Inside No. 9

Compared to the thoroughgoing nastiness of The Riddle Of The Sphinx, this one's as refreshing as a sea breeze. The baddies are punished, the goodies are rewarded, and the viewer can skip happily to bed untroubled by thoughts of cannibalism and suicide (though granted, with Saturday Night by Whigfield stuck in their head, so it's swings and roundabouts really).

It might be less deranged than its predecessors, but Empty Orchestra is still very much an Inside No. 9 story. Its use of song is as mischievous and slippery as the wordplay in last week's cryptic crossword-themed episode. Half a musical, the lyrics to most of the karaoke choices are neatly applicable to the story's characters. In barely any time at all, we'd been told a complete story that was satisfying, romantic and unexpectedly uplifting.

Inside No.9 review: series three: 'Empty Orchestra'

'Empty Orchestra' is a very affecting piece. There are moments in it that stay with you and replay inside your head, such is the level of poignancy which builds within it, almost like a piece of music reaching a crescendo.

Inside No. 9 - Empty Orchestra review

As an episode of an anthology drama, this worked well enough. It just didn't grip me in any way, or make me laugh in the slightest -- which is a worry for something that's foremost a comedy.

Inside No. 9 series 3 episode 4 review

The lyrical cleverness though, was Empty Orchestra's best achievement, and what merits it a second watch.

Inside No.9 season 3 episode 4 review: Empty Orchestra

It's a half hour with significantly more emotional heft, having on its playlist such old classics as betrayal, regret and unrequited love.

Emily Howlett on learning to 'sing'

I am Deaf. I can't hear my own voice. I have very little understanding of what constitutes music, and no idea at all about things like keys, pitch or melody - I even struggle with the concept of 'high' and 'low' sounds. But when Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton ask you to sing, you're going to sing, godammit.

Another object lesson in economical narrative from Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith - this time with guest turns from Javone Prince and Tamzin Outhwaite. Tonight, we're at the karaoke leaving do of an office manager. It's a study in communication breakdown; how people use booze, loud music and enforced jollity to fill the gaps between them. As usual, a prickly, fraught affair but, this time, with just a touch of redemption to sweeten the pill.

Preview - Inside No. 9: Empty Orchestra

The latest edition of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's anthology series takes us into karaoke booth No. 9.

TV review: Inside No 9 - Empty Orchestra

Don't bother trying to second guess the twists. Nothing is predictable here, which keeps you watching to the very end. A hit episode full of hit songs.

Inside No 9 review: Karaoke mystery

After several episodes of fiendishly dark and outlandish reveals, Inside No. 9 really pulled out the rug from under us this week. Empty Orchestra ended up being a down-to-earth, relatable and ultimately feel-good slice of drama. Truly shocking stuff.

Inside No 9: Empty Orchestra review

Anyone who has taken part in a works' karaoke outing knows that it's an arena for bad singing, annoyingly good singing and professional tensions to surface unprofessionally. The latest episode of Inside No 9, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's terrifically clever portmanteau series, exploited this to full effect to provide another 30-minute oddity that was bursting with ideas and left you with a feeling of deep unsettlement, like reading an MR James story and then remembering the denouement in your dreams and waking up in a cold sweat.

TV Review: Inside No. 9 - Empty Orchestra

Taking us inside a comparatively more pleasant No. 9, this latest tale from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton is fairly enjoyable, but lacks the high dramatic stakes of previous episodes.