Reece Shearsmith

Reece Shearsmith on crafting Inside No. 9

Digital Spy spoke to series co-creator, writer, performer and first-time director Shearsmith about how series two was crafted - and whether a third might be in the works.

Inside No. 9 ended its run with a story that, I kid you not, had me waking up and fretting in the middle of the night.

A timid girl was shown into the house of a renowned medium. No sooner had their consultation began than a series of terrifying events took place. A candle shot into four-foot flames as the voice of a growling demon issued forth from the smoking mouth of the frail lady medium. Then the lights went on and the whole thing was revealed to be a stunt for a particularly cruel type of reality show called Scaredy-Cam.

The ugliness lingered, ghost-like, even when the cameras had gone off. The host, played by Reece Shearsmith, was an arrogant beast, the medium was a self-obsessed prima donna and the production crew were, at best, indifferent.
When a new victim was ushered in, though, there were spooky happenings that no one seemed to have planned. Slowly, without declaring its hand until the final shot, the half-hour tale built into horror (but a moral horror) where the unkind got their desserts.

You could even say that the modern, callous world of reality TV got a roasting from a format truer of a bygone age, something akin to Play For Today or Armchair Theatre.

However you see it, however it unsettles you, this show is a faith-restorer for those who love TV drama.

Series two of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's darkly comic anthology comes to a close with a suitably spooky instalment. Tina, an unassuming phone shop employee, enters a looming Victorian villa bearing the titular number, following an instruction to visit the mysterious medium Madam Talbot. Once inside, it soon becomes clear that unseen forces have been preparing for her visit. A fitting end to a second series that has excelled at times. One can but hope a third set of nines is to follow.

Radio Times review

For many, there's only a very fine line between comedy and horror; the two combined are an irresistible cocktail. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton are masters in this field. For the final episode of this excellent anthology, they ensure we're snorting one minute and shuddering the next.

I shan't say too much about Séance Time, except that it happens inside a spooky house, where the gullible Tina (Sophie McShera, Downton Abbey's Daisy) is greeted by Shearsmith's character Hives (surely a nod to Laurel and Hardy). Before long, Tina is introduced to a black-veiled, hoarse and hilariously theatrical medium (Alison Steadman). The lights are dimmed and that's when the fun starts...

Inside No. 9: Intrigue, unease and emotional intensity

The second series of half-hour stories from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton has been full of unexpected comedy and deep, dark horror, with nods to everything from Witchfinder General to Alan Ayckbourn.

Inside No 9 review: Nana's Party

The penultimate Inside No. 9 of Series 2 has all of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's distinctive brilliance, balancing comedy and drama in perfect symmetry, beautifully nuanced and meticulously crafted with almost breathtaking command.

Inside No. 9, series 2 review

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have produced another series of their critically acclaimed Inside No. 9, which was, for me, undoubtedly one of the best pieces of television to come out of 2014. And the ingenuity of the plot development and sharpness of the writing have certainly not been diluted.

Emotionally affecting and brilliantly crafted, The 12 Days of Christine, starring Sheridan Smith, has been the highlight of the series, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's next-generation take on Tales Of The Unexpected.

Their curious muse hasn't abandoned them for this final episode, however. The cleverly executed Séance Time gives two of the writers' most cherished obsessions an airing: horror films and - a thrill for fans of The League of Gentlemen's community theatre troupe Legz Akimbo - the pretensions of actors.
The icing on what turns out to be a deliciously poisonous cake is an appearance by Alison Steadman. Do have nightmares.

A slightly sinister man (Reece Shearsmith) acts as the host of a séance. He ushers an innocent young girl into a stuffy room filled with Victoriana and then introduces her to Madame Talbot the medium (Alison Steadman).

Madame Talbot is shrouded from head to toe in black. Her eyes are white with cataracts. She carries one of those spooky dolls with an ivory face that she treats as if it were a real child. Spiritualist vapour pours out of her mouth like mist from an electronic cigarette, and while the lights flicker her voice alternates between a sweet little-odd-lady squeak and a diabolical, growl. And that is as much as I can say for fear of being savaged by a blue dwarf.

Alison Steadman and Sophie McShera (scullery maid Daisy in Downton Abbey) star in the final episode of this series. The action occurs in a vast gothic building where a séance is about to take place.

Tina (McShera) turns up for her session and admits she hasn't lost anyone, but she is 'curious'. Madam Talbot, brilliantly played by Steadman, replies: 'The curious are often drawn here for a glimpse of summerland'. What ensues is chilling and hilarious in equal measure and the final twist is superb. Let's hope Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith bring us a third series.