Inside No. 9

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 episode 6 review: Seance Time

We close the curtain on Inside No. 9's second series pick n' mix of twisted delights with a scary setting for the finale...

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.

Inside No. 9, 2.5 - 'Nana's Party'

Like so many Middle England suburban comedies, it was all about the depths and heartaches lurking beneath apparently happy families, and on that score this episode really worked.

A slightly sinister man (Reece Shearsmith) acts as the host of a séance. He ushers an innocent young girl into a stuffy room filled with Victoriana and then introduces her to Madame Talbot the medium (Alison Steadman).

Madame Talbot is shrouded from head to toe in black. Her eyes are white with cataracts. She carries one of those spooky dolls with an ivory face that she treats as if it were a real child. Spiritualist vapour pours out of her mouth like mist from an electronic cigarette, and while the lights flicker her voice alternates between a sweet little-odd-lady squeak and a diabolical, growl. And that is as much as I can say for fear of being savaged by a blue dwarf.

Alison Steadman and Sophie McShera (scullery maid Daisy in Downton Abbey) star in the final episode of this series. The action occurs in a vast gothic building where a séance is about to take place.

Tina (McShera) turns up for her session and admits she hasn't lost anyone, but she is 'curious'. Madam Talbot, brilliantly played by Steadman, replies: 'The curious are often drawn here for a glimpse of summerland'. What ensues is chilling and hilarious in equal measure and the final twist is superb. Let's hope Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith bring us a third series.

Inside No. 9, Nana's Party, TV review

League of Gentleman's Reece Shearsmith steals the show in this very clever drama.

With each show being a stand-alone story, Inside No. 9 has been hit and miss. Last night's, "Nana's Party", showed a family unravelling as secrets were revealed at a birthday bash for an elderly relative.

Angela and Jim were a typical middle-aged suburban couple. Angela (played by Claire Skinner -- best known as the mum in Outnumbered) kept an immaculate home and spoke with an affected posh accent. Jim spent the majority of his time locked in his shed.

Only when Angela's brassy, alcoholic sister Carol turned up with her practical joker husband Pat did the secrets start to spill.

The party turned to farce with flatulent Nana choking on ice cubes and a strippergram arriving as drunken Carol blurted out the revelation of her affair with Jim.

Anybody used to the work of the show's writers and stars, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, will know their comedy always comes with a side order of pathos and weirdness. It doesn't always work but last night it mostly did.

Inside No. 9 season 2 episode 5 review: 'Nana's Party'

Last week, we spoke about Shearsmith and Pemberton's fascination with the quiet desperation of everyday banality. This episode takes that to the hilt - the hilt of a very big knife, in fact.