Search - The League of Gentlemen - The Collection on DVD

Samuel K. (Solvanda)
Reviewed on 6/25/2018...

Three men dress up for all the roles, kind of like Monty Python or Little Britain. The situational absurdities here however, are pushed way way way and over the cliff. Some of this is actually quite cringe worthy, and definitely will not be everyone's cup of tea. Though if you prefer your coffee as pure unadulterated diesel fuel poison, then perhaps you may also prefer this very black and dark as night British comedy. I know I do. My wife and I rewatch these episodes quite often, and several lines have become catch phrases around the house. Give it a try. You'll either laugh out loud or you melon will melt! These three genius blokes have gone on to create a few other shows too, which are most likely only available Region 2.

BBC's best ever sitcom? I think so!

Review Lover | At a place... | 12/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Absolutely Fabulous, Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses, Dad's Army, Are You Being Served?, Nighty Night and a whole host of other shows have proven to the world, time and again, that the greatest sitcoms come from merry old England. With a few notable exceptions, our British brothers and sisters seem to have nailed with microsurgical precision the art of getting television comedy right.

"The League of Gentlemen" began life as a series of short radio broadcasts, and featured a whole host of grim characters in macabre situations, and, thanks to the foresight of the Beeb and the unbelievable talent of the show's four creators - Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith - the show came to television, with mind-bendingly brilliant results.

Comedy isn't really a suitable genre in which to bracket "The League of Gentlemen", since it's not as laugh-out-loud funny as, say, Ab Fab or Nighty Night. Similarly, it's just too damn funny to be labeled as Drama, but since it's got more than its fair share of horrific moments too, it's also got a finger in the pie of the Sci-Fi/Horror genre. On paper, then, "The League of Gentlemen" should, by all accounts, have been a terrible mess.

In actuality, it's the polar opposite - brilliantly crafted and thoroughly watchable, with more black comedy and more riveting characterisation than anything in recent memory. It's oddly endearing how the one-joke characters such as Herr Lipp and Barbra the transgendered taxi driver come to life with sympathetic scenarios, designed to turn these otherwise-throwaway charicatures into real, memorable parts of the story. And they're just secondary to the antics of the main body of heroes - people like Tubbs and Edward, proprietors of the Local Shop for Local People (seriously, you'll remember that line forever!), Pauline the Unemployment Retrainer, and Judee Levinson and her downtrodden maid Iris Krell - are so well-acted and so damn riveting that you'll want to see them over and over again.

This really is the only "League of Gentlemen" DVD to buy, it's got all three seasons of the show, and a whole host of truly excellent extras to mull over, once you're done with the episodes. Sound and picture quality are very, very sharp and for the price, you're getting more than your money's worth.

Thoroughly recommended."

Wickedly Funny British Series...

David Demchuk | Toronto, Ontario Canada | 04/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have all three series plus the Christmas special as released in the UK and love them -- I'm very glad to see they're being released in North America at last! If you've never seen them, The League of Gentlemen (three of whom perform, with the fourth remaining behind the scenes) have created a fictional northern UK town called Royston Vasey, and play all of the townspeople - male and female. The characters and their stories are all intertwined, and are united by a macabre vision of small-town life influenced by countless horror and suspense stories. Cursed veterinarians, wishing toads, mobster newsagents, mysterious meat from the local butcher and "a local shop for local people" are just a few of the highlights. Enjoy!"

Hello Dave

Gabi Knight | Seattle, WA | 08/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The BBC knows how to do it--comission a number of episodes and extend the show no further than those given episodes. The result? Fresh, original shows that never get stale and are usually exciting and totally engrossing. The League of Gentlemen is characteristic of such fare but is so different (and better) than anything you'd ever see on American network television. Once you're through the first two episodes, you'll see how the characters really start to develop and how deep and thought out the plot really is. More than just a showcase of grotesque characters, this show is a masterpiece, especially when you take into consideration that all of the members (except for one) perform all the characters they create. This is one show I can't stop talking about!"