I am really enjoying Psychoville the new seven part BBC2 comedy series from the League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. I am an absolute League of Gentlemen fanatic (as anyone who knows me can tell you) and Psychoville’s seven episode run has me in TV heaven.

Attempting to make a comedic series as complex and multi-layered as, say, “24” or “Lost” and with distinctly Hitchcockian elements in abundance (ep #4 is one continuous shot!), Pemberton and Shearsmith’s script ties together several disparate characters: Maureen and David Sowerbutts, a mother-son serial killer duo; Mr. Jelly, a bitter one-armed alcoholic party clown for hire; Oscar Lomax, a blind millionaire who collects Beanie Babies; Joy Aston (played by Dawn French), a nurse who believe a doll is her real son and a dwarf actor with telekinesis trying to hide his “midget porn” past.

All six are connected by a mysterious letter they all receive that simply reads: “I know what you did.”

Welcome to Psychoville by co-creator Reece Shearsmith
Psychoville: the new home of horror comedy
Video interview with Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith

It’s a quality series for sure. I hope they make more of them. After watching the first episode, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be as good as ‘League Of Gentlemen’, but by episode two I was hooked. The intricacy and depth of the storyline would be amazing enough on its own, but to throw in drama, mystery and comedy - with that whole twisted sinister edge - is truly remarkable. In my eyes, Pemberton and Shearsmith are two of the most talented storytellers of our time.

I’m an Ex-pat who really misses the quality and creativity of British TV.  I’ll definitely have to pick this up when it’s on DVD.