BBC Two orders second series of Inside No. 9
BBC Two has already ordered a second series of new comedy Inside No. 9.
The fact the BBC is committing to more episodes of the show has privately been known for a couple of weeks, however co-creator Reece Shearsmith has now publicly made an announcement via his Twitter feed. He posted this afternoon: "Did I mention we already have a second series of Inside No. 9? I don't think I did. Oh - well, we do. Something to do innit."
Inside No. 9 is the highly-anticipated new show from League Of Gentlemen and Psychoville stars Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith.
BBC Two has ordered six additional episodes before the first series of the dark new comedy has even started airing, indicating that the corporation is confident the show will be a hit with viewers.
An anthology series, each episode of Inside No. 9 features an entirely different premise and characters. The only linking features are the duo's trademark dark humour, and that all the stories are set in a property or room numbered 9.
The first episode, which is due to be broadcast on Wednesday 5th February, is set at an engagement party where the guests are playing a game of sardines (hiding in a cupboard); whilst the second is a dialogue-free farce about two inept burglars trying to steal a painting. Subsequent episodes focus on topics such as an oddly haunted house and an actor's blood-soaked dressing room.
Guest stars across the first six-part series include Anna Reid, Julia Davis, Tamsin Greig, Katherine Parkinson, Gemma Arterton, Timothy West and Denis Lawson.
The anticipation for Inside No. 9 has been building since two episodes were screened at a preview event by the BFI in December. Reviews from those in attendance included "huge laughs and genuine fear by turns" and "the best thing I've seen all year".
Speaking exclusively to BCG last week, Reece Shearsmith confirmed that he and Pemberton had been commissioned to write six more episodes, saying: "We have got a second series of Inside No. 9, which is great. We found out weeks ago. We're starting to write those now."
Comedy fans will have a wait to see the second series as it is not expected to be shown on television until 2015. Shearsmith, talking about creating the new episodes, said: "We're not filming it until the autumn, so we've got a while, but yeah, we've got ideas."
The second series of Inside No. 9 will go ahead in place of a previously announced second BBC project for the pair. Shearsmith explained: "We were going to do another thing, and we had ideas for that, and then we made this [Inside No. 9] and then thought 'oh well, can we not do six more of these? And kind of consolidate this, because we really like the idea of it'."
He confirmed the second project was on hold: "The BBC said yes, and so this [Series 2] will, for now, be the second thing. The other thing has been put on the back burner."
As previously reported, Shearsmith also revealed the BBC have asked for more episodes of cult comedy show The League Of Gentlemen. However, the comedy group don't currently have time to re-form to film any more episodes.
Inside No. 9 starts on BBC Two on Wednesday 5th February at 10pm. A full interview with Reece Shearsmith will appear on British Comedy Guide on Sunday.
Below is the trailer for the show:
And here is a clip from the first episode:
To find out more about the show, and to see pictures from the episodes, visit our guide to the show: