"Nana's Party" | |
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Inside No. 9 episode | |
Episode no. | Series 2 Episode 5 |
Directed by | Pemberton Shearsmith |
Written by | Pemberton Shearsmith |
Featured music | Christian Henson |
Editing by | Joe Randall-Cutler |
Original air date | 23 April 2015 |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"Nana's Party" is the fifth episode of the second series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9 . It was first broadcast on 23 April 2015 on BBC Two. Written and directed by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, the episode starred Claire Skinner as the obsessive-compulsive and aspirational Angela, who is hosting a party for the 79th birthday of her mother Maggie, played by Elsie Kelly. Angela's husband Jim, played by Pemberton, is keen to play a prank on Pat, Angela's brother-in-law, who is a practical joker. Pat is played by Shearsmith, while Carol, a recovering alcoholic who is Pat's wife and Angela's sister, is played by Lorraine Ashbourne. The episode also features Eve Gordon as Katie, Angela and Jim's teenage daughter, and Christopher Whitlow as a paramedic seen at the beginning and end of the episode.
Much of the episode's plot revolves around a practical joke with a fake cake that Jim has set up in an attempt to fool Pat. Moving the cake reveals the head of the person hiding under the table, but, in the meantime, the hidden character can hear conversations taking place nearby, unbeknownst to those who are not in on the joke. The episode plays on viewers' guesses as to what has led to the arrival—seen at the opening of the episode—of a paramedic. In particular, the person under the table is at risk of injury if candles burn down or someone puts a knife into the "cake".
"Nana's Party" was the first episode of Inside No. 9 to be written, but it was shelved when BBC executives instead suggested that it worked as the first episode of a sitcom. Pemberton and Shearsmith revisited and modified the script during the writing process for Inside No. 9's second series. The writers aimed for a feeling of suburban darkness reminiscent of the work of the playwright Alan Ayckbourn, while commentators compared the episode to the work of the playwright and screenwriter Mike Leigh, particularly the play Abigail's Party . The story addresses themes including alcoholism, extramarital affairs, aging and social class. Television critics responded positively to "Nana's Party", which was praised as a typically-strong instalment of Inside No. 9. Particular praise was directed towards the writing and performances, especially Skinner's performance as Angela, Ashbourne's performance as Carol and Shearsmith's performance as Pat.
"Nana's Party" was the first episode of Inside No. 9 to be written by the programme's creators Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. [1] BBC producers felt the episode worked as the opening episode of a sitcom, but Pemberton and Shearsmith were not happy to develop the idea into its own series, given the events of the plot. As such, the script was shelved, and revisited during planning for Inside No. 9's second series. [2] A number of changes were made from the original script when the concept was revisited. For example, a paramedic was added to the opening scene in order to add a sense of danger and foreboding, [2] and the character Angela's "borderline OCD" was accentuated. [3]
Shearsmith said that the episode's focus on a grandmother's birthday party felt "domestic" and "homely". [4] Pemberton, too, called it a "domestic" story, describing it as playing upon the classic British plot device of a family party going wrong. [5] Shearsmith suggested that the pleasant house did give the episode the feel of a sitcom, but said that the story went somewhere "darker" than a typical sitcom would. [4] With "Nana's Party", the writers wanted to produce something "dark" and "suburban", with Pemberton citing the playwright Alan Ayckbourn as an influence. [4] Indeed, at the time the episode was written, Shearsmith was starring in an adaptation of Ayckbourn's play Absent Friends . [5]
The writers intended to play off the idea of a hidden character being able to hear conversations revealing secrets. [4] An initial idea of Pemberton's was to have a large parcel on a table at the birthday party, but with Maggie—on whose birthday the episode would be set—absent. Other characters would repeatedly ask where Maggie was, until it was revealed that her head was in the parcel. This idea developed into the possibility of a hollow cake hiding a character, a device used in the final episode. [6] For the writers, there is humour in characters spending time talking earnestly to a cake; [7] they noted that the prop cake had features resembling a face. [2] In the editing stage, the production team kept reintroducing the cake in order to remind viewers of its presence. [8] The original script ended with a knife being plunged into a fake cake followed by the revelation, contrary to viewers' expectations, that no one was under it at the time; instead, the writers upped the drama in the story, making it possible that any of the characters injured. For the writers, the original plot was, in a sense, darker, as some characters got away with wrongdoing in a way they do not in the final version. [9]
