>The League of Gentlemen: Hilariously inventive black comedy or Python rip-off simply trying to shock instead of being funny? Answers on a Royston Vasey Postcard.
>
Neither - just pure, unfunny crap.

The 1st series was good - it worked better than the radio version, to my mind. The 2nd one seemed to be just rehashing things that should have been left behind (eg. Pauline and Ross) rather than coming up with new stuff, and I gave up watching it.

THE BEST SHOW ON TV. SIMPLE AS THAT.

The second series is about to start on BBC America this Friday (some bizarre time like 10:42 or something. i will never understand their sceduling - must be the ad breaks throwing them out of the half-hour sync).

Ought I to watch it, or should I be content with "The World's Funniest Car Chases!" on fox...?

I REPEAT - THE BEST SHOW ON TV. JUST WON THE 'BEST COMEDY' BAFTA. PROOF?

Well, considering it's only got "All Rise For Julian Clarey" to beat on the "BBC America BritComs" front, maybe it is the best I'll see for a while..

>I REPEAT - THE BEST SHOW ON TV. JUST WON THE 'BEST COMEDY' BAFTA. PROOF?

Err, no, considering the amount of times Rory Bremner has won it. Still a good show, though.

>>The League of Gentlemen: Hilariously inventive black comedy or Python rip-off simply trying to shock instead of being funny? Answers on a Royston Vasey Postcard.
>>
>Neither - just pure, unfunny crap.

No, no, no. Fantastic, inspired, realistic (yes realistic), brilliant.

The first series was classic. The second series seemed so much darker and shot more like a film. It destroyed some of the quirky atmosphere to my mind.

First series, yes, excellent. You can tell Jeremy Dyson went to film school, can't you? And much better than ON THE TOWN WITH... on radio, some of which could have been dished out on THE NEWS HUDDLINES.

Second series massively disappointing, conceited, tired and over-hyped. Would feel sorry that they were so obviously rushed by the BBC. But the cast members so obviously relish (and believe in)the torrents of Toynbee-esque, half-arsed praise emptied upon them, and they've lost my sympathy (I'm sure they're gutted!). The old-women-in-a- charity-shop sequences? The Hilary-Briss-is- a-bit-like-Hannibal-Lecter ending? God's truth, bring back The Two Ronnies (no - don't).

Unfortunately, I'm sure they'll bow to BBC pressure to do a third Royston Vasey TV series. If not (and even more unfortunately), I'd not be surprised to see them stick cynically to the format. A smug, whoreish and award-laden one-trick pony... Such a shame to see that talent pissed up its own arse.

>Unfortunately, I'm sure they'll bow to BBC pressure to do a third Royston Vasey TV series. If not (and even more unfortunately), I'd not be surprised to see them stick cynically to the format. A smug, whoreish and award-laden one-trick pony... Such a shame to see that talent pissed up its own arse.

Admittedly there is a royston vasey christmas special planned, but after that, they say they will be trying new formats. So there.

Watching the UK Play weekend recently, you could clearly see the drop in quality between the first and the second series.

And why did they include the charity shop woman? they weren't particularly funny in the radio series and, since no-one even laughed at the sequence with them in the last episode, surely they should have been cut before shown on the TV?

I think a shorter length would be prefderable.

After the Christmas special, the group are supposedly keeping the League Of Gentleman name, but changing the format of the show.

They're touring in the autumn, anyone know what to expect from the stage show?

Theatrical blood.

I'll be able to see them, I hope!

I've heard that there will be two parts to the stage show. I'm assuming this means that they will use it to break free of Royston Vasey, with one part being old RV crowd-pleasers and the other being new material and characters (this is all just speculation). At least, that's what I'm hoping to see - apparently the show hasn't even been written yet, even though tickets are already on sale (!!!) so we'll just have to wait and see. Depressingly, it's being promoted as "A Local Show for Local People" (bo-ring!), but that might just be their management trying to wring every last penny out of the catchphrases before their lads get "experimental" (aka "non-profitable"). Perhaps.

Just heard some of the radio series, not as good as the telly version, sounds a bit forced in places, still good though.

I have to say though, one of the sketches in the second TV series (which was also in their Perrier winning show) was ripped off The Goodies.* The one with them playing a game of cards and coming up with obscure rules as they go along.

* If you want to delve further, an ITV Goodies where they're trapped for a week in a chalet.

I thought the radio version was better, to be honest. Neither of the two TV series developed the ideas from the radio series enough, and the only episode I really liked was the first one of the second series.

ribbit, you are a radio snob.



Can I have your telly?

Tubs and Edward had to be put into the TV show because they couldn't do the midgit shopkeeper. And then they turned out to be the best thing in the TV show.

The midgit shopkeeper was excellent. Especially when he gets off with the sex change taxi driver and says his catchphrase, "Can you lift me up?"