Inside No. 9: The Party's Over

Part of a brace of chrimbo things from 2024 on the Beeb. There was some speculation, of course, that this was going to be a stealth bus episode or something of the like. Alas, it's just a pretty straightforward doc and not much more. Nice to see Reece and Steve actually quite unfiltered here but it's not as sharp or as focused at it could have been. A lot of "blowing smoke" and a bit too reverential generally but nice to see the tangible continuity between the earliest days of the League and Inside No.9. There's a tantalising reveal of the stage play (which is now out) I hope that gets filmed at some point!

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton created one of most consistent high quality series ever.

Over the course of nine series, it ranged from wildly comic to heartbreakingly tragic to deliciously twisted and dark.

As they shot the final series both men took part in a video diary. Both men recollect how the idea of a series came about as the BBC did not want more Psychoville.

So they went to an idea they had in their book of notes. Do an anthology of one off stories.

The first one was Sardines but it took off with The 12 Days of Christine in series 2.

There was a macabre Christmas episode. A live Halloween special and the one where they explain how to do a crossword.

I still felt both men were holding something back. Shearsmith can come across as acerbic, so here it seems both men were just being a little too nice for the cameras.

Inside no.9 rates as one of the greatest How's of the last two decades, and even though the final episode from series nine felt like a celebration, this felt like a more personal look back on the great show.

It's so nice to learn a little more about Shearsmith and Pemberton, they've been part of my viewing for many years, literally from Probe, to League of Gentlemen, to Psychoville, through to inside no.9. The duo seem like really great guys, all I can say, is thank you.

The biggest reveal, details about the hare, now I have watched this show more times than I care to imagine, I never picked up on it, I now have to rewatch from the very start, to spot them.

I truly hope it isn't the final end, hopefully a couple of specials will follow.

I'll say it again, guys please don't let this show end, we need more.

I need to watch Dead Line, again! I'm so glad to know that everything was staged, including the interruptions.

I look forward to the next project.

9/10.