As each episode of Inside No. 9 features new characters, the writers were able to attract actors who might have been unwilling to commit to an entire series. [10] "Nana's Party" featured Claire Skinner as Angela, who is hosting a party. [11] Pemberton and Shearsmith lived close to Skinner, but they had not properly met. She was one of several members of the cast of the film Life Is Sweet (others being Alison Steadman and Jane Horrocks) who have starred in Inside No. 9. [12] Skinner enjoyed the "funny" script and her "nice" character. [13] Eve Gordon (trained at the Nottingham Television Workshop [14] ) starred as Angela's daughter Katie, and Pemberton starred as Angela's husband Jim. [11] Pemberton and Shearsmith suggested that Pemberton's costume made him look like Mr Chow Mein, a Benny Hill character. [15]
Elsie Kelly played Angela's mother Maggie, on whose birthday the episode is set. [11] The part was not written with anyone in mind, though Pemberton already knew Kelly well from their time together on the sitcom Benidorm . [16] Lorraine Ashbourne played Angela's sister Carol, and Pat, Carol's husband, was played by Shearsmith. [11] Carol was Pemberton's favourite character in the whole series; Shearsmith worried that an actor may not portray the character as they had hoped, but was very happy with Ashbourne's performance. [17] Ashbourne said she was "thrilled" to be working with Pemberton and Shearsmith, for whom she had great admiration. She described the character of Carol as "hilarious", characterising her as "sexually frustrated" and "sad". [18] To reflect Carol's alcoholism, Ashbourne swilled whiskey around her mouth before filming. [19] Shearsmith wore a red wig to play Pat, something he had never done before. His skin-tone needed to be changed to match the hair, necessitating a white spray on his face every morning. [20] In order not to give the impression that Pat was a thief or murderer (rather than simply a practical joker), Shearsmith was directed to chuckle while Pat set up his jokes. [21] Christopher Whitlow plays a paramedic seen at the beginning and end of the episode. [11] The scene featuring the paramedic at the end of the episode was longer in the final cut than had been initially intended in order to show more of the character's actions. [22]
The second series of Inside No. 9 was filmed from the end of 2014 into early 2015. [23] [24] "Nana's Party" was filmed in January, [25] and was the final episode of the second series to be filmed. [26] The writers saw a number of houses before selecting the one used in the episode; they wanted an open plan home to allow for easy movement between rooms. The one chosen was close to Twickenham Studios. [27] A "deckhouse" was added to the house's garden; despite there already being two sheds, neither would have been visible on-screen. A new one was thus added. The executive producer Adam Tandy suggested that deckhouse would be preferable to shed, as the latter term suggested the site of something awful. [28] Scenes in a bedroom used the room mostly as the production team found it. The room featured a number of books not seen on-screen, which reminded Shearsmith of a script (in the end not used for Inside No. 9's second series) of an episode set in a library. [29] The front room had a buffet, including a prawn ring; by the third day of filming, this had begun to smell, and needed to be removed. [30]
Pemberton and Shearsmith, in addition to writing and starring in "Nana's Party", directed the episode. This was the second episode they jointly directed in the second series after "Cold Comfort", their directorial debut. [11] [31] [32] The pair did not know, while writing for the series, which episodes they would be directing, meaning that their writing was unlikely to be influenced by the knowledge. [33] Pemberton and Shearsmith had always intended to try directing, and the second series of Inside No. 9 offered them the opportunity. David Kerr, who had directed all of the episodes in the first series, was unable to return for the second. Guillem Morales and Dan Zeff each took on directorial duties for two episodes, while Pemberton and Shearsmith decided to direct the remaining two. [31] [34] Shearsmith said in an interview that the pair had considered directing episodes in which they did not appear much, but scheduling concerns left them with "Cold Comfort" and "Nana's Party"; both episodes feature the writers quite heavily. [34]
