

Want a new ringtone for the new year? Visit here and get an official ringtone and support the League of Gentlemen Charity work!

29/12/2005

Jeremy Dyson Original Story

You can read an original story published in the guardian here...

http://books.guardian.co.uk/originalfiction/story/0,,1673440,00.html

There is a great review of the xmas special here

25/12/2005

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

No news of course so here is an Interview done at the time of the film release to keep you all going!

Leon Hunt: There seem to be two traditions to adapting British TV Comedy into film; the sitcom movie tradition, which is about opening out a closed format, and the Monty Python tradition, which is about throwing everything away and starting again. The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse seems to combine both of those traditions – would you agree?

Reece Shearsmith: Yeah, I think that's right – there are such pitfalls with the idea of a film that's come from a television series. We were very aware of the things that we thought were wrong about the versions that have happened in the past, and we really wanted to try to make a good comedy film regardless of the series, and yet if you also know the series you are rewarded. So it was a double-edged sword. Steve Pemberton: Hopefully, we've bridged the gap between those kinds of spin-off films and something which completely starts again because we didn't want to lose these characters. We just wanted to use them, but in a different way. So in that way, fans and non-fans alike will be able to enjoy it.

LH: Apocalypse seems to set up an antagonistic relationship between comic creations and comic creators. Does this reflect a kind of love-hate relationship that you have with the characters now?

RS: Well, no ... kind of. We're not sick of them. It was born from the very real thing of trying to write the film and trying to discard those characters and finding that we couldn't. Or at least the thing that we found funny again was those characters. So suddenly that became a good idea – a new idea – for those characters to find themselves in. It was interesting for us to put them into the realisation that they become self-aware, and that suddenly opened a door that we found funny again and that was a breath of fresh air for us.

SP: I think you can tell when you watch the film that we really do love the characters because it's a love letter to them and you've got a real empathy with them, as opposed to the series when you were meant to find them quite disturbing and scary. You feel warmer towards them, I think, and you want them to survive. RS: Yes, you're more on their side and their plight is your plight. You're feeling their journey with them.

SP: I think anyone in any job will have a love-hate relationship with it. I always remember Vic Reeves saying, 'If anyone else says "They wouldn't let it lie"' he was going to swing for them. There have been times when you think ... and it's more just getting into the make-up and the padding and just going through the whole rigmarole. But nights like tonight when you see an audience really laughing and enjoying what you've done, all that miserable time fades from your memory and you just see it for what it is. And this will last and the moment of actually doing it won't last, but the film will, so that's why we keep doing it.

LH: The League of Gentlemen has generated a lot of fan fiction, like a lot of cult TV shows. While some of that fiction is about the characters, some of it is about fictionalised versions of the four of you. Have you read that fiction and was it an influence on how you depicted yourselves in the film?

SP: Well, somebody's already decided that we're ... RS: ... all bastards. (Laughter) SP: No, we're not aware (of that), that's completely news to me. RS: On the tour, Mark (Gatiss) was sent two pages about Chinnery (the pet-endangering vet from the TV series), a fan fiction thing.

LH: But not the stuff about you?

RS: No, not about us as real people. It was the first idea that we had that we would be ourselves in the (film) because the story's about the characters meeting their creators and we wanted to be the creators of it. We had to be because we were also playing the parts. Even though we were thinking: is there a way of writing it where we're not even ourselves in it, and there are versions of ourselves that are not even called Mark, Steve, Reece and Jeremy (Dyson)? But we thought that would be too perverse.

SP: Well, Jeremy is played by Michael Sheen. We'd all have loved to have picked a great actor to portray us. But, we thought, you have moments when the actor and the character come face to face and it's much more resonant if it's the same person. But no, we're not aware of (fan fiction about us) and it certainly had no bearing on our decision to go in this direction.

RS: The portrayal of ourselves in (the film) – we're not particularly that nasty, I don't think, but we're not nice either really. (aside) We are (laughter). We were quite cautious about the whole idea of putting ourselves into the (film), so we thought if we were also quite unpleasant as well, and also not actually the villains of the piece. We're more malicious by our indifference. We stop writing (the series) because we're bored of it and want to write something else, and that's our crime in the film. So I think that's more interesting to play than twirling moustachioed (villains) ... But I actually am a bastard in real life, if that's the real question. (Laughter)

Xavier Mendik: One of the themes that seems to run through The League of Gentlemen is rural perversity. Why have you been so fascinated by that?

RS: Rural perversity – does that mean wanking off pigs? (Laughter) Well, I think it's born from our fascination with humour that comes from real-life ...

SP: ... wanking off pigs. (Laughter)

RS: ... the social embarrassment of things, like (Basil) Fawlty's breakdowns in those mini-half hours, The Office and Larry Sanders, and real comedy of human endeavours and frailty rather than a laugh-out-loud sillier humour (which we all enjoy!) But I think our forte lies in trying to find poignancy and comedy in the same breath. We're trying to make characters real and you feel for them in all they do. That sounds really profound, and very far from wanking off pigs! (Laughter)

XM: You have worked more than once with the portmanteau narrative structure – why are you so attracted to that?

SP: Well, the Christmas Special was exactly one of those films. I guess just growing up loving the double-bill friday night horrors – that's what we grew up on, and it's there in our work and we really enjoy referencing it. This film isn't so much that, although we do have different realities. But as much as anything, it comes down to the fact that there are four writers and we all want our favourite ideas in, so therefore you have to go into different segments, and sometimes it's really as simple as that. We didn't want to have this bloody 17th century stuff ...

RS: (adopts Geoff Tipps voice) ... all the boring Olde Worlde stuff ...

SP: ... thee and thou, but, you know, Mark Gatiss is into it so we had to have it! (Laughter).

20/12/2005

Last Show report!

They swapped a few sketches around for the last show, just like they did at the last 'local' show in Blackpool, thanks to nat here they are!

