Royston Vasey says ‘buy local’ as League of Gentleman set to re-open


It’s hard to believe that it’s been just shy of 20 years since we have visited the home of Edward and Tubbs Tattsyrup in the sleepy little village of Royston Vasey, the setting for the brilliant but darkest of dark comedies, The League of Gentlemen. Proving that you ‘can go home again’, the League will get back together this month to film three specials that will, most likely, transmit in December. Nothing says the holidays like a trip to Royston Vasey.

There is no description that would do justice to The League of Gentlemen, which was made up from the combined twisted mind palaces of Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Jeremy Dyson and Reece Shearsmith. With that said, thinking back, it’s probably a good thing that Papa Lazarou has not crossed our paths for two decades.

While portions of the group have found ways to collaborate over the years beginning with Shearsmith and Pemberton’s brilliant Psychoville series (who needs Krusty the Klown when you have Mr. Jelly) and their more recent collaborations on the anthology series Inside No.9, and then Shearsmith, Pemberton and Mark Gatiss have appeared together in the children’s sketch comedy show Horrible Histories, this will be the first attempt at a reunion given the extremely busy schedules of the three above plus off-screen writing partner Jeremy Dyson.

The League of Gentlemen will return for three new episodes to mark the 20th anniversary of the group making their debut on BBC radio in 1997. Talking about returning to TV, the group say: “We are thrilled to bits to be returning to Royston Vasey in celebration of our 20 years at the BBC. We look forward to digging up the old characters – some of them literally – and seeing how life has treated them.”

The League of Gentlemen returns to Royston Vasey this month for a possible December broadcast on BBC2.


In: Comedy