Julie Hesmondhalgh

For Reece Shearsmith, whose collaborations with fellow writer and actor Steve Pemberton include The League Of Gentlemen] and Psychoville, there's something irresistible about the dark side of life. "Whenever we've tried to do anything lighter, it doesn't feel complete until we've added some darkness", says Reese, who co-wrote Inside No. 9 with Steve. "The tales are not always horrible - but then again, maybe our threshold of what's horrible is very different from everyone else's!"

Their new collection of surreal stories opens in the No. 9 carriage of a sleeper train in France. Jack Whitehall, Waterloo Road's Mark Benton and former Corrie star Julie Hesmondhalgh are among the passengers trapped for one night on a journey that takes a chilling turn.

"The thrill is that viewers never quite know what's happening," says Reece, 45. "Each episode starts with its feet on the ground, and the scenery looks familiar. That's how we lull you. You think: 'I've seen this before' - and then suddenly it turns into something you definitely haven't seen before. We hope that's what makes Inside No. 9 more arresting."

The Sun, 21st March 2015

Radio Times review

It's impossible to predict how well any new sitcom will do from just one listen. I still wince when I recall my damning judgement on Little Britain after its first airing. We have to get to know the characters before we can empathise with them and, indeed, make a commitment to follow their fates.

So it is with joy in my heart that I announce I will be staying with Cleaning Up. Set in a Manchester office, it's an all-female team of cleaners, headed up by Julie (Julie Hesmondhalgh) and Dave, the security guard (John Thompson), who draw us so entirely into their world. And then their apple cart is upset when the unheard of happens: a male cleaner joins them. Nobby, played by Paul Barber, would rather be signing on than spraying bleach -- and even more so when he realises his new boss Julie is his ex-fiancée.

I think this is a grower -- but then my track record (see Little Britain) is not that great!

Jane Anderson, Radio Times, 20th February 2015