1. Val and Harvey Denton swapped their 'naked suits' around (Val - nob Harvey - minge)
2. When Heir Lipp goes towards Justin at the end of the the scene he drops his trouser to reveal the Harvey Denton nob. Steve attached a piece of string and kept raising his todger up in the air as he edged towards Reece (Reece is peeing himself). It was so funny.
3. On the Les McQueen sketch, instead of Reece staying on stage in his hoody, Steve stays on and reveals himslef to be the factor x judge Simon Cowel (trousers pulled right up) and Les sells his soul for a record deal and goes off to hell.
4. They drew a minge and boobs on the yellow apron that the audience member had to wear for the Chinnery cow sketch. Mark picked someone he knew out of the audience. They were all sat in front of me. At first I thought it was 'the wives' but I don't think they were. One of them was the long blonde haired female manager who is always at the signings.
5. In the Geoff sketch , Reece had Tuck biscuits instead of a chinese. This caused great hilarity for the 'girls' who were with the Gents. Must have been an 'in joke'. Also in that scene, just before Geoff comes into the restuarant there are snippets of conversation that can be heard and Steve said 'she looks just like Minnie Driver'. Well there was a Minnie Driver look a like in the Gents clan and much nudging went on after he said that!

Gents on TV this Xmas!

Steve features in 'Under the Greenwood Tree' which is on at 9pm ITV1 on Boxing Day and Mark is in 'Return of the Goodies' on Friday the 30th!

19/12/2005

Keep Britain Tidy: Pauline Poised to Dole-Out Justice

It's set to dominate screens across England.

And since Keep Britain Tidy's new cinema advert is bizarrely funny - who better to launch it than "League of Gentlemen" star Steve Pemberton, dressed as Royston Vasey's psychopathic restart officer, Pauline Campbell-Jones.

In the FIRST-EVER photo-call featuring a character from the hit TV and radio series, Pauline will take a moment out of her punishing schedule to admonish a litter bug in London tomorrow (see close of release for more details).

Mirroring a scene in the new flick, where a vampish woman leads a submissive lout around the streets on all fours, Pauline will be pictured with her foot on the back of the offender. She will also pose for some more restrained pictures - pushing the Keep Britain Tidy message.

The aim of the cinema ad (Certificate 15) is to stop 18-24 year olds from dropping cans, bottles and takeaway trash.

"Many young adults live for now and so don't consider the long-term consequences of dropping their garbage on to the streets" said Peter Gibson, Media Manager for Keep Britain Tidy. "What they do like however, is the strange and the funny - and that's what they'll see in this quirky, retro advert."

According to research by the Campaign, sassy young adults might like to celebrate the silly - but they hate the idea of being singled out as stupid. "In a world of daft pranks, we want littering to be that tumbleweed moment, the joke that falls flat on its face - the thing that creates silence and makes the perpetrator look a prat" continued Peter Gibson.

The advert runs in cinemas until February.

    
    Be at its premiere and meet Pauline, as she unleashes the advert at,

    The Seminar Room
    The Commonwealth Club
    18 Northumberland Avenue
    London
    10 30am
    Monday 19th December

13/12/2005

Listen to Steve Pembertons Diary here!

ORDER BEFORE 15TH DECEMBER FOR XMAS DELIVERY OF THE ROAD SIGNS!

SPECIAL 'ONE OFF' FILM CELL AVAILABLE IN THE RARE STUFF!

Would you like to get into the Motor Trade? Visit Recruitandtrain.co.uk for all the North West Automotive Motor Trade car sales jobs! http://www.recruitandtrain.co.uk

12/12/2005

Reece in TLC

For all of you who have asked about TLC on DVD over the years there is good news Richie...

You can buy it from Amazon.de and it is in English! Look at it here Dr. Flynn - Überleben ist Glückssache - Season 1 I will do a full review when mine arrives!

08/12/2005

No news but...

Thanks to Chris for this transcript of the Hamlet sketch from the This is a local show!

M – Mark (Gatiss)
S – Steve (Pemberton)
B – Both

B: `Ere we go, `ere we go, `ere we go! `Ere we go, `ere we go, `ere
we go!
M: Come on, lads!
S: Come on let's see some action!
M: Oo-ah. What do you reckon then?
S: I fancy us tonight I really do
M: Yeah? Get a result?
S: Yeah! Keep it tight in the back in the first half push through in
the second half beat the offside trap off result!
M: Huh! You reckon?
S: Yeah I reckon! Can't be the same every bleeding week can it?
M: I blame that one there. Fortinbras. He comes on for five minutes
before the end and just cleans up
S: But he'd never last a full five acts would he? Hasn't got the
fatal flaw
M: I dunno he looks handy
S: Come on Hamlet! Make your fucking mind up! Jesus!
M: Stop soliloquising you Danish poof!
S: He's just not taking them on is he?
M: I don't understand it. He runs rings around Polonius in Act II
Scene II and then he comes on like
S: `Ere we go look!
B: Wahey! Ooh aah Ophelia I said ooh aah Ophelia!
S: Get thee to a nunnery! Get thee to a nunnery!
M: He's losing it.
S: Nah. He is but mad. North, north west! When the wind is southerly
he knows a hawk from a hacksaw
M: Claudius is staying down look! Get up!
S: Get up off your knees you fat bastard!
M: Get up you fat bleeding bastard!
S: Who ate all the pies? Who ate all the pies?
M: He's fat! He's bad!
B: He murdered Hamlet's dad! Claudius, Claudius!
M: Stick it to the man with it!
S: Go on stick him!
M: Go on my son!
S: Percentages!
B: Gah!
M: Fatal indecision
S: Fatal
M: He wants to do it when he's drunk asleep or in his rage
S: Or incestuous pleasure of his bed. At gaming at swearing or about
some act that hath no relish in it
M: Yeah… cunt
S: Aye aye they're taking Polonius off!
M: Ah!
S: Played son!
M: Played! Who's coming on?
S: Er… young Laertes. Come on lad get a grip of it
M: Ooh gravediggers are warming up
S: Ah shit! I can't believe it's gonna be the same result
M: Christ!
S: What?
M: Alas!
S: What?
M: It is the poisoned cup!
S: It's too late!
B: Gah!
M: Talk about an own goal
S: Every bleeding time
M: Ooh the rest is silence
S: Ah well. Who've we got next week?
M: Er… The Three Sisters
B: You'll never get to Moscow! You'll never get to Moscow!
- end of sketch; audience claps, cheers and whistles

29/11/205

Arena

There are some great pictures of the Gents in costume for the panto in this months Arena mag!

