The League of Gentlemen (writers and performers)

The League of Gentlemen are a group of British comedy writers and actors comprising Jeremy Dyson, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith and Mark Gatiss. All from the north of England, they are best known for their horror comedy series of the same name, mostly set in the fictional northern town of Royston Vasey. Pemberton, Shearsmith and Gatiss also starred in the series as well as writing for it.

The League of Gentlemen emerged from a series of live comedy sketches performed by the League over the years; in addition, they have appeared on radio and pursued separate careers from time to time. Gatiss, for example, has written for and starred in the science-fiction series Doctor Who, while Pemberton and Shearsmith have written and performed in another BBC series, Psychoville.

The League first emerged in 1994 for a live stage show, soon winning critical acclaim and recognition including the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. They secured a television series in 1999, which ran for three series and a Christmas special before spawning a 2005 film.