Steve Pemberton

Inside No. 9 - Series 4, Episode 3, Once Removed, BBC2

Just as you, well I, might have been thinking that Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton were going soft in this series, along comes Once Removed like a punch in the gob.

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.

Inside No 9 series 4 episode 2 review

Last week, Inside No. 9 delivered a joyous, life-affirming piece of sentiment, so it's somewhat startling to see that for episode two of the fourth series, the dark shadows are still being held at bay.

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.

Inside No 9 review: a beautiful and poignant piece

A quietly absorbing half hour that wrings pathos from every pore.

Review: Inside No. 9 series 4 episode 2

Inside No. 9 continues on excellent form with this bittersweet play about a lost showbusiness friendship.

Review: Inside No. 9 - Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room

Although there are a few funny moments - such as when Operation Yewtree intercedes one of their routines or the slapstick elements of their Brown Bottles sketch - this tale isn't as funny as others have been, but it tells an earnest story that is only made more sincere by the performances put in by Shearsmith and Pemberton.

Inside No.9 review: Series Four: 'Zanizbar'

Inside No. 9's series four opener is an exhilarating diversion, a playful and fanciful delight, but as one of Pemberton & Shearsmith's most purely pleasurable 9's yet, 'Zanzibar' may be the lightest of confections but is definitely no mere trifle.