Review Inside no.9 ( New Series trailer added)

[michaellevenson]

Anthology series created by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton of League of Gentlemen fame.
Four series so far, all superb , each episode thirty minutes of innovative television.
Each story takes place in a room, or dwelling, or in one case a train compartment, where the setting is numbered 9.
Mixture of comedy of the dark sort, with a fabulous twist in the tale. Also some of the episodes are told in a bizarre and unusual fashion.
One episode told completely by CCTV footage, another the entire story related in iambic pentameter, another which I've just seen is a murder story, quite a gory one told in reverse chronology.
In this youtube video the episode 12 days of Christine with Sheridan Smith is dissected at some length. With good reason too, a story with a shock twist. , one of the best of the 24 made so far.

 

[michaellevenson]

This is a complete episode, though slightly speeded up version, one of my favorites.
Rula Lenska in a 70's Xmas horry story, shot by the Inside no.9 team on genuine 70's equipment for authenticity.
In a Swiss ski lodge , numbered 9, a tale of a Satanic Santa is revealed, the " director" can be heard giving comments and telling us how it was made etc., as if we're watching on a dvd with the commentary on. But why ? What exactly are we watching? A big twist at the end and a horrific one.

 

[michaellevenson]

Episode Guide- series 1
1.Sardines
Location - in a bedroom in a country house.
Rebecca and Jeremy are holding a party , and play sardines with their guests. As one by one the characters all end up in the wardrobe, dark secrets are revealed, including child abuse suffered by one of the guests out for revenge.

Spoiler

No one is too happy when " Stinky John" enters the wardrobe, but he suffered abuse as a child with Carbolic Soap as did Philip a.k.a. "Pip", who was posing as Ian at the party and now everyone is in the wardrobe he can get revenge, holding lighter fuel and a lighter.

2.A Quiet Night In
Location - a modernist house.
Two housebreakers attempt robbery, whilst the occupants are there,(which wasn't planned), very cleverly choreographed as the two cat burglars continually just miss the arguing couple who are not quite what they seem.
With Dennis Lawson.
3. Tom and Gerri
Location -flat.
Migg , a tramp returns a lost wallet to Tom, and then finagles his way into living in Tom's flat, much to bemusement of fiancee Gerri.
Tom changes, turning into a tramp like Migg and Migg ends up suited like Tom. But why?
With Gemma Arteta.
A real surprise twist.
4. Last Gasp
Location - suburban house.
Nine year old Tamsin is dying, her parents hire pop star J.Parsons to cheer her up . He arrives with the representative of Wishmaker UK (Tamsin Greig) and starts by blowing up a balloon, but then keels over from a heart attack and dies, his last breath inside the balloon. The adults squabble in front of the kid as to what to do with this potential money making situation.
5. The Understudy
Location -dressing room.
Jim is an understudy at a theatrical company, but longs for the lead role. His fiancée, who we discover is dangerous urges him to usurp the lead actor by force.
Episode in five acts loosely based on Macbeth.
6. The Harrowing
Location -gothic house.
A story with a out and out scary end. Katy , a young girl is asked to babysit for weirdo siblings Hector and Tabitha who have to go out and leave brother Andras upstairs in bed.
The house is kept at freezing point temperature with pictures of hell depicted on the walls. Katy is alone and Andras upstairs is stirring, a boy chained to his bed for 40 years!

 

[michaellevenson]

SERIES TWO
1.La Couchette.
Location - sleeper car.
On a French sleeper train a bunch of oddball characters including a drunkard, a flatulent German, a professor try to settle down for the night, by morning one is dead, but the others stay schtum for a reason and get to their destination on time. Was it murder, and by whom?
2. 12 Days Of Christine
Location - a flat
Twelve little sketches telling the story of Christine around Xmas time , her life with husband, child and parents and friends. But something is wrong, the sketches seem contradictory, characters having died, are seen again later, and a strange man cradling her child keeps appearing in her flat.
A staggering ending totally unexpected.
3.The Trial Of Elizabeth Gadge
Location - A Barn.
In the 17th century a harmless looking woman is put on trial for witchcraft. Magistrate Pike (David Warner) calls in investigators Warren and Clarke to conduct the trial. Pike is manipulating the situation for political ends, with wild talk of Elizabeth talking to a mouse and turning into a bat. There's a big shock in store, there is a demonic mouse!!
4. Cold Comfort
Location - call centre.
The entire episode fed to us a through a CCTV feed . In a crisis support centre, new Samaritan worker Jim takes a difficult call from a suicidal teenage girl, leading him to lose his temper with an elderly caller who in turn kills herself. The family want revenge.
5. Nana's Party
Location - suburban house
Paramedics arrive at the house , and in flashback we see the events that lead to the situation.
Angela is giving a party for her 79 year old mother, husband John is planning a practical joke on Angela's drunken sister's husband Pat. John crouches under the table hidden by the tablecloth, with his head sticking up through a hole in the table up under a hollow 'false' cake, the idea being Jim will burst out of the cake. But an argument starts, a knife is drawn .....the cake is hit.
6. Seance Time
Location -Victorian Villa
Tina visits a Madam Talbot for a seance, or so she thinks, but it's a set up for a tacky tv show, hidden cameras fake fx etc., but no one told a real spirit that turns up unexpectedly.

