Sian Gibson

Peter Kay stage appearance delights Car Share fans

Peter Kay has appeared on stage for the first time since cancelling all future work projects, including his stand-up tour, for family reasons.

Car Share, the finale, review

Slapstick, tears and a surprise appearance from Peter Kay.

Inside No. 9 review: Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith can wreck you heart like no-one else when they want to.

Inside No. 9 - Every detail is perfectly pitched

Maybe I'm overreacting to the fact that the new year hasn't meant a collapse in the quality of comedy around, but I just found last night's Inside No. 9 such a rich and delightful confection of nostalgia, parody and reflection that I am yet to get over it.

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, the performers who also write the darkly comic playlets of Inside No. 9 (BBC2), seem to actively invite criticism, with the wild variety of their stories.

Last week it was a pastiche of Shakespeare, packed with toilet jokes, that I found tiresome. This time, it was a heartfelt homage to the end-of-the-pier double acts that both men adored as children. They played Cheese and Crackers, a fourth-rate version of Morecambe and Wise: 'We weren't even as good as Mike and Bernie Winters.'

The characters were rich, constantly revealing new depths as they bickered their way through a reunion rehearsal -- and the twist at the end came like the turn of a knife.

Because the subject matter and the style of each episode are so variable, there's always a touch of trepidation about sitting down to watch Inside No. 9. The failures wouldn't seem quite so disappointing, if the triumphs were not so superb.

Inside No 9: Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room review

An old comedy double-act reunite after their split 30 years ago, to rehearse old routines for mysterious reasons...

Inside No. 9: Series 4, Episode 2 - review

A collection of props from a wicker basket No. 9 provide this rather sad tale about an old comedy double act.