Review of League of Gentlemen, The

Introduction

Are you local ?

This is the first question that you are asked when loading this DVD. Be sure to get the answer right !

The award winning comedy team of Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece
Shearsmith make their way on to DVD, via stage, radio and of course your TV screen. This DVD contains the entire first series of the show.

The BBC America press release described the series as "Monty Python meets Twin Peaks", and I think that`s a pretty fitting description. The comedy is bizarre, and will definitely offend some, and it`s clear that the team have watched quite a few sci-fi and horror films in their time. It`s a mixture of sketch show and soap opera, all rolled together. And one of the best pieces of TV comedy for years.

Video

A pretty good 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is on show here, the same as the series was originally broadcast in. It`s not perfect, but at the same time there really isn`t that much wrong with it. There are some artefacts lying around, but I suspect that they are probably due to most of the studio shots being given a film look.

Take a look at some of the extras where this effect hasn`t been applied to see the difference. It`s not a real gripe, and perhaps it fits in with the nature of the programme.

Audio

Ok, first things first. There is a laughter track here, but if you watch the extras and listen to the commentary you`ll find out all about it. Some people have moaned about it, but there`s nothing wrong with it in my view. It`s supposed to be there, it was intended to be there, it is there. When it`s missing, the effect is weird. Again, watch the extras for more about this.

The sound itself is a DD2.0 stereo track, which is identical to the original broadcast. Perhaps it could have been remixed for the DVD, but there`s not really that many scenes that are candidates for a big 5.1 soundstage, so it`s fine as stereo.

Features

The Precious Things

Local Gossip

The main feature on the disc is the commentary track, which features all of the team and director Steve Bendelack. This is definitely not a commentary track with big gaps and pauses in. Sometimes one of them will struggle to get a word in as they`re all going nine to the dozen. Huge amounts of information in the commentary, and definitely worth listening too. You`ll never manage it all in one sitting though, so how convenient that you can dip in and out of it and just watch one episode at a time.

You`ll pick up loads of extra jokes that you missed first time too, and you`ll probably listen to this commentary more than once as you`ll never absorb everything the first time round !

Missing

This section contains some deleted scenes, and one or two other pieces of video. Some of these scenes were re-worked in season two, but others never made it, and so this is the definitive copy of them. It`s easy to see why many never made it, but at the same time it`s nice to have the opportunity to see them anyway.

Local People

This contains a series of screens, 1 for each character, and is like a game of "Top Trumps". Come on children of the eighties, you remember those ! Each screen contains stills and weird facts about each character featured. An amusing addition.

Special Stuff

This section contains stills of various bits of League stuff, from their stage days, through to the radio show and the TV show. Some interesting stuff here too.

Conclusion

A fantastic disc, packed to the very edges with material. There is at least 7 hours worth of stuff here (6 episodes, 6 episodes + commentary, extras), but it will take you a lot longer to get through all of it and extract every last piece of information from this DVD.

As I`ve already said, in my opinion, this is one of the best pieces of TV comedy for years. This disc just adds to the experience, with the deleted scenes and the commentary in particular giving you more insight into the show and the people behind it.

If you`re a fan of the show, this is a must have disc. If not I`d suggest you watch a repeat on the BBC or on one of the UKTV cable channels first as it`s not everyone`s cup of tea.