Inside No. 9 was a show that I’ve wanted to dive into for a long time now, and once my A-Levels were finished I went to work. Within a month I had binged the entire series, because screw going outside and being an active member of society when you can watch nearly 50 episodes of a TV show that takes place entirely in one location.

Inside No. 9 is a half-hour anthology series penned by and starring Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton which tells a different story each and every week, where the only constants are that both Shearsmith and Pemberton have a role in every episode, and that they take place inside a setting where the number 9 is involved e.g the number of a suburban house, or the ninth table in a restaurant. The show veers wildly between genres – at its core it’s a dark comedy but it can also explore horror, drama, and farce whenever it wants to. They’ve also done many format gimmicks over the years, from an audio commentary of a Christmas ‘film’ to a story set in a call centre presented entirely through CCTV.

So naturally, it will lead to many different takes on what the show’s best episodes are, as it all comes down to personal tastes. So that explains why I’ve made some potentially controversial choices in my list of my top 10 favourite episodes of Inside No. 9. Let’s go.

10) The Riddle Of The Sphinx (Series 3)

Steve Pemberton’s infatuation with cryptic crosswords comes to the fore in this smart and shock-filled episode from Series 3. This is one of those episodes that ends completely differently to how it starts, as the plot keeps winding in unexpected ways. The crossword puzzles themselves are really fun and smart, with much of the plot being revealed entirely through these clues and answers, before the stakes turn a lot gnarlier in the third act. It’s a little obtuse as a premise, but once you get into it, it’s a real mind-bender and a gripping half hour.

09) Simon Says (Series 6)

Imagine the plot of Misery (both the Stephen King book and its Rob Reiner film), only the creator is just as mysterious as the mad fan. This has a similar setup to the Series 1 episode Tom and Gerri, as a stranger begins invading and controlling someone’s life, but this improves on that foundation by turning into an observation on internet culture and toxic fandom. Safe to say, if you are even vaguely familiar with the backlash to the Game of Thrones finale, you’ll know what Pemberton and Shearsmith are going for here.

08) Dead Line (Halloween, 2018)

Dead Line is easily the biggest stunt the show has ever pulled. There is an argument that only those who watched the episode live saw it in its best light, and I admittedly knew much of the episode’s premise, but I still found myself impressed and terrified as the duo pull the wool over everyone’s eyes and give us a tremendously clever and versatile story. Marketed as the show’s first live episode, the apparent technical faults lead to the transmission being terminated and a repeat episode airing. Only the last time I checked there weren’t any evil spirits in A Quiet Night In. What follows is a story that breaks every fourth wall to be found, chews up and spits out traditional filming structures, and uses newsreels and rehearsal footage to show the Inside No.9 studios being attacked by unknown forces. Thank God I watched this one in broad daylight.

07) Death Be Not Proud (Series 5)

I am still something of a novice in regards to Pemberton and Shearsmith’s past work, so when this episode turns into a stealth sequel to their show Psychoville, a show of which I’ve never seen, I was worried it would be alienating. Thankfully, the pair seemed to be aware of this fact and keep the story self-contained. Jenna Coleman makes a great guest spot here as an audience surrogate, being exposed to the wonderfully morbid world of David and Maureen, and the surreal imagery this episode conjures up is all in service of a brave and barking mad ending.

06) The Devil Of Christmas (Series 3)

This is the first of two Christmas specials the show has attempted, and also my favourite of the two. No disrespect to the recent Bones of St Nicholas, but The Devil of Christmas is easily the more off-kilter seasonal offering, as we are treated to a loving parody of old-school anthology programmes presided over by the unreliable narrator of Derek Jacobi. He always elevates anything he’s in, but the way in which his commentary provides snide remarks to the hammy acting and ropey special effects is a genius way of using narration. Plus, the show’s well-known trope of a dark twist is fully on display here as things get really horrifying really quickly. I’ll definitely be watching this again in this year’s holiday season when I get sick of the usual schmaltz, because this is not your typical Christmas fare, and it’s all the better and scarier for it.

05) Wise Owl (Series 7)

You’ll find out soon enough that Series 7 is probably my favourite run of the show thus far. Aside from the mild misfire of Nine Lives Kat, every episode was firing on all cylinders, and Wise Owl makes for a finale that is excruciatingly uncomfortable but emotionally powerful. In a similar fashion to the Devil of Christmas, Wise Owl is a homage to nostalgic television, in this case old children’s animations and information films. The animated segments get progressively disturbing, as does the live-action story of a social recluse haunted by his dark family past. It’s not an easygoing watch, but if you’re in the right mood and you’re ready for the show’s most morbid outing (ever), you’ll appreciate this a whole lot more.

04) Zanzibar (Series 4)

A stark contrast to Wise Owl, Zanzibar is the show at its funniest and most farcical. Pemberton and Shearsmith find another genius way of telling a story, in this case using iambic pentameter to show a tangled web of affairs, mistaken identities and assassination attempts, all taking place on the ninth floor of some swanky hotel. As someone who was getting used to the show’s blend of dark comedy and elements of horror, it was really refreshing to see an episode this hilarious, while still keeping with the twisting and winding narratives that Inside No.9 does best.

03) A Random Act Of Kindness (Series 7)

I tend not to be a fan of when the show does straight drama pieces, but I do like whenever the real world combines with Shearsmith and Pemberton’s strange sensibilities. Jessica Hynes is brilliant here as a mother looking after a son who is drifting apart from her, and the emotional core of this story is really strong. However, it’s made even better with the addition of a time-travel subplot that both enhances the drama of this mother-and-son story and makes for a twist ending that not only shocks you, but makes you absolutely distraught since the domestic drama of the episode was so investing.

02) The 12 Days Of Christine (Series 2)

The 12 Days of Christine is commonly viewed as the best episode of the entire show, and although I’ve only given it second place, the choice between these top two was immensely close. It’s a sublime half-hour that skips through the troubled life of a woman named Christine, played excellently by the great Sheridan Smith, from her first relationship, pregnancy, divorce, etc. The drama is wonderfully played, but the surreal imagery of broken eggshells and a stranger appearing in Christine’s dreams keeps things ominous. The final reveal of what’s been going on is utterly superb, and it’s easily the show’s best marriage of drama, emotion, and discomforting dread. Objectively speaking it probably is the show’s best episode. So why’s it not my favourite?

01) Mr King (Series 7)

Because Mr King is just more up my street. It speaks volumes to Series 7’s quality that half of its episodes have made my top five, but I think Mr King towers above the rest because it’s everything I want out of this show. It’s uncomfortable and uneasy, with dark humour so dark I’m not even sure if it was humour. It features both Shearsmith and Pemberton on their A-game, it has a really unique setting of a school in a remote Welsh village, and it combines prevalent themes of social commentary, in this case climate change, with a deliciously unsettling third act that I could not take my eyes away from. Darkly funny, phenomenally morbid, and blazingly unique. That’s Inside No. 9 all right.

So, that’s my roundup of Inside No. 9. It was extremely hard whittling this down to twenty, let alone ten, but that should speak volumes as to how consistently great and interesting this show is. I implore you to watch at least a few episodes because no matter what your tastes are, they have probably made an episode in a genre you find appealing. And when the ninth and final series airs in the future, I can sit back and watch the last run with everyone else.

All hail Inside No. 9.

Alex’s Archive – 10 of our favourite inside no 9 episodes