League of Gentlemen Trivia

• The League of Gentlemen was formed in 1995 and consists of writer-performers Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. The fourth member is writer Jeremy Dyson, who only appears on screen in cameo roles.
• They write in pairs - Mark with Jeremey and Steve with Reece.
• They won the Perrier award for comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1997.
• Their radio series, On The Town With The League of Gentlemen, debuted on BBC Radio 4, for which they won a Sony Award.
• The first TV series aired on BBC Two in 1999, the second in 2000 and the third in 2002. A Christmas special aired in 2000.
• The first live tour took place in 2001, including a long run at London's Theatre Royal, in Drury Lane. A second tour - The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You - followed in 2005.
• The full-length feature film - The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse - was released in cinemas in 2005.
• The fictional town of Royston Vasey is the real name of comedian Roy Chubby Brown, who appears in the show as Vasey's Mayor, Larry Vaughn.
• The real-life setting for Royston Vasey is Hadfield, Derbyshire. Many of the shops and buildings, both interiors and exteriors, were used in the show.
• The series and the film were directed by Steve Bendelack.
• The theme tune was written by composer Joby Talbot, known for his work with The Divine Comedy.
• The Gents are massive horror fans. Influences - which can clearly be seen in their work - include The Wicker Man and Don't Look Now.
• Christopher Eccelston and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen guest-starred in series three, and Liza Tarbuck was in the Christmas special.
• Vasey's vicar, Bernice Woodall, is based on Denise Richards, the agony aunt from Richard and Judy.
• Alvin Steele is based on a hotel owner in Brighton who the Gents encountered. He would wander about as his guests ate, telling pointless stories. He had a very glamorous wife, similar to Sunny in the TV show.
• Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen could not make it to Hadfield for filming, so his close-up scenes were filmed before a blue screen. Shots of Laurence in Royston Vasey were filmed with a double.
• Advert director Jed Hunter's look is based on Steve Bendelack, who directs the League of Gentlemen.
• When Jed watches Geoff perform his miserable stand-up act in series three, the scene was filmed at the Canal Café Theatre, in London's Little Venice, where the League performed regularly when they were trying to break into comedy.
• The character of Terry Lollard is based on a real-life experience of Reece's. A Jehovah's Witness knocking on doors showed Reece drawings, saying the bad were in black and white and the good in colour.
• Ava De Courcey, whose pooch Bentley suffers at the hands of bumbling vet Dr Chinnery, is based on Mrs Pumphrey from All Creatures Great and Small.
• Pre-op transsexual cabbie Barbara Dixon was played by Paul H. Marshall in series one and two, and Michael Gallagher in series three, because Paul was poorly.
• Benjamin's encounter with the Dentons is based loosely on Jeremy Dyson's experiences staying with relatives when he was younger. He was told to make himself comfortable, yet there were a lot of house rules. One night he accidentally locked one of his relatives out of the house because the locks were so complicated.
• In series two, when Benjamin escapes from the Local Shop, he is dressed to look like Balou the Bear from The Jungle Book.
• The infamous Mau Mau joke sketch was based on some people Steve and Reece overheard while in a bar. One man was trying to tell a joke, but was constantly interrupted by his companion.
• Pauline is based on Reece's restart officer when he was on the dole. Her interview for pushing trolleys round Asda car park is based on when Reece applied for the job, but was told he was too clever for it.
• Pauline attacking Ross with a pen in series two pays homage to The Omen.
• In series three, the Gents' mothers are in the opening prison scenes. Mrs Dyson, Mrs Gatiss, and Mrs Shearsmith are eating food at the table-tennis table, and Mrs Pemberton is playing pool with Pauline (she gives Pauline a high five).
• Both Jeremy and Reece are amateur magicians.
• Tubbs and Edward are based on a real-life shopkeeper in a little town near Brighton.
• The policeman who goes to the Local Shop in series one was named Bobby Woodward after the actor Edward Woodward, who played the policeman in The Wicker Man.
• Joke Shop owner Lance Longthorne is partly based on a real shop owner from Leeds who was racist and said awful things to customers.
• Ollie Plimsolls is based on a real person who Reece worked with when he was involved in theatre in education.
• Papa Lazarou is based on Steve and Reece's ex-landlord, called Mr Papalazarou. The landlord would only deal with Steve. He would ignore Reece to ask for Steve.