The greeting cards are back on sale!

05/11/2005

New Stuff!

There are new Tshirts and Mugs now available - The new snowstorms are coming next week!

31/10/2005

A Halloween Treat!

Listen to this exclusive clip of the Demon Butcher of Vasey...

28/10/2005

Ok calling all fans...

Do your bit to support Children in need, bid on this official Children in Need auction for a special piece of merchandise! Here!

24/10/2005

The Cicerones

Jeremys brilliant short film is on Channel 4 on November 2 at 3.10am!

Funland

I thought it was brilliant! If anyone wants to write a review contact me using the contact page and I will tell you where to email it!

18/10/2005

The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You Review!

I was at the Manchester show last night and it was brilliant! I know a lot of you are going to the show so I have decided not to write a review with spoilers. Until I do, read this review I found online!

Review WITHOUT Spoilers

Funland

Funland starts on BBC Three on the 23rd October 2005 at 10:00 to 10:55pm - It sounds like it is going to be brilliant but what else would you expect from Jeremy Dyson!

16/10/2005

The Local Panto for Local People

I have to tell you I am so excited! I am going to the show in Manchester tomorrow so expect a full report on Tuesday!

14/10/2005

DVD Signings!

The League will be signing DVD's at these places:

Manchester - Tuesday 18^th October @ 2pm Silverscreen Trafford Centre
Manchester - Unit 33, 24 Peel Ave, The Trafford Centre, Manchester, M17 8BL
Nottingham - Tuesday 25^th October @ 2pm Silverscreen Nottingham
Nottingham - 30 - 32 Clumber Street, Nottingham NG1 3GB
Newcastle - Wednesday 9^th November @ 2pm Silverscreen Newcastle
NEWCASTLE - 2 Eldon Way, Eldon Square shopping centre, Newcastle NE1 7QX
Bradford - Wednesday 23^rd November @ 3pm HMV Bradford

The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You!

I am having to sell my tickets to the Blackpool show and you can bid on them here! Blackpool was the venue for the last live show a few years ago and is always a great venue!

12/10/2005

Interview with Mark

There is a great interview with Mark on the local shop web site watch it here!

The League will be on Pure T4 this Saturday, 9.25am on
Channel 4.

09/10/2005

The competition is now closed, thank you to the 427 people who entered! The winners are...Mrs Gillian Thompson and Miss Caroline Lewis! Their copies will be heading their way direct from New Media Maze!

The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You!

In anticipation of the first shows, Mark has written a piece on Panto, read it here!

The Live commentary last week was a great succes by all accounts and as you all know I was unable to attend but I will have a full review with pictures up for you in a few days, in the mean time here is an interview with the Gents on the night!

03/10/2005

Soundsheet

Visit a great new sound sheet to promote the film visit it here!

Making of clip

See a clip of one of the DVD extras here

Mark in Wallace and Gromit!

Mark voices ine of the characters in the new Wallace and Gromit film!

Funland

There is a clip of Mark in funland here!

30/09/2005

Jeremy and Funland

The official press release for Funland is now online! Read it here! This series co written by Jeremy Dyson and Simon Ashdown starts this autumn and I for one can't wait to see it! It sounds like the kind of thing I would watch regardless of Jeremy's involvement!

29/09/2005

The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse DVD!

I got my review copy today (thanks to Gabrielle at New Media Maze) and I spent the day watching it, the extras are brilliant! Read all about it here!

28/09/2005

Apocalypse Competition!

Closed

24/09/2005

Dead Like me

I don't know if any of you have ever seen this amazing series but I saw it a few weeks ago and ever since then I have been hooked, first I watched the first season then the second and then disaster...I found out this morning that it was cancelled in December and there won't be a third series! Anyway, if you have ever seen it and want it to come back sign this petition here and learn more about the series here

21/09/2005

The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse Easter Eggs

If you look at these two menu screen shots and compare them with the ones below you can see an exploding sphere which will be a deleted scene and the other shows a cow and a pig which is an interview with Peter Kay (who lives in the same village as me!) and Simon pegg!

20/09/2005

Win tickets to a live cast commentary of the film!

Tomorrow you will have the chance to win one of 20 pairs of tickets for a live cast commentary screening of The League Of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse on Thursday 29th September at 7pm.

There will be other competitions with XFM (starting Weds 21^st), Metro (Mon 26^th)

This will be at the Prince Charles Theatre off Leicester Square, London.

So visit www.thisisalocalshop.com tomorrow…

Or why not buy a film cell of the film? These won't be around forever!

17/09/2005

The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You!

The latest tour dates can be found here or in the Radio/Tour section above! They have added a few new dates recently! If anyone takes any photos of the gents on the tour please forward them to me and I will create a page for them! Forward them to jk @ jason kenny.co .uk

DVD Signing!

There will be a signing at the HMV on Oxford Street on the 3rd of October, not sure which of the gents will be there, maybe all?

Little Britain!

For our American visitors, if you like the League you may like to know that the first Series of Little Britain is now out on Region 1 DVD, read more and buy it here

13/09/2005

Paypal

Just to let everybody know that the paypal buttons are now working properly! So get buying the rare stuff!

12/09/2005

New stuff on the web site and some news!

The Doll is up on the rare stuff official stuff page! Visit it here!

There is an interview with Mark on the Vesuvius Club web site!

The Apocalypse DVD Menu's!

