Inside No. 9 co-creator Steve Pemberton has addressed the future of the darkly comedic anthology, teasing that the door will remain open for more episodes even after the show's ninth – and final – season.

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The series has earned acclaim for its inventive format, which sees Pemberton and co-writer Reece Shearsmith tell a self-contained story confined to just one location with each instalment.

During a fan screening at the BFI, the duo were asked whether there is any hope for more Inside No. 9 beyond next year's ninth season, which was recently confirmed to be the final entry for now.

"It absolutely could [come back]," began Pemberton. "And that's why we've said the door is ajar, rather than closed. You could easily do specials and stuff like that."

Shearsmith and Pemberton previously collaborated on sketch comedy The League of Gentlemen, which itself returned for a trilogy of specials in 2017, which marked the 20th anniversary of the show's BBC Radio 4 debut.

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He continued: "But for us and for the poor audience... I think it's good to know we are finishing after [season] 9, but we won't say 'lock the door and throw away the key'."

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton in Inside No. 9
Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton in Inside No. 9. BBC/James Stack

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The challenging premise might have been a contributing factor in deciding to end the show, with Pemberton commenting that writing the final season has been "hard".

He added: "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 Thursday 27th April 2023. 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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