Steve Pemberton

Reece Shearsmith interview

As his new collaboration with Steve Pemberton - Inside No. 9 - comes to our screens, Reece Shearsmith talks about his inspirations, so-called 'dark comedy' and a possible League Of Gentlemen reunion...

Inside No. 9 review

Inside No. 9 played with familiar themes Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith have dealt with in the past, but it had a sustained air of maturity about it that's felt only fleeting in their previous work.

Radio Times review

A pensioner expires under the hairdryer in Blow 'n' Go, leaving Kenneth and Liam in a pickle. Drippy Martin wakes up after the stag do in bed with (he believes) a teenage girl. Donald and Jacqueline, cavorting in lycra and anti-grav boots, take on the lads, Michael and Tiger, in a beach-volleyball contest. And Tonya Dyke (magnificent Hannah Waddingham) resorts to Abba at the karaoke to get the better of oily Mateo.

Sounds a riot, doesn't it? But apart from the odd racy line, Benidorm is creaking like an old banger in need of lubrication. The Garveys (Steve Pemberton, Siobhan Finneran and Sheila Reid - all of them a gift to any writer) deserve better material.

Say hola! as Derren Litten's bawdy carnival returns for seven more weeks of fun in the sun. Solana regulars, the Garveys, check in - Madge already looking like she's been dipped in creosote, but with Mick detained at the airport. (Litten had to write around Steve Pemberton who was tied up on Whitechapel.)

The swingers are back, too ("Jacqueline and I have extraordinarily high gag reflexes," warns Donald) and take extreme action when hotel manager Joyce reneges on her promise of a free holiday.

And expect friction from new arrivals, the Dyke family from Watford. Brassy mum Tonya - don't ever call her Tanya - feels she's a cut above: "I wouldn't kennel my dog in this place."

TV Preview: Inside No. 9

Fans of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's previous work will know they like to combine the hilarious with the genuinely unsettling, and this series is no exception. Causing huge laughs and genuine fear by turns, Inside No. 9 will certainly be one to watch.

Interview with The Garveys

RT's Patrick Mulkern meets his sitcom heroes, Steve Pemberton, Siobhan Finneran and Sheila Reid.

Online extras planned for Inside No. 9

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith are keen to explore how the series can make the most of digital media so we're going to invite the audience into an extra No. 9 by creating a special digital storytelling experience.

Steve Pemberton guests as a bizarre, equine-obsessed vet inspector who turns up at Sara's very peculiar practice. The place is even more shambolic after Daniel deserts his post to play sex games in his suburban front room. So Sara's simple-minded friend Justine (Nicola Walker) steps in to staff the reception desk, adopting a northern accent because she's a fan of All Creatures Great and Small.

It's a cheerful half-hour of amiable nonsense led by Sue Perkins. I know it hasn't set the world on fire, but its heart is in the right place and the gags are often clever.

It's a cameo-crammed episode of Sue Perkins's vet-based comedy tonight. She's joined by long-time collaborator Mel Giedroyc, on top form as a brusque Russian. Then Steve Pemberton pops up as a veterinary inspector with a penchant for horses. Despite feeling curiously detached from any sort of reality, Perkins's script is sprightly and her presence is somehow reassuring - awkward but always amiable.