The League of Gentlemen are a quartet of British dark comedy writers / performers, formed in 1995 by Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith.

The first series aired on BBC Two in 1999, and follows the lives of dozens of the town's bizarre inhabitants, played by Gatiss, Pemberton and Shearsmith in a number of different guises and make-up.

However, Shearsmith and Pemberton did reunite in 2009 to create a similarly-dark BBC sitcom, Psychoville, which featured an episode guest-starring Gatiss.

Despite this claim, Gatiss appears in the show as an actor who is murdered by the characters played by Pemberton and Shearsmith.

In the DVD commentary on the second series, Pemberton and Shearsmith state that Papa Lazarou's speech patterns are based on their former landlord, who would phone their flat and insist on speaking only to Steve.

The majority of the inhabitants of the village — male and female — are played by Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton, and Mark Gatiss, and the script was written by these three, along with Jeremy Dyson.

In the live shows, when Pam Doove was auditioning for a part in the Christmas Nativity Play, directed by Ollie Plimsolls, Pam had to audition in front of Ollie's Legz Akimbo colleague Dave ( Pemberton ), who said that Ollie couldn't make it " for obvious reasons " ( Shearsmith plays both Pam and Ollie in the television series ).

The show contains dark humour, with many of the scenes inspired by horror films ( the policeman who visits Tubbs and Edward in the first series is a reference to The Wicker Man ), documentaries ( Dr. Carlton came from a programme called Change of Sex which featured a " monstrously unsympathetic " doctor ) and personal experience-Legz Akimbo came from the writers ' experiences in amateur theatre ; Pauline Campbell-Jones came from Reece Shearsmith's own Restart officer and Papa Lazarou came from a former landlord Pemberton and Shearsmith had.

He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen alongside Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and co-writer Jeremy Dyson, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock.

Gatiss is perhaps best known as a member of the sketch comedy team The League of Gentlemen ( along with fellow performers Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and co-writer Jeremy Dyson ).

In this his voice is used along with the other actors of League of Gentlemen such as Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith.

Its graduates include Richard O ' Brien, Louisa Leaman, Kay Mellor, Colin Welland, John Godber, Comedian Ray Peacock ( Ian Boldsworth ), Sir Ken Robinson, David Rappaport, Mark Thomas, Jonathan Kerrigan, Esther Hall, Christopher Barlow, the comedian and actress Emma Fryer, Queer as Folk actress Carla Henry, the pop band The Research, three of the four League of Gentlemen creators / performers, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, Emmerdale's Emily Kirk, performer Hayli Clifton, actress Kate McGregor, Shelley Conn, This Mornings fashion expert John Scott, educationalist Wil Edmunds, and Louisa Stanley.

Starring Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, the film was written by the cast with Jeremy Dyson, and directed by Steve Bendelack.

After throwing Jeremy off the cliff, only three of the writers remain: Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith.

After sneaking into an office where Gatiss, Pemberton and Shearsmith are working, they discover the new project they are working on.

Hilary takes Pemberton up to Hadfield, where he telephones Shearsmith about what has been going on.

Shearsmith does not believe that Pemberton has been captured and that he is playing a joke on him, so Hilary comes to the phone.

Nearly all of the action involves the characters Herr Lipp, Hilary Briss and Geoff Tipps, played by Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith respectively.

It was at Bretton Hall that Shearsmith met Pemberton, Gatiss and Dyson.

Steve James Pemberton ( born 1 September 1967 ) is an English actor, comedian, writer and performer, most famous as a member of The League of Gentlemen along with fellow performers Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss and co-writer Jeremy Dyson.

It was co-written by Pemberton and his League of Gentlemen cohort Reece Shearsmith.

Both Shearsmith and Pemberton star in the series and play numerous characters, similar to the format of The League of Gentlemen.

Despite being one of the more bizarre characters in the series, Papa Lazarou was actually based on a real person, Peter Papalazarou who was a landlord who owned a flat in which Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton lived.

When he called, he would only ever ask for " Steve " ( Pemberton ), and would refuse to talk to Shearsmith.

Higson and Banks also appeared, together with Matt Lucas, Reece Shearsmith, Mark Benton and others, in the surreal 6-part BBC Three comedy series Catterick ( 2004 ), sometimes listed as Vic and Bob in Catterick.

* In 1996 / 97, he appeared on an episode of Mash and Peas with Matt Lucas, David Walliams and Reece Shearsmith, in a sketch spoofing Seinfeld, called I'm Bland ... yet all my friends are krazy !.

Shearsmith is more positive about the idea on the unofficial website, though he adds that any new series will not be set in Royston Vasey, as the group believes the village has exhausted its comedy potential.