"Nana's Party" represented a directorial challenge insofar as Pemberton and Shearsmith were both on-screen for a relatively large amount of the episode. [26] The pair took turns off-camera; on one day, Shearsmith acted and Pemberton watched, and the next day, the two switched; [4] they were, however, tired, not least because it was the final episode of the series filmed. [26] "Nana's Party" required more direction than "Cold Comfort", due in part to the larger number of actors. [35] Pemberton and Shearsmith leaned strongly on Stephan Pehrsson, their cinematographer. While Pemberton and Shearsmith handled staging, Pehrsson handled cinematography. [36]
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"The cake" Jim (Pemberton) surprises Angela (Skinner), and tells her of his plan to play a prank on Pat |
A paramedic is let into a house to the sounds of panic. Earlier, the fastidious Angela prepares to host a party for the 79th birthday of her mother, Maggie. Angela's daughter, Katie, heads to her room to complete her homework. When Angela moves a cake, she reveals the head of Jim, her husband. Jim plans to play a trick on Pat—a practical joker and the husband of Angela's sister, Carol (a recovering alcoholic)—by hiding under the cake. Maggie, Carol and Pat—the latter wearing a wolf mask—arrive at the house. As the three settle, Pat plugs in his mobile to charge—something Jim had asked Angela to prevent—and secretly places ice in a bucket. Carol privately drinks from a sunscreen bottle while ostensibly unblocking the toilet after her mother could not flush it. Angela is proud that the party food is from Marks's, but Carol mocks Angela's middle class affectations. Maggie wants a photograph with the food on the table, and Carol lights the cake's candles, which burn towards the flammable fake cake—under which Jim is still hiding. Katie greets her nana and aunt, with Maggie insisting that she tell the joke from Pat's card. Panicking, Angela blows out the candles. The room clears, and Jim is left frustrated.
Katie shows Maggie her tablet as the pair sit in the former's room. A visibly-drunk Carol enters and talks to Katie about the importance of having fun. Katie wants to finish her homework, but assures Carol that she would make a good mother. Downstairs, Jim persuades Angela to take up position under the table as Pat replaces the soap in the toilet. Pat joins Jim next to the table and returns a VHS; it becomes clear that Jim's apparent love for Countdown is actually a cover for his pornography habit, and Jim tries to steer the conversation away from the topic, worried that Angela will hear. Carol enters and puts on music. Pat sees Carol's sunscreen, and prepares her a drink of "Adam's ale". Carol aggressively flirts with Jim, who does not reciprocate. When Pat hands Carol water, she throws it in his face and he leaves. Carol confronts Jim about promises he made to her, and how this house should be hers, not Angela's. Jim remains terrified that Angela can hear the conversation.
Katie and Maggie enter. Maggie talks about Pat's "frozen willies"—novelty ice cubes—as a distressed Jim makes her a drink, and Carol dances with the uninterested Katie. Jim pulls Carol away from Katie, but Carol hits him; when Carol talks to Katie about becoming her stepmother, Jim shouts at her. Pat stops him, and, after Carol storms out, tells Jim that "he knows". Katie is distressed, and interrogates Jim as Maggie plunges a knife into the cake. Jim panics, believing Angela is still under the table, but Angela enters from the kitchen, and reveals that she left to buy a real cake—the story that Jim had told to cover her apparent absence. Katie wants to talk to her mother, but chaos ensues when Maggie chokes on an ice cube, which Pat reveals contains a fake spider. Carol enters, her face blackened by Pat's fake soap, and Pat, reaching for his charging phone to call the emergency services, receives an electric shock, his hands wet from the ice bucket. Angela performs the Heimlich manoeuver on her mother; Carol kneels by Pat and shouts for help. The new cake is pushed into Jim's face by Katie, who then answers the door. The paramedic enters, then begins a striptease for Maggie to the Casualty theme. His performance, it is revealed, was Pat's present to Maggie. Later, Jim talks to an oblivious Maggie. He sees Angela and Katie come down the stairs with bags. In silence, he watches them leave as Maggie tells him the joke from Pat's birthday card.
"Forget about the past, you can't change it.
