The League Of gentlemen Live

[zomgmouse]

Problem?

Yes

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

Nah, I meant the "photos of girls who were technically minors" line.

If it's any consolation, that line wasn't in reference to Les himself, but rather the bloke who owned the mobile disco that Les worked at as a young man.

Les naively hitching his wagon to someone who is eventually revealed to be a dodgy character seems pretty in keeping with the McQueen legacy - and is yet another comment about the 70s.

[mjwilson]

I'd say it's the best and most substantial programme of the three live shows and in many ways, feels like a continuation of the Local Book for Local people.

The written material feels like the truest continuations of the characters

Ah bugger, sounds like I should have picked one up.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Yes

Expand on why a comedy character who "literally" drugs and abuses boys is unacceptable.

[garbed_attic]

If it's any consolation, that line wasn't in reference to Les himself, but rather the bloke who owned the mobile disco that Les worked at as a young man.

Les naively hitching his wagon to someone who is eventually revealed to be a dodgy character seems pretty in keeping with the McQueen legacy - and is yet another comment about the 70s.

Ahhh thanks for that! Yes, that seems much, much more in character!

[zomgmouse]

Expand on why a comedy character who "literally" drugs and abuses boys is unacceptable.

[rm2kmaster]

I think the Bernice bit worked.

We will be arguing about which goblins go in which toilet while civilisation crumbles around us.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

Of course the Bernice material was in character; in the radio show she was shown, as a young girl, to have imitated the broadcasts of Lord Haw-Haw.

[Beep Cleep Chimney]

Saw them in Bournemouth last night and loved it.
One question to those who have seen them elsewhere on this tour.  Did Steve, Reece and Mark all start corpsing during the "Pop" sketch (the bit where he starts flirting with Reece as "Patricia") at every other performance?  I assumed it might've been a bit like those old Bottom Live shows where they'd pretend to corpse during the same bits every night.

[Deyv]

They didn't corpse in Nottingham, unless my memory's playing tricks on my mind. Reece did kill an audience member though which was, of course, very funny.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

Saw them in Bournemouth last night and loved it.
One question to those who have seen them elsewhere on this tour.  Did Steve, Reece and Mark all start corpsing during the "Pop" sketch (the bit where he starts flirting with Reece as "Patricia") at every other performance?  I assumed it might've been a bit like those old Bottom Live shows where they'd pretend to corpse during the same bits every night.

There was definitely some corpsing during the Pop sketch in Manchester last Saturday - think it was mainly Reece - specifically when Pop caresses 'Patricia's' shoulders - but Mark was laughing too. Reece gulped down the wine to hide the laughter - was that similar to your experience?

[Beep Cleep Chimney]

There was definitely some corpsing during the Pop sketch in Manchester last Saturday - think it was mainly Reece - specifically when Pop caresses 'Patricia's' shoulders - but Mark was laughing too. Reece gulped down the wine to hide the laughter - was that similar to your experience?

Yep, exactly the same.

[hummingofevil]

The first thing I thought about during the Pop sketch was Eddie and Ritchie corpsing. Was funny either way.

[Wet Blanket]

I was disappointed that there wasn't really any corpsing at all in Edinburgh. Presumably because it was an early date in the tour. When I saw them in Hull back in '01 there was a lot more fucking about and apparent ad-libbing.

There was a bit where Shearsmith stepped out of character in the Pauline segment but presumably that was scripted.

[Pete23]

Massive corpsing during the Pop sketch in Leeds, with Reece putting his hand over his face quite a lot to cover his laughter. In the programme there's a picture of them rehearsing that sketch and Reece is corpsing in exactly the same way, so I reckon it was deliberate. I wondered if it was done to make what was actually a pretty disturbing sketch a bit more light for the live audience? Not that they usually seem to care about things like that. Very funny though, whatever the intention.

[jake thunder]

They didn't corpse in Nottingham, unless my memory's playing tricks on my mind. Reece did kill an audience member though which was, of course, very funny.