Similarly, Ollie Plimsolls is based on a community theatre actor that Shearsmith had worked with.

Shearsmith initially believes that Gatiss is joining in on the " joke " when he opens a door and Gatiss is standing right in front of him.

Reece Shearsmith: " I've done a few Hello Dave's for people's answering machines ," said Reece Shearsmith, before putting on the Papa Lazarou voice, ' They're not in at the moment!

There were some very mixed opinions on the show among both critics and viewers, but it achieved decent ratings and featured an excellent comedy cast including Richard Griffiths, Alexander Armstrong and The League of Gentlemen's Reece Shearsmith.

", Shearsmith simply replied " Yes ", but was quick to change the subject and not reveal anything about a new series.

In May 2008, Shearsmith confirmed that although he and Steve would be making Psychoville ( broadcast in 2009 ) without the other members of the league, the League would re-unite in the future.

His landlord in London, Shearsmith, said he ate no meat but his maid, who served Swedenborg, said that he ate eels and pigeon pie.

The programme featured Banks, Lucas, Shearsmith, Benton, Reeves, Mortimer and Coogan, plus a wide array of further guests including Fiona Allen, Ronni Ancona, Leslie Ash, Lynda Bellingham, Ronnie Corbett, Tim Healy, Jane Horrocks, Neil Morrissey, Griff Rhys Jones, John Simm, Meera Syal, Ricky Tomlinson and Richard Wilson.

Vic and Bob played the main roles, with Charlie Higson, Morwenna Banks, Tim Healy, Mark Benton, Matt Lucas and The League of Gentlemens Reece Shearsmith.

The actor / comedian Reece Shearsmith turns up in this episode as one of Max's old friends.

In Smallville, Star-Spangled Kid ( Sylvester Pemberton ) appeared in the season 9 interquel movie: " Absolute Justice ", where he contacts Chloe Sullivan and is later killed by Icicle's son after a brief fight.

In 2008, they appeared again at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, in addition to performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago, the All Points West Music & Arts Festival in Jersey City, and the Pemberton Festival in Pemberton, BC.

Yale president Arthur Twining Hadley penned the inscription, which reads: " On Pemberton Hill, 255 Feet North of This Spot, Was Born on April Fifth 1649 Elihu Yale, Governor of Madras, Whose Permanent Memorial in His Native Land is the College That Bears His Name.

In the June 1994 issue of UK magazine Mixmag, music journalist Andy Pemberton used it to describe the hip hop instrumental " In / Flux ", a 1993 single by San Francisco's DJ Shadow, and other similar tracks released on the Mo ' Wax label and being played in London clubs at the time.

" In / Flux ", with its mixed up bpms, spoken word samples, strings, melodies, bizarre noises, prominent bass, and slow beats, gave the listener the impression they were on a musical trip, according to Pemberton.

After a series of battles and having taken a railroad junction near Jackson, Grant went on to defeat Confederate General John C. Pemberton at the Battle of Champion Hill.

Pemberton, who was in charge of the fortress, surrendered to Grant on July 4, 1863.

Eighteen of the scripts were written by Stewart, before pressure of other work meant that Stewart had to move on, and the final serial, “ The Day of the Clone ”, was written by Victor Pemberton.

Pemberton relied on Atlanta druggist Willis Venable to test, and help him perfect, the recipe for the beverage, which recipe he formulated by trial and error.

Pemberton was a veteran Confederate States of America lieutenant colonel who served on the first Georgia pharmacy licensing board after the war.

It is situated on the Vasse Highway some 10 km west of Pemberton.

The surrender of Vicksburg by Confederate General John C. Pemberton on July 4, 1863, together with the defeat of General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg the day before, has historically marked the turning point in the Civil War.

Pemberton was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on December 15, 1826, within portions of New Hanover Township and Northampton Township ( now known as Mount Holly Township ).

, the mayor of Pemberton Borough is Mayor William Kochersperger, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2015.

Pemberton was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 10, 1846, from portions of New Hanover Township, Northampton Township ( now known as Mount Holly Township ) and Southampton Township.

Woodland was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1866, from portions of Pemberton Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township and Washington Township.

Steve Pemberton, the creator of The League of Gentlemen, based most of its characters on folk from Adlington.

The character of Herr Lipp is believed to be based on a hospital chaplain Steve Pemberton encountered after suffering a heart attack in Germany and Pauline is primarily based on a restart officer of Reece Shearsmith's.

In early 2006 Adams performed a solo tour of the United Kingdom, often accompanied by Brad Pemberton ( drummer for The Cardinals ) and on the final date in London by Carina Round, who performed harmony vocals on ' Come Pick Me Up ' from his first solo album-' Heartbreaker '.