Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith bring five more stand-alone episodes of their critically acclaimed and BAFTA Award-winning series, Inside No. 9, to BBC Two this spring.
Produced by BBC Studios Comedy Productions and broadcast on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, a first-look image is today released along with full casting details.
The stellar line-up includes Amanda Abbington (Sherlock, Mr Selfridge), Anita Dobson (EastEnders), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Phil Daniels (House of the Dragon, Quadrophenia), Claire Rushbrook (My Mad Fat Diary, Secrets & Lies), Frances Barber (Camille, Uncle Vanya), Leon Herbert (Salome's Last Dance, Batman), Mathew Horne (Gavin & Stacey, Bad Education) Menyee Lai (Stay Close, The Tower), Moyo Akandé (Guilt, The Cry), Robin Askwith (Bless This House, The Madame Blanc Mysteries), Samantha Spiro (Sex Education, Game of Thrones), Sheila Reid (Benidorm) and Ayda Kiiza.
The series follows on from last year’s Christmas special, The Bones of St Nicholas, which saw a 7-day audience of 2.3M on All-Screens, making it Inside No. 9’s biggest audience on record. On BARB 28-Days, it’s now up to 2.7M.
The episodes will stay true to the show’s popular anthology format, each delivering an original story and a cast of new characters that bring a mix of horror, thriller, drama, comedy and surprising twists.
Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton say: “We are thrilled to invite viewers inside a new set of funny and frightening number 9s; take your shoes off, make yourself at home and switch your devices to Do Not Disturb. Well it might work…”
Reece Shearsmith is currently starring in The Unfriend alongside Frances Barber and Amanda Abbington at London's Criterion Theatre. Read a review here.
Josh Cole, Head of Comedy, BBC Studios, says: “We’re thrilled to be making a new series of Inside No. 9 with the unassailable Reece and Steve, and look forward to delighting and upsetting viewers in equal measure.”
Gregor Sharp, Commissioning Editor at the BBC, says: “Reece and Steve are masters of their craft and it’s a delight to see such a brilliant line up of guest stars joining them for another series of perfectly formed dark comedy masterpieces.”
Since its launch in 2014, Inside No. 9 has received widespread critical acclaim and has won an enviable étagère of awards, including Best Scripted Comedy at the 2021 BAFTA TV Awards and Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme at the 2019 BAFTA TV Awards won by Steve Pemberton. In addition, the series has won the comedy prize at the 2016 Rose d'Or, two RTS Awards and two BAFTA TV Craft Awards (including Comedy Writing), South Bank Show and Writers' Guild awards.
All previous episodes of Inside No. 9 are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer and series eight will premiere on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in Spring 2023.
Inside No. 9 is produced by BBC Studios Comedy Productions for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer and is distributed internationally by BBC Studios. Written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton and produced by Kim Crowther. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Gregor Sharp. The Executive Producers for BBC Studios are Adam Tandy and Josh Cole.