 

[michaellevenson]

Series 3

1.The Devil Of Christmas
Location - ski chalet
A family on holiday arrive at the chalet with their tour guide.
A picture on the wall depicts an evil looking figure, dressed in black, a goblin kidnapping a child at Xmas. The guide reveals this is The Krampus, an evil version of Santa....
Suddenly we hear the director giving comments, talking about the plot and acting etc., the picture freezes and rewinds and plays . We are watching a recording being played back of an old 70's movie. But why? Who is the director talking to?
With Rula Lenska.
2. The Bill
Location - a restaurant
Three northerners take Craig , a southerner out for a Tapas meal, but end up arguing about paying the bill. A fierce argument ensues with everyone insistent they want to pay..A scuffle breaks out, a knife drawn, the waitress is slashed in the throat! Hells bells now what!
3. The Riddle Of The Sphinx
Student Nina breaks into the office of classicist professor Squires at Uni. Squires compiles the varsity cryptic crosswords under the pseudonym The Sphinx.
He and the girl spend an uncomfortable time as she explains why she's there.
A real double double twist in the tale, as someone else enters with murder in mind and cannibalism! Hey, he's even got his own portable cooking set so he can slice and fry a bit of Nina's flesh!!!
Location -professor's study
4.Empty Orchestra
Location - karaoke booth.
With Sarah Hadland and Tamzin Outhwaite.
In a karaoke booth, an office party takes place, the relationships , intrigue etc of the group is cleverly related using the characters performing karaoke. About 90% of the dialogue is within the songs.
5.Diddle Diddle Dumpling
A disturbing tale, a married man finds a single shoe outside his house and is determined to find the owner.
He advertises it on line, sets up a blog, leaves his job , to find the owner of this unremarkable black shoe. His marriage disintegrates but on he goes,but why?
Location - suburban house ( number 9 is not a location here, but the shoe size)
With Keeley Hawes
6.Private View
Location -gallery space
In an art gallery strangers have been invited to a retrospective viewing of someone's work they never heard of, but why them? One by one they get murdered!
With Felicity Kendall.

 

[michaellevenson]

Series 4-part 1
1.Zanzibar
Location -hotel corridor floor 9
Rory Kinnear stars in a dual role as one of various hotel guests meeting in and out of each others rooms, including an assassin trying to work out the right bloody room to do his job. The whole script is in iambic pentameter.
2. Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room
80's small time comedy duo ' Cheese and Crackers Reunite after 30 years to perform one last time. Recriminations on both sides " We weren't even as good as Mike and Bernie Winters"
Everything goes well in rehearsals until the incident that split them is mentioned, something happened in Bernie Clifton's dressing room.
Location - church hall ( no.9 is a numbered wicker basket containing their props)
3. Once Removed
Removal man Spike arrives to get a job done at number 9 and walks into a horrific murder incident. One dead body is under a dust sheet, another rolled up in a carpet, another shot dead in the toilet.
How did this happen? A caption says " ten minutes previously" the next bit takes place earlier, then we go back another ten minutes, and yet again, the story told in reverse chronology. Very bizarre. Will we find out why the murders took place and why was the husband wearing a pink nightie and oven gloves!
David Calder of Star Cops appears as a senile inhabitant of the house in his own dream world, thinking he is Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Location- suburban house ( actually no.6 disguised as 9)
4. To Have And To Hold
Married couple are going to renew their vows. But the husband seems more interested in doing jigsaws and concentrating on his wedding photo business. In the cellar that is used as a darkroom something odd is going on. The husband takes down crates of Pot Noodles but doesn't eat them
Location - suburban house.
Part 2 - episodes 5 and 6 to come- when I've watched them.

 

[michaellevenson]

The trial of Elizabeth Gadge;

 

[michaellevenson]

Private View

 

[michaellevenson]

Series 4.-ep 5

....and the winner is
Another excellent episode that I've just watched.
Location BAFTA jury room (no.9 jury)
Six tv/theatre personalities discuss the best actress award.
We have a hip director, a drunken American actress, a struggling writer, an old school actor, a journalist and a member of the public.
The discussions soon veer away from the business in hand and deteriorate into bitching about each other. A funny episode with a surprise ending when one of the jury wasn't as they appeared to be, but instead was just playing a role, but why? With Dr Who's Mickey , Noel Clarke, and Zoe Wannamaker.
One more episode to go in this fourth series.

