”Going somewhere Local?” The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse
Edward Tattsyrup is an antagonist turned protagonist in The League of Gentlemen. He is the proprietor of the Local Shop, along with Tubbs Tattsyrup. He is portrayed by Reece Sheersmith
Biography[]
Edward is co-proprietor of the Local Shop -- which is situated on a hill just above Royston Vasey proper. It is a Local Shop for local people. Edward and his wife (and sister), Tubbs, do not approve of non-local outsiders who do not understand their local customs and local ways. They are extremely distrustful of anyone not local (and usually end up killing anyone not local). Although their shop (which they inherited from their mother) is full of "precious things", they are loathe to part with their stock. Edward "was in a war" and has seen more of the outside world than Tubbs.
Edward feels particularly threatened when a new road offers the chance of new strangers coming to town. He does everything he can think of to thwart the roads progress, including killing off road surveyors and stealing zoo-animals with which to make a "beast" and scare the construction workers away. He witnesses his wife being lured by the idea of seeing something new, and upset with him for keeping information about the outside world from her. The final blow is learning that his estranged son, David, is behind the road's construction. Tubbs and David make plans to leave him behind in Royston Vasey, but Edward is able to persuade David (by what means I cannot begin to imagine) to live "locally".
Eventually, Edward decides that it is time to find David (who has mutated a bit) a bride. After a few failed attempts at finding the proper "local" stock, they manage to capture Barbara, who agrees to wed their son. Sadly, on their son's wedding night, the Shop is burned to the ground (by locals who wrongly believe that they are responsible for the plague -- for once Tubbs and Edward are actually innocent of any crime). Barbara escapes, and eventually bares Edward's grandchildren -- a set of twins.
At the beginning of the third season we discover that Tubbs and Edward survived the burning of the local shop (a little worse for wear) and they set out to find someplace new to call "local". Blinded during the incident, Edward relies on Tubbs to lead the way, but she doesn't realize that she's leading them down train-tracks. She and Edward finally meet their end as a fast-moving train mows them down.
Useless Trivia[]
- Tubbs and Edward are based on a real-life shopkeeper in a little town near Brighton called Rottindean. Whilst on their first tour, the League-members wandered into her shop, and she proceeded to watch them all warily as though she didn't trust them. She also had a lot of snowstorms and tourist junk. She was so defensive of the "strangers" in her shop that the League (who are all nice guys, really) got rather offended at her distrust.
- In Series 1, Episode 1, Edward's teeth don't have that filed-down look they obtain in later episodes.
- The stunningly gorgeous shot of Edward lit by lightning as he watches the workmen uncover "the beast" (Series 1, episode 3) was based on a famous 1910 photo of Charles Ogle as the original Frankenstein's monster.
Quotes[]
- What's going on? What all this shouting? We'll have no trouble here!
- His mind has been corrupted by colors, sounds, and shapes!
- Strangers would come to the shop [...] in gangs of one or two!
- You heard the man Tubbs. Get undressed.
- Is his identity known?
- You won't catch me with my trousers down!
- Don't worry, Tubbs. They won't get far!
- How much to leave the shop and never come back? Seventy? Eighty? Alright a pound.