The League of Gentlemen

How we made The League of Gentlemen

'When we were looking for locations on our first series, the producer was always stepping away to take calls. We learned later they wanted to cancel us'.

The League of Gentlemen feature

I distinctly remember the first time I watched the show, also being the first time it aired in America, premiering on Comedy Central sometime in 1999. I was into British comedy even then and was excited at what appeared to be a new, unique looking show. But I was not prepared for what I was about to see. Monty Python or Mr Bean this was not.

Netflix Shows To Watch: The League of Gentlemen

Refined British sketch comedy at its weirdest and most innovative.

Who would have guessed, a generation ago, that in the year 2014 we sophisticated, endlessly demanding television viewers would be falling about laughing over a silent (or at least wordless) comedy starring somebody called Chaplin? The comedy series Inside No. 9 is the creation of The League of Gentlemen duo Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. The second in the series was A Quiet Night In, one of the cleverest and funniest things I've seen on telly for years. It featured Oona Chaplin, the 27-year-old grand-daughter of Charlie Chaplin. She says she thinks he would have approved of the show. I'm sure he would have loved it, not just for Oona's appearance but to see Pemberton and Shearsmith's split-second timing, as perfected by the Master 100 years ago.