Inside No. 9: Stage/Fright and the end of Greenwich's Sunday Special - Mark Muldoon's Comedy Diary
Published: Thursday 30th January 2025
Episodes of the revered television show Inside No. 9 had a habit of revealing themselves to be a love letter to television itself. Perhaps makes sense, then, that Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's hotly-anticipated stage show version would end up displaying a similarly strong affection for theatre.
A large proportion of the show is given over to comedy. There is (and should be) a big difference between the style of humour you'd find at 8pm on BBC One and what would find a home at 10pm on BBC Two, and Stage/Fright sticks fairly rigidly to the former mode. Which makes it less of a distinctive offering in London's West End. Sometimes the broad approach to humour is itself part of the joke, which allows you to offer the show a little more patience, but those moments are limited.
There's a vast amount to admire about the TV version of Inside No. 9, and plenty does impress here too. Specific elements are as clever as fans would hope. The structure of one scene means that it'll presumably need a bit of a rewrite for every performance. One portrait of a fictional "heritage" comedy double act feels almost like you're peering into the partnerships of Lee & Herring or Little Britain just as they are falling apart.
That scene, however, also rehashes an old episode of the TV show, further increasing the feeling that Stage/Fright isn't the careful labour of love you may have been hoping for. A disaster? Far from it. Oddly, people who haven't seen the TV show before may end up enjoying it more. With some of the creative decisions taken here, you almost suspect that was a deliberate.
Sunday Special - a weekly night at Up The Creek comedy club in Greenwich - is about to stage its final ever show, after 20 years in the game. Not too bad an innings, is it. It maintained a loyal audience thanks, in part, to being the place to see industry icon Daniel Kitson play about masterfully with stand-up and audience interaction, long after he'd otherwise departed the art form in favour of [glares disapprovingly] theatrical aspirations.
The night stood out in London's comedy scene, then, but you could also argue it stood out even at its own venue. If your ideal comedy club experience is not being able to hear ethically questionable material because nearby audience members are chatting during the show, Up The Creek may just be the venue for you. Or, as John Robins - the host of one of Sunday Special's final shows - jokes on stage, we the audience are "not a cavalcade of c**ts".
The resulting night is comedy bliss. Robins on MC duties is the finest we've ever seen him do it, as he struggles with the ethics of his attraction to a woman on the front row. Lou Sanders then arrives on stage and opens by stating "has anybody got parked outside a Kia Venga [registration number redacted]?"
An audience member responds: "Yes"
Lou: "I've gone into the back of it."
I presumed this was a fantastically inventive way to start a set, but now suspect that no, it might just be what actually happened.
Social media star Jenny Tian (228k Instagram followers!) marks herself out as an obvious one-to-watch during her set, whilst another new face, Thor Stenhaug, is genuinely thrilling.
Headlining duties fall to Ivo Graham. Which is already an enticing prospect: previously he's road-tested phenomenal material here; material that would strangely find itself replaced by more middling humour once he'd headed out on tour.
Well, his comedy tonight has virtually no chance of ever being repeated: Ivo essentially fashions a bespoke one-off set about Will Briggs, Sunday Special's long-term benevolent (but apparently inept) overlord. It means the set falls somewhere in the middle ground between stand-up comedy and a very funny best man speech.
A week later, the penultimate Sunday Special is a rare opportunity to see Ed Gamble in the MC hotseat (surprisingly rare, as he's certainly good at sparring with the audience), Fern Brady (just doing solid material from her recently-completed tour), Sharon Wanjohi (performing an entirely different set to the last time I saw her here, therefore pretty much confirming she's ready to smash a debut hour), Josh Widdicombe (a v. encouraging run through some new material) and Jeff Innocent (he maybe wouldn't have been your first choice of headliner, but it definitely worked).
The final Sunday Special is this Sunday. It's sold out, though.
Read previous editions of this column, featuring Taskmaster: The Live Experience, The Rest is Entertainment Live and the top 50 comedy shows of 2024.
Mark Muldoon is also available on Instagram, Threads and Bluesky. He's glad he doesn't live in rival South East London neighborhoods Thamesmead, Welling, Beckenham or Eltham. Those guys got rinsed.
Help us publish more great content by becoming a BCG Supporter. You'll be backing our mission to champion, celebrate and promote British comedy in all its forms: past, present and future.
We understand times are tough, but if you believe in the power of laughter we'd be honoured to have you join us. Advertising doesn't cover our costs, so every single donation matters and is put to good use. Thank you.
Love comedy? Find out more