Inside No. 9

Ridiculous though it may sound, it is almost a relief to watch an episode of this inspired series that doesn't knock you off your perch. At least it gives you a chance to draw breath. A neat & prissy primary school teacher (Reece Shearsmith) with aspirations to be a writer finds himself having an encounter of the most unwelcome kind with a tramp (Steve Pemberton). The tramp has an eerie resemblance to the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz - only not nearly as benign. "It's nice to talk to a fellow human", says the tramp. "It makes me feel like I exist". It is a sinister tale about the fragile nature of sanity performed by actors who are frighteningly good.

Inside No. 9, 1.2 - 'A Quiet Night In'

The script's farce worked like clockwork, delivering an almost theatrical experience, all building to another delicious twist I didn't see coming. I know it's only February and Inside No. 9's only aired two episodes, but it might just become one of my favourite things this year. Please watch it.

TV review: Inside No. 9 - 'A Quiet Night In'

Perfectly weighted, and superbly composed; nowhere else will you howl at two men miming bowel movements, and witness such vicious twists of the knife in the same 30 minutes.

Following the wardrobe-centric murderings of the opening episode, this second tale features creators Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith as hapless burglars attempting to liberate a painting from a couple's home. An almost wordless half-hour of physical comedy, it plays out like a French farce, its comedic strokes far broader than last week. If you find two men silently mime-arguing about how long it takes to have a poo funny, you're on sturdy ground here.

There's some quality comedy on offer tonight, with the second instalment of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's address-based series paying inspired homage to silent movies in a dream home robbery caper co-starring Denis Lawson and Oona Chaplin.

Radio Times review

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton are superb comic actors and ace gag-writers, but what makes them precious is their willingness to attempt difficult concepts, because they know that if it works they'll have something really special.

Last week we spent half the episode inside a wardrobe; this one-off story roams around the house of the week, a glass-walled millionaire mansion. Denis Lawson is at home, arguing with his wife (Oona Chaplin) and oblivious to the presence of two inept cat-burglars (Shearsmith and Pemberton). As they try to steal from him, there are near misses, pratfalls, murder and farce, all beautifully choreographed. But no dialogue.

Preview: Inside No. 9: A Quiet Night In

This week's episode, A Quiet Night In, is a sudden comedic gear change after last week's Sardines. Where that had a malevolent sting constantly throbbing away in the background like a bassline, this is played more for laughs while never ever forgetting to be nasty too.

Oona Chaplin interview

Tonight's dialogue-free episode of the BBC Two drama is particularly poignant because its star is the grand-daughter of the biggest silent movie actor of all time.

Inside No. 9 - Episode 2: 'A Quiet Night In' review

From the clever-clever casting of one of the guest stars to the even cleverer plotting that allows for huge punchlines to sail into view with nary a syllable of set-up, this is the sort of thing that gives one a pleasingly mixed feeling of delight and bitter jealousy.

Having got off to a brilliant start last week, the latest episode in Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's series of self-contained black comedies is so good that it may well leave you speechless. It is the funniest, cleverest, most imaginative and original television I've seen for as long as I can remember - one of those fabulous programmes where time stands still and the world around you disappears. It stars Denis Lawson and Oona Chaplin alongside Shearsmith and Pemberton, and it takes place inside one of those ultra-modern designer homes made of steel and glass that are filled with conceptual art. And that, I'm afraid, is as much as I can say without spoiling the fun.