A local show for local people
It’s been 12 long years, but it’s been absolutely worth the wait. After an acclaimed TV revival with three superlative anniversary specials on BBC2, Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith are embarking on a major national tour, The League of Gentlemen Live Again. Here, the cast - Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith – speak to James Rampton about what inspired them to get back on the road
WHAT was the inspiration for bringing League of Gentleman back to the stage?
Steve Pemberton: It’s the perfect time. The live show is the most fun version of The League of Gentlemen that we do. We’d been talking about doing something for a while. Having just made the BBC2 anniversary specials, this is a natural time to go back on the road while it’s on people’s minds.
And after such a long time away, there is a real appetite for it. Wherever we go, we are constantly being asked about when we are bringing it back. So we thought, “Why not do it now?” We can’t wait! What do you think makes the live shows so special? Jeremy Dyson: What I’ve always loved about the live shows and what still defines them now is the rigour and discipline that they impose on the writing. From the very beginning, we had a rule that only one prop or item of clothing was allowed to define a character. So you’re coming back for the right reasons?
Mark Gatiss: Yes. The lovely thing is we are doing it because we want to do it and not because we have to do it. Many reunions tend to be for the money and have a sense of desperation about them. But this isn’t like that. We have talked for ages about doing something again because we never split up. We just stopped doing it. So it’s very special to be doing it with a happy heart rather than a sense of obligation.
The League of Gentlemen’s work has always lent itself to live performance, hasn’t it?
Reece Shearsmith: Yes. The League of Gentlemen was never better than when it was live. The thing that surprised people was the theatricality of it. It was properly thrilling to be in the audience. There was such horror and silence and awkwardness - which were then broken by laughter. We managed to manipulate the audience into feeling really uncomfortable and then breaking it with a big laugh. It was palpably brilliant when we had those moments. So are you returning to where it all started?
Steve Pemberton: Yes. It’s not like the show was conceived as a TV programme. We won’t have to scratch our heads and think, “How are we going to do this live?” These characters started when we walked out on stage saying things like, “Okey cokey, pig in a pokey.” The live show is simply going back to our roots.
How do you choose which characters to revive for “The League of Gentlemen Live Again!”?
RS: It’s been very hard because we have so many to choose from. We have done over 100. Of course, you want to do the ones people are desperate to see. But we also want to explore the smaller characters and do things which surprise people. So you will mix it up a bit?
MG: Definitely. This is the “12 Years Later” Tour, so you’re not going to play the whole of the new album. There’s an extent to which we will give people exactly what they want. But we will also try and find new ways of doing it. Which characters are non-negotiable?
SP: You have to do Pauline. People love her. They love a woman with power, and Pauline has great power, as long as she has got a pen in her hand! But there are so many other characters that have to be done: Tubbs and Edward, obviously, the Dentons, Les McQueen, Papa Lazarou and Hilary Briss. There are loads, and we don’t want to short-change people.
■The League of Gentlemen Live Again will be playing at Buxton Opera House on August 20 and Nottingham Motorpoint Arena on September 2 and September 9. Tickets are available now from league of gentlemen. live.