Forget about the future, you can't predict it.
Forget about the present, I didn't get you one!"
Maggie repeats the joke from Pat's birthday card several times over the episode.
Plotlines following a birthday party in disarray are common, particularly in plays, and an episode with a similar theme was also included in the first series of Inside No. 9. [37] [38] "Nana's Party" revolves around the relatively mundane problems of alcoholism, affairs and aging. [37] Class is another theme, with Angela, Jim and Katie representing a typical middle class family, while Maggie, Carol and Pat are more working class. [39] David Chater, writing for The Times , said that "Nana's Party" was like "a more twisted version" of Abigail's Party , [40] with several critics likening the episode to a Mike Leigh drama. [38] [41] [42] Critics also saw the influence of Ayckbourn's work. [43]
The episode's action revolves around the practical joke involving the cake and, in particular, viewers' attempts to guess what has caused injury, as they know that the paramedic will be coming. [37] Both Angela and the alcoholic Carol are "ticking time-bomb[s]". [37] Angela is the central character, [44] and is similar to a more anxious version of Sue Brockman, Skinner's character from Outnumbered . [45] [46] She is stressed [40] and obsessive-compulsive, [41] [42] [45] but aspirational, fastidious, [37] and dutiful. [47] The comedy critic Bruce Dessau compared Ashbourne's characterisation of Carol to Elizabeth Taylor's characterisation in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ; as the episode progresses, Carol becomes increasingly abusive. [46] Commentators variously described Pat as "appalling", [40] "tiresome", [37] an "irritating tit" [46] and "an insufferable booby". [47] For Chris Bennion, writing in The Independent , Pat's character is more complex: "Behind Pat's cheesy jokes and schoolboy tomfoolery lies a desperately sad and dignified man, standing by and caring for a wife whose love for him has long gone." [37] Pat and Carol, for Pemberton and Shearsmith, have a more honest relationship than Jim and Angela, despite the problems in their relationship. [48]
Jim is Pat's "weary nemesis", [47] and a "classic everyman". [46] Jim and Pat, for Gerard Gilbert of i , are like "two suburban grotesques straight out of a Mike Leigh drama". [45] Maggie is unaware of the chaos around her, instead distracted by the tablet [40] —on which she plays a game somewhere between Clash of Clans and Minecraft [49] —or retelling the birthday card joke. [40] As a "Middle England suburban" comedy, "Nana's Party" is "all about the depths and heartaches lurking beneath apparently happy families". [38] As the story progresses, the characters subvert expectations, with the irritating Pat revealed as a caring husband and the alcoholic Carol revealed as recovering from an unsuccessful affair. [38] [39] Pemberton and Shearsmith characterised the episode's ending as "downbeat" and lacking a twist, noting that "Nana's Party" is the only episode of the first two series of Inside No. 9 in which no character dies. [50]
Critics responded positively to "Nana's Party", with Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times calling it "another cracker", [41] Chater characterising it as another "bullseye", [40] and Julia Raeside and John Dugdale, writing in The Sunday Times , describing it as "another perfectly judged high-wire walk: comedy and tragedy balanced evenly and artfully at all times". [47] Bennion called it "a tightly wound and hugely impressive half hour", [37] and the freelance journalist Dan Owen called it "another great instalment" that "really worked" on its own terms. [38]
The episode's writing was praised. For Bennion, the writers displayed their intellect, but he noted that Skinner got "the lion's share of the good lines". He felt the ending was "as affecting as it is well-earned". [37] Raeside, in the course of a review of the whole series for theguardian.com, claimed that one of the writers' strengths is "pulling at the loose threads of suburban life to reveal the worst of humanity just under the soft furnishings", and that, in "Nana's Party", despite the viewers' assumption that there would be a "gory" conclusion, the "tragedy was an altogether more gruesome punctuation to the story as Pemberton's face betrayed the total emotional collapse going on within". [43] Jack Seale, also writing for theguardian.com, claimed that the script was able to move "effortlessly from funny to dark to desperately sad". [42] Phoebe-Jane Boyd, in a review of the episode for the entertainment website Den of Geek, wrote that the tension in "Nana's Party" was "cranked up fantastically", as the story's genre, and viewer's expectations, shift. [39] Owen felt that the writing and cast were able to save what could have been a predictable episode, picking out Skinner as particularly compelling. [38] Bennion also praised the cast, claiming that Skinner, Ashbourne and Kelly were strong, but that Shearsmith gave the best performance. [37] Dessau, too, called the cast "great", and felt that Shearsmith played his part "to perfection". [46]
Reeson Wayne Shearsmith is an English actor, comedian, writer and magician. He was a member of The League of Gentlemen, with Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson. Jointly with Pemberton, created, wrote and starred in the sitcom Psychoville and the dark comedy anthology series Inside No. 9. He had notable roles in Spaced and The World's End.
Psychoville is a British psychological horror-thriller black comedy mystery television series created and written by and starring The League of Gentlemen members Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton for the BBC. It debuted on BBC Two on 18 June 2009. Pemberton and Shearsmith each play numerous characters, with Dawn French, Jason Tompkins, Daniel Kaluuya and Eileen Atkins in additional starring roles. The first series was followed by a Halloween special, broadcast on 31 October 2010, which saw Imelda Staunton and Jason Watkins added to the main cast. The second series was first broadcast on 5 May 2011 and ended on 6 June. Reece Shearsmith has said that there will not be a third series. In February 2020, Shearsmith and Pemberton's follow-up series, Inside No. 9, crossed over with Psychoville and brought back five of the characters for the episode "Death Be Not Proud".
Inside No. 9 is a British black comedy anthology television programme written and created by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. It aired on BBC Two from 5 February 2014 to 12 June 2024, running for 9 series and 55 episodes. Each 30-minute episode is a self-contained story with new characters and a new setting, almost all starring Pemberton or Shearsmith. Aside from the writers, each episode has a new cast, allowing Inside No. 9 to attract a number of well-known actors. The stories are linked only by a setting related to the number 9 in some way, and a brass hare statue that is hidden in all episodes. Themes and tone vary from episode to episode, but all have elements of comedy and horror or perverse humour, in addition to a plot twist.
"Sardines" is the first episode of the first series of the British black comedy anthology series Inside No. 9. Written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, it premiered on BBC Two and BBC Two HD on 5 February 2014. In the episode, a group of adults play sardines at an engagement party. Rebecca, the bride-to-be, finds a boring man named Ian in a wardrobe; he introduces himself as a colleague of Jeremy, Rebecca's fiancé. The pair are subsequently joined by family, friends and colleagues of Rebecca and Jeremy. As more people enter the room and step into the wardrobe, secrets shared by some of the characters are revealed, with various allusions to incestuous relationships, child sexual abuse, and adultery. The humour is both dark and British, with references to past unhappiness and polite but awkward interactions.
"A Quiet Night In" is the second episode of the British dark comedy television anthology series Inside No. 9. It first aired on 12 February 2014 on BBC Two. Written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, it stars the writers as a pair of hapless burglars attempting to break into the large, modernist house of a couple—played by Denis Lawson and Oona Chaplin—to steal a painting. Once the burglars make it into the house, they encounter obstacle after obstacle, while the lovers, unaware of the burglars' presence, argue. The episode progresses almost entirely without dialogue, relying instead on physical comedy and slapstick, though more sinister elements are present in the plot. In addition to Pemberton, Shearsmith, Lawson and Chaplin, "A Quiet Night In" also starred Joyce Veheary and Kayvan Novak.
"Tom & Gerri" is the third episode of British dark comedy anthology series Inside No. 9. It premiered on BBC2 on 19 February 2014. The episode was based on a play that Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith had written while living together prior to the development of their series The League of Gentlemen. While the play had originally been around two hours in length, the episode was only half an hour. "Tom & Gerri" follows a difficult period in the life of Tom (Shearsmith), a primary school teacher and aspiring writer, and his girlfriend Gerri, a struggling actress, after Tom invites the homeless Migg (Pemberton) into his home. Conleth Hill stars as Stevie, a man worried about the mental health of his friend Tom. The entire episode takes place inside Tom's flat.
