Inside No. 9

A modern twist on (those of us old enough to remember) Tales of the Unexpected. Shearsmith and Pemberton take us into the dark recesses of their minds to produce unique 30 minute episodes containing individual, unrelated stories. Sometimes funny, sometimes dark and sometimes shocking, many great guest stars contribute to the fantastic storytelling. While a few episodes can be forgettable, the vast majority are incredible and gripping pieces of television at it's best. Standout episode for me is "The 12 Days of Christine".

While I'm not a "League of Gentlemen" fan; I loved Reece's performance in "A Field in England." Therefore I was prepared to give "No 9." a go. This series has an impressive line up of guest stars from Katherine Parkinson to Tamsin Greig. Each episode is a mini-play set in a different location. I especially liked the creepy mansion in the final one. The stories contain twists, humour & horror. Only one of them ("The Last Gasp") disappointed me. The make-up and costumes for Reece & Steve are great. "Sardines" has a terrific end to hook viewers in. "A Quiet Night In" is full of surprises. "Tom & Gerri", my favourite, is a compelling moral tale. "The Understudy" examines the price of success. "The Harrowing" is traditional horror with a scene stealing role for Reece. I look forward to a second series.

It is a wonderful show, which shows variety, imagination, creativity, humour and fiendish cleverness. One of the charms of Inside No.9 is not knowing what you're going to get, slapstick, car humour, sadness, joy, wit, the only thing you're sure of is the use of number nine.

Series 5 has just started, Deadline seemed a very long time ago. Many amazing episodes, Twelve days of Christine is still my favourite, and one of the best thirty minutes of tv ever made, exquisite in every single way. A Quiet Night in and Riddle of the Sphinx are also magical, Once Removed is one of the most imaginative things I've ever seen, wonderful episode.

They've managed to keep it original, intriguing and unique, I can't wait to see what comes next.

It's one of those shows that you can watch several times and see new things, such is the sheer brilliance of the writing.

Not many are better than this. I love it. 10/10

I have always found everything Steve Pemberton and Reece Sheersmith have written and performed in together total mesmerising. Their stories are highly original and imaginative. All their characters are thoroughly amusing, sometimes poignant and usually down right odd! I love stories with a twist, and so far the tales in this series have not disappointed, they get you thinking and are full of anticipation, Steve and Reece, please keep writing together! I loved The League of Gentlemen and Psychoville and this is well on par with that. They appear to be influenced by the horror genre and their individual episodes are reminiscent of The Twiighlight Zone only more sophisticated. Their acting is so convincing and they can easily portray all the crazy characters without going over the top. Supported by some well known faces, it is interesting to see the interaction between the actors. In my eyes these guys can do no wrong! Can't fault the series so far!

Every episode has a different storyline, each one extremely well written, keeping you guessing until the very end. In no way can you predict what is going to happen in any of the episodes. The best black comedy series I've ever seen, well worthy of a 10 star rating.