My wife, knowing how deep my League of Gentlemen fandom goes sent me an email just now (subject line: “Holy shit!”) with the news that the great comedic geniuses would be reforming. Anyone who knows me well, knows just how high my regard is for the League.

Sadly, though, it’ll only be a one-off “local” affair, seeing the Gents reuniting for a London charity fundraiser. Via Chortle:

Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith are to perform together at a star-studded benefit for the Royal Free Hospital at the Adelphi Theatre on December 1.

The Rocks With Laughter event also features a rare live appearance from Rowan Atkinson, as well as Matt Lucas Harry Enfield, Harry Hill and Mitchell and Webb.

Shearsmith prompted intense speculation about the reunion yesterday when he tweeted a picture of the three of them, with the message: ‘There might be some news about these people - coming soon. Keep em peeled.’

I follow Reece Shearsmith on Twitter and I saw that and my hopes were high for another series or perhaps a second LOG movie. As I’m quite sure video from the Rocks With Laughter fundraiser will reach YouTube, I’m just happy to take what I can get.
 

 
BUT THEN I noticed something in that article that had managed to escape my attention: Gatiss, Pemberton and Shearsmith had already reunited on television, shooting a number of sketches for a BBC kids show called Horrible Histories, in 2012. How did I not hear about this? (I don’t watch kid’s shows?)

In the series of ten sketches (not written by the trio or their off-screen writer-partner, Jeremy Dyson) Gatiss, Pemberton and Shearsmith play American movie execs shooting down one historically accurate film idea after another. It’s disconcerting to hear them all do American accents, but also really fun, too.

They do manage to slip in a fair amount of history into the really clever dialogue. A US version of this show would do gangbusters.

Dick Whittington pitches his life story to three American movie executives. Maybe Eddie Murphy can do the voice of the cartoon cat?

“The King Canute Project”

Eight more great sketches from ‘Horrible Histories’ after the jump…

I am really enjoying Psychoville the new seven part BBC2 comedy series from the League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. I am an absolute League of Gentlemen fanatic (as anyone who knows me can tell you) and Psychoville’s seven episode run has me in TV heaven.

Attempting to make a comedic series as complex and multi-layered as, say, “24” or “Lost” and with distinctly Hitchcockian elements in abundance (ep #4 is one continuous shot!), Pemberton and Shearsmith’s script ties together several disparate characters: Maureen and David Sowerbutts, a mother-son serial killer duo; Mr. Jelly, a bitter one-armed alcoholic party clown for hire; Oscar Lomax, a blind millionaire who collects Beanie Babies; Joy Aston (played by Dawn French), a nurse who believe a doll is her real son and a dwarf actor with telekinesis trying to hide his “midget porn” past.

All six are connected by a mysterious letter they all receive that simply reads: “I know what you did.”

Welcome to Psychoville by co-creator Reece Shearsmith
Psychoville: the new home of horror comedy
Video interview with Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith