Inside No. 9

Inside No. 9: cult heroes Shearsmith & Pemberton return

"I think it is a hard sell for people," Shearsmith says of the format. "There's this idea that you don't build an audience with an anthology - every week, you've got to start again and if you don't like the first one [you see] you might not watch again. That's the fear! But I think the appeal is the absolute excitement of not knowing what you're going to get."

Inside No. 9 preview

The way Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton write means that you don't need a whole series to get to know and love the characters, as you get to know them pretty well in the half hour episode and there's something quite nice about seeing a snapshot of their life.

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton discuss new show

"We hope there's an 'oh my God' moment. There is always a desire to wrong-foot the viewer. That's what you strive to do."

Preview: Inside No. 9 is magnificently macabre

For those that were sorry to see the end of the brilliant Psychoville after two series the good news is that Inside No. 9 is possibly even better. Certainly just as horribly funny in places.

Inside No. 9 is magnificent. It is the latest series to emerge from the dark imaginations of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, the pair who were also responsible for Psychoville & The League of Gentlemen (with Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson).

Their new series consists of six self-contained, bleakly comic dramas set in six very different No 9s, ranging from a suburban home to a country pile. Like all the best short stories or one-act plays, tonight's episode works with a deceptive and outrageous simplicity. A group of characters are playing a game of sardines. One after the other, they squeeze into a cupboard. Some are partners. Some are engaged. Some are work colleagues. Some have ugly histories in common, and one is a stranger to hygiene. Between them, they cover a wide variety of social backgrounds, sexual orientations and age groups. If a bomb dropped on the cupboard where they were hiding, a good portion of the acting talent in this country would be wiped out.

The high quality ensemble includes Anne Reid, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Katherine Parkinson, Anna Chancellor and Timothy West, all of whom squeeze in alongside Pemberton and Shearsmith. However, this isn't just an inspired set-up performed by a stellar cast, it builds to a macabre and horribly imagined climax.

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton interview

"When Gemma Arterton said yes, we were quite surprised, because she's a big movie star. She just said, 'Well I don't read scripts like this' and that made us feel very excited."

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.

Inside No. 9 Episode 1: 'Sardines' review

It demands the audience's intelligence and respect, and pays back in interest. We're already looking forward to the rest of the series.