The Curse of the Ninth

They've really spoiled us with this one. I am not usually a fan of the horror based episodes and most of them seem to hang about at the bottom of my list but this one had a totally different feel to it. I loved the edwardian setting and the mix of daft humour and stately backdrop was just perfect and a bit different for one of their more paranormal offerings.

As usual the acting was 10 out of 10 in this episode and both leads are captivating and entertaining.

The only part I was slightly let down by was the ending but that's because I'm not usually drawn to the horror episodes.

Overall, a solid episode which I will rewatch.

There is a story about a curse that follows classical composers, according to which they die shortly after composing their ninth symphony. An unrealized composer, now a piano tuner, was invited to the home of one of them who committed suicide before completing his ninth.

I don't know where to begin. The scenography, the atmosphere, the horror story imbued with just enough humor, the acting, the dialogues, the twists and turns, the directing... everything is just perfect. If the final twist were just a shade stronger, this would be a clear ten and perhaps the best episode of the entire series. And as the icing on the cake, the lead female role is played by the mesmerizing Natalie Dormer.

9/10.

No obvious humour in the penultimate episode of Inside Number Nine, it watched more like a Mark Gatiss BBC Ghost Story For Christmas, which isn't a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. There was even a slight nod to James' Casting the Runes IMO.

After a run of modern times episodes, this one was set in Edwardian times.

I had never heard of the Curse of the Ninth, which is an actual superstition concerning deaths of various classical composers during or following the writing of their 9th symphony including Beethoven, Schubert and Mahler, so IN9 gave me a bit of a history lesson as well.

Bravo Mr Pemberton & Sheersmith.

Jonah Quigley, a piano tuner travels to a grand house, to put the Burnham's piano right, whilst conducting his work, he finds a piece of work, supposedly the last composition of the late and great composer, Nathaniel Burnham.

I loved it, I've read a few mixed reviews about this one, so my expectations were perhaps a little lower, the realisation, a huge reward.

My first thoughts, it felt like a quality Ghost Story for Christmas, it had that M. R. James vibe to it, only much, much better than the recent adaptations.

You can definitely see that the boys had a bit of fun with this one, it's a terrific production, it looks wonderfully authentic, and the piece de resistance of course has to be the presence of Natalie Dormer, she was terrific.

I loved the daft bits of humour, especially Jonah's constant troubles with Devonshire's name.

I am so excited for the final episode next week, although I don't want this show to end.

Wonderfully macabre.

9/10.

What is the curse of the 9th symphony. Musical composer Nathaniel Burnham (Eddie Marsan) could never complete it and took his own life.

Piano tuner and failed composer Jonah (Reece Shearsmith) comes to tune his piano and finds a lost page of the unfinished 9th symphony.

Nathaniel's wife Lillian (Natalie Dormer) doesn't believe in curses but dangles a juicy carrot in front of him.

The maid Devonshire gauds Jonah on. What if he can retrieve the rest of the manuscript and finish it. That would be worth something. Jonah needs to find a way to shake off the curse.

This is a real mish mash of genres. A ghost story, a musical mystery and so many double entendres. Talbot Rothwell is spinning in his grave.