"Last Gasp" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. It first aired on 26 February 2014 on BBC Two. The story revolves around the ninth birthday of the severely ill Tamsin. Tamsin's parents Jan and Graham have arranged with the charity WishmakerUK for the singer Frankie J Parsons to visit as a treat for their daughter. Frankie dies after blowing up a balloon, leading to arguments between Graham, the WishmakerUK representative Sally, and Frankie's assistant Si over the now-valuable balloon containing Frankie's last breath. The story, written by Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, was inspired by someone Pemberton had seen on Swap Shop who collected air from different places.
"The Understudy" is the fifth episode of British dark comedy anthology series Inside No. 9. It was first broadcast on 5 March 2014 on BBC Two. The episode was written by and starred Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and guest-starred Lyndsey Marshal, Julia Davis, Rosie Cavaliero, Roger Sloman, Di Botcher, Richard Cordery, Bruce Mackinnon and Jo Stone-Fewings. Pemberton plays actor Tony, who is starring as Macbeth in a West End production of Shakespeare's Macbeth, and Shearsmith plays Jim, Tony's understudy. The plot of "The Understudy" partially mirrors the story of Macbeth, exploring the theme of power and the lives of actors.
"The Harrowing" is the sixth and final episode of the first series of British dark comedy anthology series Inside No. 9. It aired on 12 March 2014 on BBC Two. The episode was written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and stars Shearsmith, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Helen McCrory, Poppy Rush and Sean Buckley. While comedic in places, "The Harrowing" makes extensive use of gothic horror elements transmuted into a modern context. The plot follows Katy (Edwards), who has been hired to housesit for eccentric siblings Hector (Shearsmith) and Tabitha (McCrory). They rarely leave the house, but have an event to attend. They tell Katy about their bedridden, disabled brother Andras (Buckley), who cannot speak but will ring a bell if he needs assistance. Katy is joined by her friend Shell (Rush) once Hector and Tabitha leave, and, upon hearing Andras's bell, the pair reluctantly head upstairs. The episode takes place in Hector and Tabitha's mansion, which is kept deliberately cold and filled with paintings depicting Hell. The writers experimented with a variety of possible endings, hoping to make the episode's close both interesting and scary.
"La Couchette" is the first episode of the second series of British dark comedy anthology Inside No. 9. Written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith and directed by Guillem Morales, the episode is set in a sleeper carriage on a French train. English doctor Maxwell, who is traveling to an important job interview, climbs into bed. He is disturbed first by drunk, flatulent German Jorg, and then by English couple Kath and Les. Later, while the others sleep, Australian backpacker Shona brings posh English backpacker Hugo back to the cabin, but the pair make a surprising discovery. The episode stars Pemberton, Shearsmith, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Mark Benton, Jessica Gunning, Jack Whitehall and George Glaves.
"The 12 Days of Christine" is the second episode of the second series of British black comedy anthology series Inside No. 9. It first aired on 2 April 2015 on BBC Two. It was written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and directed by Guillem Morales. The episode tells the story of Christine, a young woman living in a small flat, over 12 years in her life, focusing on key days and life events in that time. Christine is played by Sheridan Smith, while those who play an important part in her life are played variously by Tom Riley, Stacy Liu, Michele Dotrice, Paul Copley, Pemberton, Jessica Ellerby, Joel Little and Dexter Little. Shearsmith plays the Stranger, an unknown figure apparently haunting Christine.
"The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge" is the third episode of the second series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. It was written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, and directed by Dan Zeff. It first aired on 9 April 2015 on BBC Two. The story follows a 17th-century witch trial. Elizabeth Gadge, played by Ruth Sheen, stands accused of witchcraft by inhabitants of the village of Little Happens, including characters played by Sinead Matthews, Jim Howick, Paul Kaye and Trevor Cooper. The magistrate Sir Andrew Pike, played by David Warner, has summoned the famed witch-finders Mr Warren and Mr Clarke, played by Shearsmith and Pemberton, to try Elizabeth, but is more concerned with bringing visitors to the village than finding the truth.