29/08/2005

Gents on TV!

An outtake from the League of Gentlemen will be on ITV's 'All New TV's
Naughtiest Blunders' on August 30 at 10pm

There are some movie stills at this web site!

http://www.outnow.ch/Media/Img/2005/LeagueOfGentlemensApocalypse

Rare Stuff!

There is more rare stuff up on the rare stuff page! League of Gentlemen busts coming soon also! Be the first to have a bust of Edward and Tubbs! When they arrive these will surely be the greatest ever League of Gentlemen Merchandise!

Precious Things!

Shaz's Hand made Precious things are finally available in the Merchandise section, browse or click here!

New Mugs coming soon!

Keep an eye out for new League of Gentlemen mugs coming 1st September!

18/08/2005

Special Edition Apocalypse film cover!

Amazon have released pictures of the Specal Edition exclusive to them and it is brilliant! Pre Order it by clicking on the image to the left or Here

Funny web site here...http://www.oneshitphoneshop.co.uk

15.08.2005

Read this...you must its all about the terrible service I received at www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk which are part of carphonewarehouse and e2save. It really was poor and I would advise anyone to avoid them or regret it! One stop phone shop , more like one shit phone shop!

Order it on the left!

12/08/2005

Apocalypse DVD Extras!

16 Deleted Scenes 16m 31s
Easter Egg 2m 13s
Steve Pemberton Video Diary Revised Cut 12m 32s
The Real Vasey 5m 47s
Cow and Pig 4m 36s
Blooper Reel 9m 28s
Making Of... Featurette 12m 13s
A Cast of Thousands 4m 4s

So over an hour of extras!

11/08/2005

Rudolf Rocker

I received a copy of the new Album from Rudolf Rocker Rabbitting with Richard Dido and I have to tell you it is actually a great Album! The music is a cross between old new Order, OMD and a lot of new stuff too! Some people may consider them to be just a fun band because of Jeremy's involement, maybe just a hobby band? But the music is brilliant and it is obvious that these guys take it seriously! Buy it now here

04/08/2004

The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse DVD Release

Will be available from October 3rd! Region 2 only of course! Order it at a special pre order price here!

03/08/2005

Rudolf Rocker

Heard of Voodoo Lady? What you may not know is that the song was really wrote by Rudolf Rocker and not Creme Brule! Jeremy Dyson plays the keyboards in Rudolf Rocker and their new album will be released in a few months...however...lucky readers of this web site can get an advance copy by visiting Mook Records web site here and clicking on the news page!

25/07/2005

Newsround

Blackpool
Blackpool: series 1 is out to buy on dvd on the 1st August 2005.

Voices
Steve, Mark and Reece (along with Simon Pegg, Woody Harrelson, Kyle Maclachlan and a slew of others) are providing voices for Free Jimmy, an animated film out of Norway about a drug addicted elephant'.

Interview
There is an interview with Mark in the June issue of Bent magazine'.

17/07/2004

Merchandise Sale!

For the next week any road signs ordered will also receive an official Save Royston Vasey badge, the unofficial badge and 2 beer mats as a bonus!

30/06/2005

Competition Closed!

Winners have received their CD!

24/06/2005

Win The Soundtrack CD!

Tell me the name of Jobys partner in The Divine Comedy and you could win one of three CD being given away exclusively to visitors of this site by Silvascreen.co.uk who are releasing it on July 4th!

Enter the competition here and buy the CD direct at Silvascreen

22/06/2005

Jobys Music

I have just received my review copy of The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse Original FIlm Soundtrack and firstly I have to say it is amazing! I am sat listening to it on my IPOD in my garden with the sun blazing yet I am transported back to the first time I watched the film and feel lost yet again in the atmospheric music...oh just buy it! You can get it here!

Jobys ConcertB0002OXOZC

The Joby Talbot Band + special guests

Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

12th July, 7.45pm

Bookings: 0870 264 9988 www.rfh.org.uk

League of Gentlemen fans will be familiar with Joby Talbot's music, as he is the award-winning composer of the score to The League of Gentlemen television series. During his concert, Joby will be showcasing a few special band arrangements of his score for The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse.

This will be alongside a performance of all twelve works from his debut album, 'Once Around the Sun' . The album represents his experiences and inspirations during 2004, throughout which he produced one movement each month - "a spell-binding musical journey via a sequence of dreamily inspired miniatures" HMV Choice.

The composer and arranger, has successfully spanned the worlds of television, film, classical music, pop and theatre with his varied works. Well known for his collaboration with The Divine Comedy and The League of Gentlemen, he was also Classic FM's Composer in Residence last year.

Recently he has written the scores for The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse and Theatre of Blood. Recognised by the Evening Standard, Campaign and Broadcast magazines, as one of the "UK's hottest new artists", he is in high demand as a pop arranger, and has worked with artists such as Travis, Tom Jones and Paul McCartney.

10/06/2005

Official Precious Snowstorms...and other things...

I am not going to shout too much about this as I only have a few of them but if you have always wanted one of the Official Snowstorms then now is your chance - Click Here! You will also see some other merchandise including a Signed Local book for local people if you keep checking!

07/06/2005

www.spunkygiraffe.co.uk

If you have yet to see the film, shame on you! The clip you will find at the web site above will make you want to go and see it right now! I watched it with a League virgin the other day (my second viewing) and she admitted afterwards that whilst she had seen the tv series a few times she thought the film was going to be the same but was absolutely delighted to find that it was a lot funnier than she thought it was going to be! She laughed all the way through! So if you are quietly thinking the film probably isn't for you, give it a go!

Official Badges

There are some official badges for sale on the badges page, these are the badges being sold on Ebay for £3 each but on here they will only cost you £1.65 including post and packaging! Get em while they last as I only have enough to last a few weeks! The badges were produced by UIP to help promote the film and as such are official merchandise!

Photographs

Would you like your very own glossy photograph of the Gents to take to the new Live show to be signed? Check out the Photo's link in the merchandise section in the menu bar! These were taken by a press photographer and you get 5 6x4 colour photographs!

