Appears in:
Series 2, The Christmas Special, Live at Drury Lane, Series 3

Played By:
Reece Shearsmith

Quickie Bio:
Bizarre, otherworldly guy who calls everyone "Dave", sells pegs, and who steals your taps as well as your wife. He's the ringleader of his "Pandemonium Carnival", and typically travels with 3 dwarves. His coloring is very odd, to say the least. He demonstrates "amazing psychic powers" by contacting the dearly departed as part of his circus act (although he really just does this to get more wives). He collects wives, and keeps a list of all of them in a book. He makes sure he has a good supply of animals for his circus. To "mingle" with normal society he took someone else's name and persona (covering his dark skin with makeup techniques learned from his many wives). As strange as he is, he was weirded-out by Royston Vasey's townspeople just as the nosebleed epidemic was starting.

Papa Lazarou is one of my all-time favorite characters, and I hate to spoil some of his surprises here, so my synopsis of him is short and sweet...

Useless Trivia:
  • Papa Lazarou is based on Steve and Reece's ex-landlord, who was named Mr. Papalazarou. The landlord would only deal with Steve, even if Reece was the only person there. His ignoring Reece to ask for Steve has now been forever immortalized (with the name "Dave" replacing "Steve"). He was also known to say "It's just a saga now."
  • Another League-recycled quote from the real Papalazarou is Pop's infamous phone number, 444-4244.
  • The Series 3 scenes that show Papa Lazarou captured have many parallels with The Exorcist (even down to substituting the name of Charity Shop worker Merrill for that of Father Merrin).
  • Papa Lazarou's "Book of Wives" is full of pictures of various crew members.
  • According to the Series 3 DVD commentary, Papa Lazarou's first name is Peter.


  • Quotes:
  • Is Dave there?
  • You're my wife now
  • Want to buy some pegs, Dave?
  • This is just a saga now
  • Tell them the circus is coming to town
  • I got some pegs belonging to you!


  • back
    Series 2

    The Christmas Special

    Live at Drury Lane

    Series 3
    Mama Lazarou

    Appears in:
    Series 2, Live at Drury Lane

    Played By:
    Mark Gatiss

    Quickie Bio:
    Apparently she's not really his wife. She's an abductee like all of his other wives. She speaks fluent gibberish, which Papa Lazarou understands even though she doesn't. She reads palms. She begs housewife Mary Hobbsfor help when Papa Lazarou goes to the toilet, but alas she never gets away.



    back
    Series 2

    Live at Drury Lane
    Mary Hobbs

    Appears in:
    Series 2, Live at Drury Lane

    Played By:
    Steve Pemberton

    Quickie Bio:
    A nice, normal housewife who is not expecting a travelling circus man to break into her home. She is flustered yet polite, and eventually becomes one of Papa Lazarou's many wives. She gets hosed down in the Elephant man cage along with many other new wives.

    Useless Trivia:
  • The cage Mary get put into at the carnival is the cage from The Elephant Man.




  • back
    Series 2

    Live at Drury Lane
    Reg Ingleby

    Appears in:
    Series 2

    Played By:
    Reece Shearsmith

    Quickie Bio:
    He's billed as the World's Smallest Escapologist in Papa Lazarou's Pandemonium Carnival, however all we see of him is a tiny, chained-up bag wiggling as the trapped-inside Ingleby yells "Someone let me out!"

    Useless Trivia:
  • In the radio series, Reg Ingleby is the diminutive shopkeeper who cannot reach any of the items on his store shelves, and is always asking for someone to lift him up.




  • back
    Series 2
    Simba Brown

    Appears in:
    Series 2, The Christmas Special, Series 3

    Played By:
    Rusty Goffe

    Quickie Bio:
    The one usually left in charge when the boss goes out. Aids his boss in procuring wives. Dresses up like one of Santa's elves at Christmas.

    Useless Trivia:
  • Simba's "little girl crying in the corner" act in Series 3 is reminiscent of the movie Don't Look Now, a League favorite.




  • back
    Series 2

    The Christmas Special

    Series 3
    Pebble Reynolds

    Appears in:
    Series 2, The Christmas Special, Series 3

    Played By:
    Gerald Stadden

    Quickie Bio:
    Runs the goldfish-bowl carnival game (which Dr. Chinnery accidentally destroys). Aids his boss in procuring wives. Dresses up like one of Santa's elves at Christmas.



    back
    Series 2

    The Christmas Special

    Series 3
    Tik-Tikk Binns

    Appears in:
    Series 2, The Christmas Special, Series 3

    Played By:
    Jon Key

    Quickie Bio:
    Aids his boss, both in running the circus and in procuring wives. Dresses up like one of Santa's elves at Christmas.



    back
    Series 2

    The Christmas Special

    Series 3
    Irish Giant

    Appears in:
    Series 2

    Played By:
    John Lebar

    Quickie Bio:
    His weight is seventeen stones... the circumference around his neck is eighteen inches... He is frequently abused by dwarves.

    Useless Trivia:
  • Mark Gatiss actually did the voice for the "Giant"


  • back
    Series 2
    Bearded Lady

    Appears in:
    Series 2

    Played By:
    Alison Passey

    Quickie Bio:
    The Bearded Lady in Papa Lazarou's Pandemonium Carnival, she gets into a bit of a scuffle with Barbara because her beard isn't real.

    Useless Trivia:
  • Alison was production manager on The Christmas Special and production accountant on Series 1.


  • back
    Series 2
    Patsy Towers

    Appears in:
    Series 2

    Played By:
    Scott Langridge

    Quickie Bio:
    Patsy runs a carnival-type game that involves shooting targets with a rifle

    Useless Trivia:
  • Scott/Patsy worked as a costume assistant on the show. "Patsy Towers" is his drag character.


  • back
    Series 2
    Katie Morgan

    Appears in:
    Series 3

    Played By:
    Helen Johnson

    Quickie Bio:
    Katie was once married to Geoff Tipps, but later left him and married his friend, Brian. She may or may not have had an affair with Geoff's boss, Mike.

    After the circus came to town, Katie went missing. Brian continued to hunt for her, and eventually found a her brooch at the Charity Shop. He eventually did get to see her again...

    Useless Trivia:
  • Helen, who plays Katie, is one of the hair & makeup assistants on the crew.


  • back
    Series 3



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