We’re 15 days away from the big event, and the question on everyone’s lips seems to be: “Are you feeling Christmassy yet?”
For some of us, the act of getting in the Christmassy mood can be difficult. While everyone else is all tinsel and cheer, those of us with slightly darker temperaments are finding it hard to get out of bed, let alone into the festive spirit. Therefore, in order to come somewhere between appeasing these cheery people and staying true to our own Scrooge-y selves, there is but one Christmas special that you need to watch over the coming days.
The League of Gentlemen is a comedy series renowned for it’s dark humour and horror-inspired plots that are as terrifying as they are hilarious. Written and performed by Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, the League’s festive special contains an amalgamation of twisted sketches that reveal what some of Royston Vasey’s most favoured (and grotesque) residents get up to in the festive period.
Sketches include an Eyes Wide Shut-inspired story about a cult that consults a put-out housewife who is jealous of her husband’s latest hobby, a Nosferatu-like tale in which a young choir boy discovers a terrible secret about his new singing troupe and a Dickensian sketch that details how the ancestor of Royston Vasey’s most misfortunate vet became cursed by his job. And of course, one of the League’s most iconic (and controversial) characters, Papa Lazarou, also appears to frighten the wits out of the town’s miserly priest, Bernice.
Full to the brim with popular film references, and laced with bucket-loads of amusingly dark wit, The League of Gentlemen‘s Christmas special is the perfect antidote to relent yourself of festive cheer. Don’t believe me? Just watch.