03/05/2005

The film is out now!

SEE IT THIS WEEKEND PLEASE TO HELP THE BOX OFFICE OPENING FIGURES!

There was a Flash Mob in London the other day and if you were there or just want to see the footage you can see it here

There is a BBC Interview here

Premiere pics at these addresses...

http://www.funny.co.uk/news/art_166-3511-League-of-Gentlemen-Premiere.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4602267.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4602267.stm
http://www.empireonline.co.uk/site/news/newsstory.asp?news_id=16847 02/06/2005

There is a great local piece here courtesy of Richard who contacted the web site via the contact link on the home page.

Special Stuff

If you check out the new page in the Hadfield section entitled Special Stuff you can read how today I found out what the Special Stuff really is and just how good it tastes!

Film Clips and Interview

There are some new clips and an interview in the Movie section above!

31/05/2005

SAVE ROYSTON VASEY NOW!!!!

Click on the link above

Have you seen the film yet? Review it here when you have or just send the site a comment! Please note - This is an email to the web site and not the Gents! Fill in our contact form here

Steve and Mark will be on Richard and Judy today!

Competition closed

The Premiere ticket Competition is now closed and the winner is Miss Charlotte Bowesman! Congratulations and I hope you enjoy the Premiere!

30/05/2005

Web Chat

There is a webchat with the League at:

The Sun Online and you can send them questions by emailing

Here with the subject 'League'

Mark Gatiss and Steve Pemberton will be on TRL next week on MTV

28/05/2005

DVD Release date!

31st October 2005 is the expected release date for The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse DVD!

Expect a load of extras, a commentary, behind the scenes and probably a video diary!

Of course the film hasn't been released at the cinema yet! Less than a week to go!

Telly Box

The League of Gentlemen are on the programme Pure T4 on the 4th June at
12:30pm to 1:00pm on channel 4

26/05/2005

News Flash!

Do you want to help promote the film? Do you want to help save Royston Vasey Click here

23/05/2005

A lot of news!

Competition competition

The Official site has a competition to win tickets to the Premiere, visit it here but of course...we have our very own competition to win Premiere tickets here on our Index Page

Interviews

Thanks to our most prolific contributing editor Lorna for the following links to League articles:

The Guardian and Cambridge News

BBC Q&A Part One can be found here, keep an eye out for part two! Chortle also have an article but to be honest it doesn't tell us anything new!

Appearances

Reece Shearsmith is on Derren Brown on the 29th May at 10:00pm-11:10pm on
Channel 4

Steve Pemberton will appearing on the programme the Last Detective on the
29th May on ITV1

The FIlm will be shown at the Guardian Hay festival on June 2 More info here

Soundtrack Release

As I have seen the film I can tell you that the soundtrack is amazing...but come on...we expect that from the wonderful Joby Talbot don't we?

The soundtrack will be released on the 4th July, track listing and release info can be found here

19/05/2005

Competition

I hope to have an exclusive competition up in a few days to win Premiere tickets, come back soon!

Watch 5 mins of the film here

A 'Local' article...or two...

Manchester online

Also the League of Gentlemen will make a contribution on programme The Smith
Lectures on the 28th May at 1:00pm-1:30pm on Radio 2

Sunday Times Month DVD this upcoming sunday (22nd May) in The Sunday Times
Newspaper. It has on it a exclusive feature on the League of Gentlemen
movie, Trailers from the film and the complete collection dvd and also a
full length from the first ever episode of the League of Gentlemen

But if you miss it on sunday (22nd May), you can send them a e-mail
at:tmcustserv@sunday-times.co.uk

14/05/2005

News roundup!

The film will be a 15 classification according to the BBFC web site Here

Are you going to the screening at the Phoenix? This from Paul at the Phoenix, "I've just had confirmation from Steve that all four of The league of Gentlemen will be at the screening on 22nd. We're also going to raffling some LOG books & DVDs which will be signed by them.

Steve comes Home!

Steve will be in the new Lassie movie, read more here!

Interviews

There is a 'Local' interview here...quite good!

There is a great interview in Hotdog Magazine, read the scans here!

Official Web Site's and Forum!

The league have now got an official web site, its mainly the old merchandise from the tour but there is a forum and a Blog that mentions this web site! Visit it at This is a Local shop

The Film has a nice new web site now too! Visit it at League of Gentlemens Apocalypse

11/05/2005

Competition closed

The theatre of blood comp is closed and the winner is...Ian Barclay from London! Your tickets will be sent out from the theatre, congratulations!

10/05/2005

Tour Dates Released!

Click here for more!

07/05/2005

SFX and Jonathan Ross

The League will be in the next issue of SFX magazine (Batman cover) and will be on the Friday the 13th Jonathan Ross show!

06/05/2005

The League of Gentlemen at the Phoenix

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW SCREENING OF ‘THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN’S APOCALYPSE’ AT THE PHOENIX CINEMA IN THE COMPANY OF STEVE PEMBERTON AND REECE SHEARSMITH IN AID OF THE PHOENIX ’S SEATING CAMPAIGN

The Phoenix Cinema is honoured to host an advance preview screening of The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse; a darkly funny film that sees the characters of Royston Vasey colliding with their creators. The screening, which takes place on Sunday 22 nd May at 6.45, will be a chance for fans of the hugely popular, original show to get a sneak preview of the film before its national release date of Friday 3 rd June.

The event will be introduced by Steve Pemberton and the film will be followed by a question and answer session with Steve, Reece Shearsmith and, it is hoped, other members of the League of Gentlemen.

Steve Pemberton who lives locally to the Phoenix has generously agreed that all funds from the event should go to the Phoenix ’s seat campaign. ‘Are You Sitting Comfortably’ aims to raise money to replace the cinema’s 1970s seating with a new seat exclusively designed for the cinema to bring its comfort levels up to modern standards.

