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| League of Gentlemen and Alan Partridge returning to BBC | League of Gentlemen and Alan Partridge returning to BBC |
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| The League of Gentlemen and Alan Partridge are to return to the BBC it has been announced. | The League of Gentlemen and Alan Partridge are to return to the BBC it has been announced. |
| The long-rumoured reunion of the cast of the League will be for a series for special episodes to mark the 20th anniversary of its debut on the BBC. It will see Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith and Jeremy Dyson reunite revive the strange residents of Royston Vasey in three episodes of the black comedy. | The long-rumoured reunion of the cast of the League will be for a series for special episodes to mark the 20th anniversary of its debut on the BBC. It will see Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith and Jeremy Dyson reunite revive the strange residents of Royston Vasey in three episodes of the black comedy. |
| Jeremy Dyson said a reunion had been in the works for a while as “we were all missing each other” but it had been a struggle to find a time when they were all free. | Jeremy Dyson said a reunion had been in the works for a while as “we were all missing each other” but it had been a struggle to find a time when they were all free. |
| The announcement was made by BBC2 controller Patrick Holland. Holland also told the Edinburgh international television festival that plans were also afoot to bring back Norwich’s best-known broadcaster Alan Partridge, played by Steve Coogan. | The announcement was made by BBC2 controller Patrick Holland. Holland also told the Edinburgh international television festival that plans were also afoot to bring back Norwich’s best-known broadcaster Alan Partridge, played by Steve Coogan. |
| Alex Moody, commissioning editor of comedy at BBC2, added: “It’s an exciting thing. The BBC is in need and who better? With Brexit and political unrest what broadcaster do we need to make sense of it all but Partridge?” | Alex Moody, commissioning editor of comedy at BBC2, added: “It’s an exciting thing. The BBC is in need and who better? With Brexit and political unrest what broadcaster do we need to make sense of it all but Partridge?” |
| Gatiss, whose most recent successes have included Sherlock, had hinted at an Oxford Union talk in June that a reunion was in the works. | Gatiss, whose most recent successes have included Sherlock, had hinted at an Oxford Union talk in June that a reunion was in the works. |
| He was followed by Shearsmith, who confirmed the same month they had begun work on new League of Gentlemen scripts. “Fun and strange to be writing The League of Gentlemen again,” he said. “Evidently it’s true … we’ll never leave.” | He was followed by Shearsmith, who confirmed the same month they had begun work on new League of Gentlemen scripts. “Fun and strange to be writing The League of Gentlemen again,” he said. “Evidently it’s true … we’ll never leave.” |
| Dyson said they had preliminarily agreed to revisit Royston Vasey and its strange inhabitants in April and had finally sat down to write in June, though without a set idea of how the new series would take shape. | Dyson said they had preliminarily agreed to revisit Royston Vasey and its strange inhabitants in April and had finally sat down to write in June, though without a set idea of how the new series would take shape. |
| “We were sceptical that it would actually happen. Even as we were meeting and writing it we kept saying, ‘But it’s not really going to happen.’ But it seems it is. It’s come together very quickly, with the BBC committing to doing it, so it’s been quite an intense period working on it from late Spring until now.” | “We were sceptical that it would actually happen. Even as we were meeting and writing it we kept saying, ‘But it’s not really going to happen.’ But it seems it is. It’s come together very quickly, with the BBC committing to doing it, so it’s been quite an intense period working on it from late Spring until now.” |
| He added: “When we started out we didn’t know exactly what we were going to do, it was all quite exploratory as we sat down and did it. At first we were reluctant about committing to do more than an hour, but then we found that we had loads of stuff, and we ended up writing more than we’ll use.” | He added: “When we started out we didn’t know exactly what we were going to do, it was all quite exploratory as we sat down and did it. At first we were reluctant about committing to do more than an hour, but then we found that we had loads of stuff, and we ended up writing more than we’ll use.” |
| The third and last series of the League of Gentlemen was broadcast in 2002 . It was followed by a film spin-off, The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse, and a theatre production, The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You, in 2005. Yet Dyson said it had been easy for him and the rest of the League team to slot back into old routines of writing together, despite 12 years having passed. | The third and last series of the League of Gentlemen was broadcast in 2002 . It was followed by a film spin-off, The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse, and a theatre production, The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You, in 2005. Yet Dyson said it had been easy for him and the rest of the League team to slot back into old routines of writing together, despite 12 years having passed. |
| “We didn’t know what it was going to be like but it was joyful for us all, very fluid. And I think we all appreciate each other more. Having been apart, you really realise what a lovely thing it was that we did, and it was a lovely thing to return to,” he said. | “We didn’t know what it was going to be like but it was joyful for us all, very fluid. And I think we all appreciate each other more. Having been apart, you really realise what a lovely thing it was that we did, and it was a lovely thing to return to,” he said. |
| The new series marks the League of Gentlemen’s 20th anniversary of their BBC radio debut. It began as a sketch show on the London fringe in 1994, but after their Edinburgh fringe run in two years later they were given a show on BBC Radio 4 in 1997, and promptly won a comedy award. In 1999 it transferred to TV, where its dark humour quickly gained a cult following. | The new series marks the League of Gentlemen’s 20th anniversary of their BBC radio debut. It began as a sketch show on the London fringe in 1994, but after their Edinburgh fringe run in two years later they were given a show on BBC Radio 4 in 1997, and promptly won a comedy award. In 1999 it transferred to TV, where its dark humour quickly gained a cult following. |
| Dyson said it would be interesting to see how the show fitted into the current TV landscape, and while he would not give away any details about plot, characters or where the series will pick back up, he was adamant “we haven’t compromised. If you liked the show before, you’ll like this.” | Dyson said it would be interesting to see how the show fitted into the current TV landscape, and while he would not give away any details about plot, characters or where the series will pick back up, he was adamant “we haven’t compromised. If you liked the show before, you’ll like this.” |
| Filming will begin the end of September on the special episodes. And could there be more after this? “Who knows,” said Dyson. “Let’s make it first and then we’ll see.” | Filming will begin the end of September on the special episodes. And could there be more after this? “Who knows,” said Dyson. “Let’s make it first and then we’ll see.” |
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