"Cold Comfort" is the fourth episode of the second series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. The episode, which was written and directed by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, was first broadcast on 16 April 2015 on BBC Two. Most of "Cold Comfort" is composed of a stream from a fixed camera on the desk of Andy, the protagonist, with smaller pictures on the side of the screen, in the style of a CCTV feed. "Cold Comfort" was filmed over two and a half days in Twickenham, and was, like "A Quiet Night In" from Inside No. 9's first series, highly experimental. It was Pemberton and Shearsmith's directorial debut.
"Séance Time" is the sixth and final episode of the second series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. It was first broadcast on 29 April 2015 on BBC Two. The episode was written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and directed by Dan Zeff. It stars Pemberton, Shearsmith, Alison Steadman, Alice Lowe, Sophie McShera, Dan Starkey, Cariad Lloyd and Caden-Ellis Wall. The episode begins with Tina (McShera) arriving at a Victorian villa for a séance. Hives (Shearsmith) sits her at a table and then escorts the ominous, shrouded Madam Talbot (Steadman) into the room.
"Private View" is the sixth and final episode of the third series of the British black comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. Written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, the episode was directed by Guillem Morales and was first shown on 21 March 2017, on BBC Two. It stars Pemberton, Shearsmith, Fiona Shaw, Montserrat Lombard, Morgana Robinson, Felicity Kendal, Johnny Flynn, and Muriel Gray. The comedian Peter Kay makes a cameo appearance, with his character being killed in the episode's opening seconds.
"The Devil of Christmas" is a Christmas special of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9, and the first episode of the third series. It was first aired on 27 December 2016 on BBC Two. The episode was directed by Graeme Harper and written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. Stylistically, it took heavy inspiration from classic 1970s anthology programmes, such as Beasts, Thriller, Tales of the Unexpected and Armchair Thriller, and was filmed using authentic equipment. Pemberton intended the episode to be a recreation of this kind of classic programming, with critics characterising it as a homage, pastiche or loving parody.
"The Bill" is the second episode of the third series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. It first aired on 21 February 2017, on BBC Two. The episode was written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, and was directed by Guillem Morales. "The Bill" focuses on four men—Archie, Malcolm, Kevin, and Craig—arguing over who should pay the bill in a restaurant at closing time, much to the dismay of the waitress Anya. It addresses themes of masculinity and competition, and the English north–south divide is a recurring issue; Craig, the visiting southerner, is wealthier than the other three, and unfamiliar with some of their terminology.
"The Riddle of the Sphinx" is the third episode of the third series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. It first aired, on BBC Two, on 28 February 2017. The episode was written by the programme's creators, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and directed by Guillem Morales. "The Riddle of the Sphinx", which is set in Cambridge, stars Alexandra Roach as Nina, a young woman seeking answers to the Varsity cryptic crossword, Pemberton as Professor Nigel Squires, who pseudonymously sets the crossword using the name Sphinx, and Shearsmith as Dr Jacob Tyler, another Cambridge academic. The story begins with Nina surreptitiously entering Squires's rooms on a stormy night and being discovered; this leads to Squires teaching her how to decipher clues in cryptic crosswords.
"Empty Orchestra" is the fourth episode of the third series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. Written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith and directed by Guillem Morales, the episode was first shown on 7 March 2017, on BBC Two. "Empty Orchestra" is set in a karaoke booth, and follows a group of colleagues—Greg (Shearsmith), Fran, Connie, Janet and Duane —celebrating the promotion of Roger (Pemberton). Rebekah Hinds also features.
"Diddle Diddle Dumpling" is the fifth episode of the third series of the British black comedy anthology television series Inside No. 9. It was written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and first aired on 14 March 2017, on BBC Two. The episode, which was directed by Guillem Morales, follows the story of David, played by Shearsmith, a middle class stay-at-home dad, who happens across a lone black shoe. Much to the concern of his wife Louise, played by Keeley Hawes, he becomes obsessed with finding the shoe's owner. The episode follows the development of his obsession. Rosa Strudwick plays Sally, David and Louise's daughter, and Pemberton plays Chris, a family friend. Danny Baker voices a radio presenter, and Mathew Baynton also appears.