The Phoenix is uniquely operated by a charitable trust and all work has been met by voluntary donations and grants. The seat replacement is one stage of our exciting refurbishment plans, more of which will be discussed on the evening of 22 nd.

Tickets for this special event are priced at £20 and can be bought from the Box Office on 020 8444 6789.

The Phoenix Cinema is in East Finchley , North London . www.phoneixcinema.co.uk

01/05/2005

TV and a Tour

The first series is being repeated on BBC2 from 3rd May at 10pm and...

The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You, a local show for local people is rumoured to be kicking off from 12 October - I am trying to get it confirmed, more info as I get it!

28/04/2005

Save Royston Vasey!

Go to www.uip.co.uk/leagueofgentlemen and register as a local to start your community petition to save the historic town of Royston Vasey !

There will be prizes for the most community-minded, provided by our kind friends at the local shop.

See the full trailer here for Real Or here for Windows media

Marks Write up for Theatre of Blood

" I simply can't wait to see Improbable's 'Theatre of Blood'. Why has no-one thought of this before? I've always considered the film the classiest of beasts and the idea of Jim Broadbent taking on the mantle of Edward Lionheart fills me with a queasy thrill of joyful terror. Friends, Romans, NT patrons, lend me your ears, guts and innards! Go see!"

Mark Gatiss

The competition for this ends tomorrow by the way so enter now or...miss it!

Film release date

The 3rd June 2005 is still the release date, ignore any other dates you may see!

26/04/2005

The League of Gentlmen's Apocalypse

Review now up, click here!

I saw the film yeaterday and I have to say that it was brilliant! I will write a full review tonight but I wanted to let you all know that the film is amazing, it is the League at their best and it is a best we haven't seen before, this is better than anything they have ever done...ok I am a fan saying that, but when they get a round of applause at a press screening that says a lot!

21/04/2005

Film Screening

I am lucky enough to be going to an advance screening of the film on Monday 25th April so expect a full report on Tuesday!

Theatre of Blood

As fans may know, this film is one of the League's favourites and there is a new adaptation of the film being shown at the National Theatre in London. Mark Gatiss is writing an article for the programme and the good news is...you can win two tickets to the opening night courtest of this web site! Visit the Blood and Guts web site here for more information but you can enter the competition here!

Vesuvius Club Competition Closed

Thanks to all those that entered, the winners are: Kathy Kearl, Katryn Bradford and Rob Gilroy can the winners please contact me to discuss size and delivery address!

19/04/2005

Competition

Win film goodies and a trip to the premiere!

Click here for more!

Full Trailer...again

The full trailer for broadband users can be seen here!

New Drury Lane DVD...with extras and film clips!

It doesn't say it yet but this DVD (Click here) is the re-release of Drury Lane Live but this time it will feature extras and clips of the film!

13/04/2005

Full Trailer

Click here to see the full trailer! Click on the local shop once the flash apocalypse has finished!

There is an Interview with Mark Gatiss here

Thanks to Robin for this

"A local shop for local people" has made it into the Cassells Dictionary of Catchphrases:

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4372354

And this:

Blue badge guide Ray Hoerty leads a League of Gentlemen Trail around Royston Vasey on Tuesday, April 19 at 1.30pm as part of the Peak District Walking Festival. Free. Booking essential on 0870 4447275.

04/04/2005

Video Clip

Ok, as promised here are the edited highlights of last nights 50 greatest sketches with the gents at 23, 14 and number3! This runs for over ten minutes and the large file is 20meg so broadband users only I guess! Right click and save target as then watch at your leisure!

Video clip Here

04/04/2005

Maxim Mag!

Thanks to Ian for scanning these images from maxim mag! 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

50 Greatest sketches!

Congratulations to the League for their amazing listings in this channel4 show last night! Pauline, Papa Laz and Edward and Tubbs at number 3! Plus a clip from the film! I will have the League bits on the site soon!

22/03/2005

Too much acting!

Sienna Miller will make her West End debut alongside Helen McCrory,
Dominic West and Reece Shearsmith in a new production of
Shakespeare's As You Like It, directed by David Lan, artistic
director of the Young Vic.Miller, who recently starred in the films Alfie and Layer Cake, trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and has featured in New York productions of Independence, A School for Scandal and Cigarettes and Chocolate. She will appear as Celia, while McCrory,
whose extensive career includes work for the Almeida, Donmar and
National theatres, as well as the Royal Shakespeare Company, will
play Rosalind.

West will return to British theatre as Orlando, after a US film and
television career which has seen him feature most notably in the HBO series The Wire, while Shearsmith, star and creator of BBC comedy The League of Gentleman and who has appeared in the West End in Art, will make his classical stage debut playing Jacques.

Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions in association with the Young Vic, the show will begin previews at the Wyndhams Theatre from June 3, with press night on June 21 and bookings taken until September 3.

A new Poster!

21/03/2005

Mark in the news

Mark will be in the new quartermas on BBC4 in April, read more here! Plus a new interview with Mark here!

11/03/2005

Region 1 DVD's At Last!

As of June 14th all of you in region 1 can enjoy the pure genius that is The League of Gentlemen! Visit the Region 1 Page here

08/03/2005

Film 2005 Clip

This is 7MB so not for our dial up visitors but you can watch the clip of last nights Film 2005 special on the Interviews page by clicking here

Competition update - There is a new way to enter, click on the link below

07/03/2005

Film 2005 and tour news!

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I moved house on the 25th February and it has taken until today for BT to get their act together and get me online! I have a few words to say about SKY TV too but firstly, the news!

The Tour

The Gents have booked 2 dates in November at their local theatre, nothing more on this at the moment but when I interviewed them last year they did say that they wanted to tour once the film was out of the way! They were unsure what they will do on stage but at that point it wasn't the stage version of the film as I suggested! Thanks to Hayley for the November info, at the moment though it is unclear if this is the start of a nationwide tour or if it will be limited to 'local' venues!

