After wading through the nights on BBC2 for years, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s dark anthology series has now attained its rightful place in being regarded as one of the most exciting, innovative and brilliant pieces of television ever put to screen. Written solely by the two and occasionally directed by them, each instalment is a lesson in precise and efficient storytelling filled with memorable characters and more twists and turns that an onslaught of roundabouts. There was a slight bit of trepidation as the series continued – after all, how long could the two keep the quality so high? Yet I’m more than happy to say that Series 5 sits comfortably alongside the show’s best work.
With another two seasons of the show commissioned, the old concerns of an impending cancellation are all but a distant memory. Now, I can sit back and relax in the comfort that I know at least another twelve stories of mystery and intrigue are going to be coming our way at some point in the future. Experimentation like this should always be rewarded, and Inside No. 9 deserves to be uttered in the same breath as some of the best television of this generation.
Continue to the following pages to read reviews for each of the episodes. Reviews contain spoilers.
Teleccentric 