6. The League Of Gentlemen's Apocalypse
Why It Should Have Been Great: With the groundwork already set by a radio programme, three series and a Christmas special, we knew that the show could be dark. And funny. And so a
feature-length spin-off could be darker and funnier still. Although an extended episode would suit some followers just fine, the transition from small screen to big requires the stakes to be raised considerably higher. After all, it is the end of the world...
Why It Wasn't: Our beloved characters and catchphrases may be intact- but they're swamped under ninety minutes of self-indulgence. Just get a load of the synopsis: After the show's writers decide to kill off their creations in favour of writing a historical horror feature called The King's Evil, they are shocked to find that their characters - Tubbs, Edward, Hilary and all- have escaped their universe and stumbled into ours. And so we have the writers (Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith and Mark Gatiss) playing not only themselves and their LoG characters but also those from The King's Evil. Simultaneously. All, that is, except writer Jeremy Dyson, who doesn't want to end the show and, for the purposes of this film, is being played by Martin Sheen. Such meta-fictional razzle-dazzle bears the mark of Charlie Kaufman but none of the wit. Instead, it feels as though the film has decided it would rather be clever than comic; swirling together the three storylines in the hope that something funny will suddenly- miraculously - fly out. If you're a fan of the show, you'll have already seen better sketches. If you're new to the League, this isn't the most promising place to start.