 

[michaellevenson]

Series 3 episode 2 "The Bill"
A gentlemanly discussion about who pays a restaurant bill descends into mayhem as a waitress gets her throat slashed. Philip Glenister from Life on Mars stars with Shearsmith and Pemberton.

 

[michaellevenson]

Series 3 episode 1 The Devil At Christmas. A parody of a bad 70's horror movie, or is it a lot more? The evil Krampus on the wall depicted is not the only evil here.

 

[michaellevenson]

There's some lovely little trailers on youtube of some of these episodes.
Series 1 episode 6 The Harrowing

 

[michaellevenson]

Series 2 episode 5 Nana's Party

 

[michaellevenson]

Series 2 episode 4 Cold Comfort

 

[michaellevenson]

Series 4 episode 5 and the winner is

 

[michaellevenson]

Series 1 episode 2 A Quiet Night In
Two bungling burglars try to rob a couple of their valuables, but not reckoning on them being there at the time.

 

[michaellevenson]

Series 4 episode 6.

Tempting Fate
Finally finished the series, and wow! What a last episode.
Location - Boarded up flat (no.9)
Social services workers in protective bio hazard overalls turn up in a flat of a deceased old man to sort out his belongings. The flat stinks, is stock full of rubbish, a dead rat under the kitchen sink. Evidence emerges that Frank the geezer in question had won millions on the lottery but was living in this filth. In the safe is a package sealed up with " Do not open" written on it and a VHS tape. The three council workers decide to open it, and is revealed to be a bronze statue of a hare. The tape is a suicide message from Frank stating he got the statue from Jaipur in India, and it's cursed. It can grant three wishes, but it's malevolent. Frank wished for his wife to be slimmer and she got cancer and faded away, he also wished for money hence his lottery win, his third wish isn't revealed yet. The tape ends with him climbing onto a stool and hanging himself.
Two of the council team are experienced old hands at this but with them is a lippy youth on work experience, she grabs the hare and wishes for riches, which then they find hidden in a monopoly game box.
Then the troubles really begin as bizarre occurrences take place. Is it the hare or is it just fate? An explosive ending as the horror of the dead Frank's third wish is revealed.
Great series, and a fifth for next year already commissioned. Pity I'm the only fan here!
With Nigel Planer as Frank.

 

[michaellevenson]

Tempting Fate continued
Anyone intrigued by this , here is the full revelations of this great plot.

Spoiler

So Moz the lippy female youth grabs the cash saying it's hers as she wished for it, but Nick ( Shearsmith) one of our council workers claims he got a degree in folk culture and knows of this type of curse, and it could be dangerous. Moz tries to flee but the whole flat is full if crap and its difficult to move , she bashes into an ironing board, which in turn knocks over a football that bounces onto the floor, knocking over a floorboard that they've removed because it had Frank's blood on it, the board topples onto Moz , with large nails attached to it, and pierces her skull, instant death.
Nick is sh*t scared the curse is working. Keith ( Pemberton) tells him to calm down.
But something don't add up. The suicide video of Frank, hanging himself, he was found dead by neighbours after tripping and crashing head first through a glass coffee table. And WTF! If he hanged himself and videoed it who put the tape in the safe?.
Keith looks strangely at Nick and says " well I did after I killed him!" , then uses the statue in his hand to club Nick across the head. Nick falls blooded.
Keith " You see Nick , I came here to see Frank, after the neighbours complained about the smell. I wanted him to help me financially, with his lottery winnings, my son has MS confined to a wheelchair. We had an argument,Frank went through the coffee table"
Keith drags Nick's unconscious body over to the gas fire,and pulls out the pipe, gas entering the room.
Keith " sorry Nick, these places are death traps, I'll report that I found you and Moz dead, tragic!"
Suddenly Keith hears a voice in the kitchen, he goes in , its Frank!!! muttering to himself.
Frank " oh hi , Keith isn't it from council? I remember you, begging for money, then you pushed me through the coffee table. Didn't work I'm still here, that was my third wish, well if you want money you want to live forever don't you? It's a curse, I've tried hanging myself , gassing myself, never works! Anyway you look to be in shock mate, I'll make us a nice cup of tea"
Then Keith hears Nick calling him , he goes in to the living room. Nick blooded is sitting up, next to him is Keith's son Charlie standing up well again.
Nick " I wished him well for you Keith, I used a wish up for you" Keith hugs his son ,in tears of joy.
Charlie. " Daddy what's that awful smell?"
Keith" OMG! FRANK NO!"
Frank puts the kettle on the gas stove and strikes a match
BOOM!!

 

[michaellevenson]

The amazing ONCE REMOVED a murder tale told in reverse chronology.

 

[michaellevenson]