Steve Pemberton

A second outing for Harry Hill as the Steve Jobs of slapstick inventions, absent-mindedly terrorising the quaint village of Great Pagwell with his daft contraptions. Branestawm's pre-eminence is challenged by snide Professor Algebrain (Steve Pemberton), a heel-clicking Euro-rival determined to win a lucrative inventing competition bequeathed by the late Lady Pagwell. A considerable amount of buffoonery ensues. The game cast includes Vicki Pepperdine and Simon Day.

Radio Times review

Harry Hill returns as the multi-spectacled boffin of Norman Hunter's children's books. After Branestawm's TV introduction last Christmas, his cartoonish adventures are once again adapted by in-demand writer Charlie Higson. This time the chocolate-box village of Pagwell is, fortuitously, hosting an invention contest. But has Branestawm met his match in the ingenious Professor Algebrain (Steve Pemberton)?

Among an extraordinary cast giving fruity performances are Diana Rigg, Simon Day, Vicki Pepperdine, Matt Berry and his absurd intonations, Sophie Thompson and David Mitchell. From the clips available to RT, it's wildly eccentric, old-school and very funny - with a barking mad chase sequence.

You should be watching: Inside No. 9

Occupying a Tuesday evening timeslot on BBC Two, it was perhaps inevitable that Inside No. 9 didn't received the recognition it deserves. After only two short series, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have succeeded in creating one of the most original and well-written British TV series in years.

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.