Inside No. 9 creators: 'Ending the show is sad but a massive relief'
The series has presented a formidable writing challenge.
Inside No. 9 creators Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith have reflected on the end of their genre-hopping anthology, admitting a sense of "relief" that the challenging project is winding down.
Each episode of the series tasks the creators with penning a self-contained 30-minute story confined to a single location and usually packing a twist ending – a tough exercise indeed.
Last year, Pemberton admitted that it had become "tricky" to find new ways of surprising Inside No. 9 viewers, but the duo are confident that they've managed to turn around one more set of top quality episodes.
Speaking in the latest issue of Radio Times magazine about leaving the show behind, Pemberton said: "I don’t think we regret deciding to finish. Numerically, it’s our little in-joke – nine series of Inside No 9.
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"It could easily have stopped after five series, but we were determined to get to that landmark."
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Shearsmith continued: "When the last episode is only available on iPlayer, then it really will feel like it’s concluded. There will be a sadness to it, but also massive relief that we’ve got to the end without compromising on the high bar we set ourselves.
"We’ve done 55 different stories now, and to have not repeated ourselves or started to wane feels like an achievement. We’re very proud."
Guest stars for Inside No. 9 season 9 include Eddie Marsan (The Winter King), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley), Katherine Kelly (Mr Bates vs The Post Office), Susan Wokoma (Chewing Gum) and Charlie Cooper (This Country).
The first episode of the final season will follow events on an underground train carriage that breaks down in a tunnel, but later entries remain tightly under wraps – including that mysterious last episode.
At a screening last year, Pemberton said: "We're writing series 9 at the moment and, of course, it's hard because we have done so many ways of telling a story. And so many ways of turning a story on its head, and we don't want to repeat those.
"We just want to give the audience the biggest surprises and enjoyable half-hour stories. That's the thing that's tricky, because by the time we finish we'll have done 55 [episodes]."
Inside No. 9 returns to BBC Two and iPlayer at 10pm on Wednesday 8th May 2024. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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