Reece Shearsmith has given a strong hint of when the final series of the acclaimed Inside No. 9 will be broadcast on BBC Two. He posted a picture of himself and co-creator Steve Pemberton on X, formerly Twitter, above the words: "New Series Coming In May 2024".
Shearsmith added: "In case you missed this. We finished and delivered the six episodes yesterday. Was the end of a twelve year journey. I hope you enjoy them. Now I return to my sleep of the undead. #insideno9"
BBC Two is currently repeating the seventh series on Friday nights at 10pm. The new series will be the last and, appropriately, it will be the ninth series of Inside No. 9.
The guests for the new series were recently revealed, alongside the newe image published here. They are Dorothy Atkinson (Pennyworth, Mum), Mark Bonnar (Guilt, Napoleon), Charlie Cooper (This Country, See How They Run), Philippa Dunne (Derry Girls, Motherland), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Benidorm), Joel Fry (Plebs, Game of Thrones), Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street, The Long Shadow), Matthew Kelly (Stars In Their Eyes, Cold Blood), Eddie Marsan (Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky), Vinette Robinson (Boiling Point, The A Word), Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey, The Chelsea Detectives), Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake, Adult Material), Susan Wokoma (Cheaters, Chewing Gum), and more.
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.
Inside No. 9 is BBC Two’s longest current running comedy and consistently ranks as one of the biggest comedies across the channel. The show's popularity spans across the globe, with the series airing in the Nordics, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australiaand China.
Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton say: “It is with mixed emotions that we announce we have started filming the final series of Inside No. 9. We overheard some crew members the other day describe us as ‘a couple of Wonkas’ and that seems an apt description. We take the finest ingredients (stellar casts and creatives) and blend them with our secret recipe to produce unique confections that are delicious and often deadly.
It has been the greatest privilege to have been allowed to make 55 wildly different episodes and we’ll miss the yearly challenge of trying to entertain and surprise our audience. We honestly feel like golden ticket winners - which makes us not a couple of Wonkas, but a pair of Charlies.”
Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy, says: “Reece and Steve have, once again, served up a stellar line up of guests to star alongside them in their funny, beautifully crafted and totally original scripts. Inside No. 9 will be hugely missed, but this final series promises to be a treat for all their avid fans.”
Josh Cole, Head of Comedy at BBC Studios Productions, says:“Inside No. 9 is an all time comedy great, and Reece and Steve’s achievement in writing 55 extraordinary episodes is little short of breathtaking. There is something so special about this show, and we will miss making it more than words can say.”on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in Spring 2024, further information will be announced in due course.
picture credit: James Stack