Don't miss Film 2005 tonight 11.30 PM BBC1 as they have an on-set behind the scenes special! You can read about it here but I hope to have the clip online tomorrow!

Bizarre Mag

The League will feature in the March 29th issue!

The DVD Collection

Friday's The DVD Collection at 8.30pm BBC4 will feature Stuart Maconie and Mark Gatiss who examine the evidence for the definitive Sherlock Holmes on DVD!

BT Broadband - Anyone moving home is urged to give BT at least 2 months notice as I only gave 3 weeks and they still messed it up!

SKY TV - Do not use SKY. Simple as that really. I gave them notice to cancel yet despite that they still managed to get another month and a halfs subscription out of me. They are great when you want to sign up but as soon as you want to leave they act like vampires sucking every last penny out of you! If the person you speak to does not write the correct notes on your account then it is your word against theirs and who is going to take SKY to court over £45? I was leaving anyway but I will never go back to them! I am now looking at some of the upcoming Pay per view on demand type providers as well as the cable providers. The problem with SKY TV is you pay so much for each channel but of course you can only watch one channel at once! It is poor value really and lets face it...a satelite dish on the side of your house is starting to look a little chavish!

24/02/2005

A Competition!

Win a Vesuvius Club T-Shirt - Click Here

Change? We don't even give change!

The sharp eyed will have noticed a few changes, if you have any suggestions for content in the new sections let me know!

Comic Relief

The Gents will be on at 9:15pm on BBC1 and then 10:15 on BBC2.

20/02/2005

The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse delayed!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I was informed on Friday that the release date has been moved to 3rd June.

Click here

02/02/2005

Vote for the Gents!

Channel 4 Greatest 50 Comedy Sketches!

The content for the official film website can be found here!

Total Film Scan here with new film pictures!

28/01/2005

The League of Gentlemens Apocalypse Trailer Teaser is here at last!

Exclusive to this site only (until Monday) and with thanks to the PR guys at Premier and Way to Blue I am proud to present this very exciting Trailer for the Movie event of the year!

Click here to see it!

19/01/2005

Official Press release

Click here to read all the official information on the movie with an exclusive picture and what I believe to be the films logo!

There will be screenings of the film in February which I have been promised an invite to, so expect a full review soon!

Tsunami Aid

The Gents will be taking part in a comedy show in aid of the Tsunami disaster, along with other comedians. Click here to find out more info and the number for tickets.

There's also an auction being held in Glossop, this Sat 22nd Jan in aid of the DEC Tsunami Appeal.There's also two signs up for auction from the set of League of Gentlemen with permision from the BBC. The first reads, 'Joke Shop' and the second 'Jokes to die for'. Please email famous_moe@brighton.zzn.com for a look at the signs and to place a bid if you are interested. The highest bid by this Saturday will win the signs. The same seller also has 'Babs Cab' for sale (yes the actual car!). Again, email him for details. The fund-raiser is to held at Bradbury Community Centre in the centre of Glossop at 1:00pm this Sat.

13/01/2005

Slight error in the title. It's actually The League of Gentlemen's
Apocalypse. And the teaser will start running in the UK this Friday in
front of Meet the Fockers and Team America.

10/01/2005

The Film release date at last! Official Web Site News - The League of Gentlemen Apocalypse

Mark today spilled the release date and final title for the League film, both of which were apparently set today. It hits UK theaters April 22nd as League of Gentlemen Apocalypse.

29/12/2004

Not the words...

80,000 people and rising yet still Boltons shops were full today with people shopping and the restaurants were full of families eating together...my family amongst them, untouched by the horror except in our hearts. If you haven't already made a donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee at http://www.dec.org.uk/ then click here and do it now, the money goes to many of the charities working in the area including Oxfam and the Red Cross.

09/12/2004

Funland

Mark Gatiss is set to star in a new BBC3 comedy drama. "Funland" is co-written by Gatiss' "League of Gentlemen" colleague Jeremy Dyson.

The show, which is being produced at the BBC's Manchester-based comedy unit, centres around a family involved in Blackpool's entertainment industry, who have connections to the criminal underworld.

Speaking about the new show the editor of the BBC's comedy unit, Kenton Allen said: "Funland is the bastard son of The League of Gentleman and EastEnders after a really heavy night on the town with Twin Peaks.

"It's a big sprawling piece, not a sitcom with just four main characters."

Dyson and EastEnders writer Simon Ashdown have penned the first hour-long episode, with ten more half-hour scripts in the pipeline. It is due to go into production in March.

02/11/2004

Thanks to the Yahoo group for letting me know this was out!

Time Out Interview

Another Mark Interview

The League of Gentlemen’s Mark Gatiss is to star in a futuristic new Radio 4 comedy in the new year

Gatiss created Nebulous with Graham Duff, writer of BBC Two's Dr Terrible’s House Of Horrible, who penned the full series.

Professor Nebulous heads an ecological troubleshooting organization called K.E.N.T., which is trying to return a post-apocalyptic England to normality.

The show is set in 2099, when most livestock has been eliminated, the year has been restructured to include new months such as Octember and Janril, and there’s even a new season: Hamble, which falls between Spring and Summer and is generally drizzly.

K.E.N.T. (which stands for something different each week), tackles such problems as killer cacti or a new colour which sends people insane, even though it is so woefully short of cash, it has to subsidise its work by running a launderette. There is also a generously-funded rival ecological trouble-shooting organisation, L.O.U.G.H.B.O.R.O.U.G.H.

The show starts on Radio 4 at 11pm on January 6.

Gatiss has just finished filming the League Of Gentlemen movie, called Royston Vasey: The Motion Picture or The League of Gentlemen: The Motion Picture, and also wrote one of the stories in the forthcoming Dr Who revival. The name for the film is not yet decided so it may also be Royston Vasey the Movie

01/11/2004

Danny Baker Interview

http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/insideldn/dannybaker/archive1_clipoftheda
y_2004.shtml

This might be still up but if not you can search for the interview he did with Mark!

