But relief settled in as the rest of the video is totally top notch. It's hilarious and Shearsmith, Gatiss and Pemberton are on top form the whole way throughout.

From Tubbs in the local shop, to the local dance troupe, Legs Akimbo, all your favourites are here. It definitely is a great DVD and the comedy has transferred really well from screen to stage.

Proving How Good They Really Are
Review date: 2004-02-19 Rating: 8 out of 10

I was lucky enough to see the live show twice - once in Manchester and once during their extended run at Drury Lane. On both occasions, amongst the audience it was easy to distinguish between those who were aware of the League’s pedigree as stage performers and the origins of what eventually became the TV show, and those who just liked the TV show and catchphrases and had probably never been inside a theatre before.
So, during the first half, which revisited the original stage show and the format in which it was presented, those in the latter category again could be split into two groups: those for whom it was a wonderful lesson in character comedy and the power of the theatre, and the fact that with minimal props and matching tuxedoes, the sheer virtuosity of the League’s performances were all that were required to provide a superb, hilarious (and, of course, dark) set of sketches; and those who were a little disgruntled because they were seeing three blokes in tuxedoes when they had paid to see Edward and Tubbs asking people if they were local and Papa Lazarou calling people Dave. Of course, they perked up once the fully costumed second half started and everything was familiar again. That’s the dumb TV generation for you… I know that sounds incredibly snobbish, but I make no apology for it. The League of Gentlemen require their audience, be they a TV or theatre audience, to use their brains a little. Sadly this seems to be a problem for some people.
Reading the reviews on this website, it would appear that the same two categories can be applied here also. The first half is performed in the way which brought the League to prominence in the first place, the way in which they presented their early shows at the Canal Café Theatre, the way in which they presented their show at the Edinburgh Festival and won the Perrier Award. This is not “couldn’t be bothered to get into character”, as one reviewer put it - this is Theatre. And superbly executed at that - simply done, no frills, the performance and characterisation being the focus, no distractions. Tish, who would appear later in the third series, is a brilliant creation - the supremely pretentious and annoying fag-hag whose only friends are gay men is beautifully played by Steve Pemberton in a tuxedo, with only a floppy felt hat as any sort of costume. Charlie and Stella, the constantly bickering couple, are again brought magnificently to life, the only costume item being Reece Shearsmith’s garish earrings. The characterisation is so strong that it doesn’t matter that they aren’t in full costume - that was the whole point of the original show. I pity those who can’t see this.
The second half takes us straight to familiar territory, as the curtain rises and the Royston Vasey sign is revealed. What we get here is a mixture of sketches well-known from the TV show and some new material. This is the League in crowd-pleaser form, doing what they know the audience will lap up and doing it brilliantly. The idiots sat in front of me at Drury Lane who moaned throughout the first half because nobody uttered the word “local” were finally satisfied as their favourite characters paraded in front of them spouting catchphrases one after the other. One even heckled Steve Pemberton as Pauline, to be met with a wonderfully delivered “Save your breath love, you’ll need it for blowing your girlfriend up later!”, which shocked him to the core - evidently he hadn’t considered the possibility that Pauline might answer back and have the whole audience laughing at him. You don’t get that watching TV…
The live show is well worth adding to your collection. It balances perfectly the more literate, theatrical side of the League with the TV aspect that many in the audience will be more familiar with, without dumbing anything down and delivers in every regard. Pay no attention to those reviewers who slate it because it wasn’t a carbon copy of the TV show. There is far more to the League than what we have seen from them on TV, and this show gives you a good look at it. If you are unfamiliar with the various conventions of theatre, let the first half of the show provide you with a basic guide.
The Universal/VVL DVD presentation could be better, I have to say. There are precious few extras, and one or two sketches missing - the Hilary Briss musical was an absolute gem and I was disappointed to find it cut altogether from the DVD. I would have liked to have seen perhaps a documentary on the creation of the show, maybe some old footage (if any exists) of their early pre-radio days to give viewers a point of reference, backstage footage and the like. It might also have been nice to include some audience interviews, to give an idea of the broad cross-section to which the League appeal. As it is, we have to make do with a couple of cut sketches and the answer phone messages played to the audience during costume changes. In this respect it doesn’t compare favourably with the BBC releases of the TV shows, which are packed with special features, which is why this only gets four stars. Nonetheless, if you give this DVD a miss because it is not like the TV show, then you’re really quite stupid.

great performance !
Review date: 2003-06-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

I saw the League Of Gentlemen tour at Nottingham Arena and while I was entertained that night I missed out on a lot of the visuals and subtleties of the comedy by sitting too far away from the stage. This DVD has let me re - live the performance and appreciate just how good the L.O.G are as comedy actors.
Each of the guys is just amazingly versatile in their range of characters and can easily switch from comedy to tragedy and everything inbetween. Highlights have already been mentioned by other reviewers but my personal favourite is Mark Gatiss as the depressed tour guide of the Stumphole Cavern...brilliant stuff!

Continues the excellent pace and standard in black humour
Review date: 2002-10-24 Rating: 10 out of 10

I believe The League of Gentlemen deserves the crown of best British comedy in the last 7 years, second only to Brass Eye in the whole decade. The surrealist dark comedy did not falter in the progression from series one to series 2, if anything it got better. The comedy does not have quite such an immediate laugh-out-loud factor, but some of the darker sketches will keep you chuckling to yourself for days. The programme combines the absurd and disgusting with characters that are all too believable.

Many of the original characters from series 1 have been kept, including Tubbs and Edward, Pauline from the job centre, the toad family and the butcher Hillary Briss. Each of these storylines are added to and changed enough to prevent them becoming repetitive, but without losing any of their original humour. We also meet many new characters including Papa Lazarou; a carnival owner and Herr Lipp, a paedophilic German teacher.

The events in the town get increasingly strange and chaotic, with a perfect finale that really leaves the series on a terrifying note. No other programme has made uncomfortable black humour so delightingly funny. The only problem was the absence of the 2001 Christmas Special, which set the way for series 3.

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