Yeah they did corpse during the Pop bit in Nottingham. Obviously scripted. For shame. Cheap applause. Was good tho.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Mark Gatiss corpsed badly during the Denton sketch in Plymouth as the urine didn't fire off properly and you could see a big jet of it shooting up behind the set. It was very funny.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

In Manchester, Pemberton momentarily lost it during the Herr Lipp routine, at the woman volunteer's reaction to one of the innuendos.

Also, Reece broke at the, "stupid fucking twat," line in the Charlie and Stella sketch.

[neveragain]

Yeah they did corpse during the Pop bit in Nottingham. Obviously scripted. For shame. Cheap applause. Was good tho.

Did Steve (as Pop) say "What are you laughing about?" upon returning to the stage?

[Wet Blanket]

Shearsmith's not happy about your scripted corpse suspicions, fellas

From Twitter

The WORST crime (apart from littering) is a scripted corpse. We do NOT and never have done that. We don't need to. I just can't do the show for laughing.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Haha! Well there you go. It's a very funny show Reece. I bought a T-shirt (the Pam Doove one)

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Yes go on please. You quote it as though the reason ought to be self-evident but surely it's clear from inspecting the topic and the popularity of the character more widely, that you are in a minority, shifting the onus on you to explain why you reached a less common view.

I am asking you to please articulate in your own words why you feel it is unacceptable this character was created/still being performed .

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Shouldn't be performed anymore because it ' s extremely hackneyed and was by far the weakest and most unnecessary part of the three recently broadcast LOG shows ( not quite as weak as the Papa Lazarou joke, but, still.. ),  and is beneath them.

[Josef K]

Surprised to read little criticism here about them spending most of the first half just performing sketches word for word from their nearly 2 decade old TV show. It was fine, but for £40 a ticket they're taking the piss with that.

Suppose it went down well with the garlic bread demographic

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

Surprised to read little criticism here about them spending most of the first half just performing sketches word for word from their nearly 2 decade old TV show. It was fine, but for £40 a ticket they're taking the piss with that.

Suppose it went down well with the garlic bread demographic

I was similarly outraged when Monty Python recently reformed, only to perform material dating back to the late 60s, early 70s. Shocking behaviour!

[BritishHobo]

Shearsmith's not happy about your scripted corpse suspicions, fellas

From Twitter

V-Sick

Throwing Steve's hand off your shoulder in Leeds to help stop yourself from corpsing was one of the funniest things also, when you'd spectacularly messed up your line in one of the other sketches at the same show was so funny too but being professionals carried on through. 🤡

Reece Shearsmith

I don't remember "spectacularly" messing up any lines.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

He says he doesn't remember messing up, but at the show I saw, he made a complete mess of the Greenwood's Orange Juice audition, even though Steve gave him several chances to get the line right.

[rm2kmaster]

He's a miserable cunt Reece Shearsmith.

[neveragain]

Surprised to read little criticism here about them spending most of the first half just performing sketches word for word from their nearly 2 decade old TV show. It was fine, but for £40 a ticket they're taking the piss with that.

Suppose it went down well with the garlic bread demographic

This is their farewell show so there's nothing wrong with doing sketches they're known for. The first half of Local Show was filled with obscure choices so it's not as if that's all they've ever done.
Besides which there were three sketches that were new (or at least less familiar) - the Cavern Guide speech, Fun Time and the Legz Akimbo play, though that did recreate some moments from earlier plays. Go Johnny did appear in Local Show but that was the only sketch to do so. Second half was mostly new as well. It's a balancing act and you can't please everybody. And you're paying to see a live performance, it's not any guarantee of newness (which as I say they did actually deliver). It's analogous with seeing a band, hearing the old hits. I know some people find the idea of seeing old comedy live a bit weird as you know the punchlines but it still works and there's something about the live experience and heightened performances that really adds another layer of enjoyment.