Inside No. 9

In my review of the opening episode "Zanzibar", I theorised that there were better, darker stories to come from Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith and thankfully I wasn't wrong. Last week's poignant and funny "Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room" was the duo's love letter to old British comedy whose twist was heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure. However, in terms of narrative complexity, I found this week's "Once Removed" even more enjoyable as it kept you guessing up until the end. The episode starts quite inconsequentially with May (Monica Dolan) moving home and welcoming in removal man Spike (Nick Moran) from the hilariously titled firm Handle Me Gently. However, all is not what it seems especially when we meet May's husband Viktor (Shearsmith) who appears sinister from the outset and becomes more so as the episode goes on. "Once Removed" gets its name from the fact that the plot flashes back every ten minutes to roll out the story even more and every time our perception of the characters change. "Once Removed", like most Inside No. 9 episodes, benefits from a fantastic guest cast with special praise going to David Calder playing a character who believes he's Andrew Lloyd Webber. Similarly brilliant in this episode is Pemberton who plays a nervous estate agent intent on selling the house that is central to the plot. But it's the storytelling that really makes "Once Removed" one of the greatest thirty minutes of TV I've seen in a while and makes me marvel at the brilliance of the show's writing duo. The narrative flashbacks all work and don't feel like a gimmick as they did in last year's disappointing crime drama Rellik. The final reveal also plays with the title of the show in a very clever way and shows how the episode's case of mistaken identity occurred in the first place. Although you'd feel that "Once Removed" was where this series of Inside No. 9 peaks fear not as, in my opinion, next week's "To Have and To Hold" is even better.

Preview: Series 4, Episode 4, To Have And To Hold

It's not a bundle of laughs but pretty powerful nightmare-inducing stuff as we watch the plot developing before our very eyes.

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 Series 4 BFI Preview transcript

Q&A with Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, Adam Tandy and David Kerr, hosted by Justin Johnson.

TV Review: Inside No. 9 - Once Removed

After two well-received episodes, the third tale from the fourth season of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's anthology series continues to impress.

Inside No 9: One Removed review

This was an episode to admire rather than belly-laugh. Once Removed was a farcical half-hour of murder and diminishing confusion.

Another perfectly constructed Swiss watch of comedy horror from Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, also starring Monica Dolan and Emilia Fox. This time, they manufacture ornate and macabre chaos out of a house move. The story is told in reverse, so bewildering early scenes give way to a gradual revelation of means and motives. All eventually becomes clear(ish), but don't be surprised if you feel like starting again from the beginning as the credits roll.

Inside No 9: Once Removed preview

With another great episode tonight, this year's series of Inside No 9 is shaping up to be the best yet - and that from an already strong baseline. As always, this preview won't contain any major spoilers, but if you want to be completely surprised, click away now.

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

Inside No. 9 episodes are known for having at least one twist, but Once Removed has so many twists and turns it is hard to know where to start.

Inside No 9 review: Memento meets farce

Just when you think Inside No 9 has seen it all, along comes an episode with a gun hidden in an oven mitt, attempted smothering with bubble-wrap, and a dementia-stricken father who thinks he's Andrew Lloyd Webber.