And another...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/realmedia/radio/mark_gatiss.ram

The Gentleman who wants to be a Lord by Steve Pratt

League of Gentlemen star Mark Gatiss was delighted to be asked to write an
episode of the new Dr Who TV series, but he would really like to play The
Doctor himself.
League Of Gentlemen star Mark Gatiss would have loved to have been the new
Doctor Who. But it was not meant to be. Instead, he's written for the new
BBC1 series.
This isn't the first brush of the County Durham-born actor and writer with
the Time Lord. He wrote several Doctor Who books in the 1990s and one is a
favourite of Queer As Folk writer Russell T Davies, who's leading the
writing team on the TV revival.
"Doctor Who was my first book published and it never goes away. Russell says
it's his favourite Doctor Who story," says Gatiss on the phone from Ireland,
where the award-winning League Of Gentlemen are shooting their first feature
film.
His novels featured three Doctors - Sylvester McCoy, Patrick Troughton and
his favourite, Jon Pertwee. The new TV series will differ from the one
fondly remembered by fans. "The thing to bear in mind is Doctor Who was not
a cult programme until its dying years. It was a mass audience programme
watched by ten million every week," Gatiss reminds me.
"The key to the success of the new show is that it's trying to appeal to a
broad audience. It may p*** off some old fans but that's a good thing. If it
only addresses itself to old style fans, it's not succeeded. It has to
appeal to a ten-year-old kid that's not heard of it.
"All these years, people have been saying, 'Wouldn't it be great if Doctor
Who came back?' but those scenarios were played out in an imaginary world.
Now in the real world it has to compete against Ant And Dec's Saturday Night
Takeaway."
He's confident that new Doctor Who Christopher Ecclestone is "absolutely
committed to the role in a wonderful way" and is "a new version of the
doctor we haven't seen before".
Gatiss has written the third episode in the series, which abandons the four
or six parters of the past in favour of single or two-part adventures. His
story introduces writer Charles Dickens (played by Simon Callow) into the
world of the Time Lord.
"It's a totally different format. That was a big change in mindset, having
grown up with four or six part cliffhangers," he says. "The new series is
for modern TV and, to be honest, it really benefits because it goes at such
a lick."
He spent two days on the set but resisted asking to make a guest appearance.
"I'm waiting for my proper part," he jokes about his continued desire to
play Who.
Gatiss couldn't hang around any longer because he was needed in Ireland as
filming began on The League Of Gentlemen feature film. Compared to many
British movies, it's got in front of the cameras comparatively swiftly.
"We've been living with the script for 18 months and the financing of a film
is a nightmare situation. We've had a few ups and downs. But it's working
out. It's amazing what a difference it makes when you are finally in
production. It's a low budget film but tremendously ambitious," he says.
A day off from filming was spent doing publicity for his new novel, The
Vesuvius Club, about the exploits of an Edwardian secret agent. It was
commissioned three years ago and he's been writing it in tandem with The
League's film since then.
"John Jarrold, who's a fan of the show and had read some of my Doctor Who
books, took me to lunch and said the terrifying words, 'Whatever you want to
write'," he recalls.
"It's very nice but ultimately very frightening. I didn't know what to do
but, at the back of my mind, I'd always fancied doing a secret agent story.
I'm a big fan of John Buchan.
"I thought at first it might be quite a hard book like Fleming's, but that
changed. I didn't want anyone to think I had any serious literary
aspirations. I wanted to write the book I always want to take on holiday but
never quite find."
Enter Lucifer Box, a portrait painter who's a wit, a dandy, a rake and the
guest all hostesses (and a few hosts) want to have. He also happens to be
His Majesty's most accomplished and daring secret agent, a deducer and
seducer of the highest order.
As you read The Vesuvius Club, you can visualise the TV drama or film that
could be made from his book. Gatiss rather fancies seeing it as a four-part
BBC serial. Time will tell if that happens.
"It was fun but also an ordeal, like all writing is. There were times I
cursed and times I was having such a good time," he says.
"The Edwardian period is my favourite time. I was brought up on Holmes and
Fu Manchu, so I just used my book as an excuse to read even more stuff and
completely immerse myself in it.
"But I did the thing I wasn't supposed to do - I got so excited and started
writing before I had fully thrashed out the plot. In the end I had to get
rid of stuff that I quite liked."
He's contracted to do more Lucifer Box books. He'd like to move him on 20
years and do a Dennis Wheatley, early 1930s-style book which would give him
"a whole new cartload of things to have fun with".
He hasn't been neglecting his acting, playing a curate in one of the new
ITV1 Miss Marple whodunits, The Murder At The Vicarage. Gatiss also has a
part in the new film Woody Allen made in London during the summer. His scene
involved playing table tennis with hot Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson.
"Whether that will survive the edit, I don't know," he says.

A little help!

I am starting a new web site dedicated to finding bikers (like myself) the best deals on Superbikes. The Web Site is at http://www.superbikedeals.com and when launched in February 2005 it will provide the best prices for Kawasaki Honda Suzuki Yamaha Ducati Aprilia and Triumph, in other words the best motorbike deals, discounted motorbikes, best deals on bikes! Ducati Prices Kawasaki Prices Yamah Price Suzuki list price aprilia discounts no part exchange deals cheap bike insurance low rate finance technical advice

The help I need is if you have a web site or a forum can you please provide a link to the web site somewhere on your site, no matter what country you are in! If you email me at jason@superbikedeals.com and let me know where the link is I will add a link to your site from this site on the new links page when it is launched, no matter what the site is!

Thanks!

15/11/2004

Now up, the Exclusive Interview!

Read about the day I Interviewed Steve and mark here

11/11/2004

Exclusive Interview!

I spent today on the film set in Hadfoeld being looked after by Premier PR and at the end of filming had the opportunity to Interview Mark and Steve...still in costume! I will post the full story in two days so come back soon!

Jason

Older News Can Be Found Here!

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