A writer, performer, and actor, Mark Gatiss is most famous as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentleman. His first taste of popular success was winning the 1997 Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his League of Gentlemen colleagues. Up until then he had done some TV writing on science fiction projects, and made a few acting appearances. The troupe's success led to "The League of Gentlemen" TV series in 1999, which ran until 2002. Its sketch comedy format featured absurd observational humor about British life and was a huge success. Gatiss has made numerous appearances in other TV series in England, including a co-starring role in the dark comedy "Nighty Night"; the sci-fi comedy "Clone"; and the 2005 reboot of the classic sci-fi series "Doctor Who," for which the actor also contributed his writing talents. Indeed, Gatiss has written screenplays for the TV shows "Crooked House," "Agatha Christie: Poirot," and several TV movies. In 2010 the TV series "Sherlock" debuted, which he co-created. Gatiss has also written books about the film industry and "Doctor Who" novels.