Inside No9 Gets Second Series - Feature.

BBC Two has already ordered a second series of new comedy Inside No. 9.

The fact the BBC is committing to more episodes of the show has privately been known for a couple of weeks, however co-creator Reece Shearsmith has now publicly made an announcement via his Twitter feed. He posted: "Did I mention we already have a second series of Inside No. 9? I don't think I did. Oh - well, we do. Something to do innit."

Inside No. 9 is the highly-anticipated new show from League Of Gentlemen and Psychoville stars Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith.


BBC Two has ordered six additional episodes before the first series of the dark new comedy has even completed airing, indicating that the corporation is confident the show will be a hit with viewers.

An anthology series, each episode of Inside No. 9 features an entirely different premise and characters. The only linking features are the duo's trademark dark humour, and that all the stories are set in a property or room numbered 9.

The first episode, which was broadcast on Wednesday 5th February, is set at an engagement party where the guests are playing a game of sardines (hiding in a cupboard); whilst the second is a dialogue-free farce about two inept burglars trying to steal a painting. Subsequent episodes focus on topics such as an oddly haunted house and an actor's blood-soaked dressing room.

Guest stars across the first six-part series include Anna Reid, Julia Davis, Tamsin Greig, Katherine Parkinson, Gemma Arterton, Timothy West and Denis Lawson.

The anticipation for Inside No. 9 has been building since two episodes were screened at a preview event by the BFI in December. Reviews from those in attendance included "huge laughs and genuine fear by turns" and "the best thing I've seen all year".

Shearsmith confirmed that he and Pemberton had been commissioned to write six more episodes, saying: "We have got a second series of Inside No. 9, which is great. We found out weeks ago. We're starting to write those now."

Comedy fans will have a wait to see the second series as it is not expected to be shown on television until 2015. Shearsmith, talking about creating the new episodes, said: "We're not filming it until the autumn, so we've got a while, but yeah, we've got ideas."

The second series of Inside No. 9 will go ahead in place of a previously announced second BBC project for the pair. Shearsmith explained: "We were going to do another thing, and we had ideas for that, and then we made this [Inside No. 9] and then thought 'oh well, can we not do six more of these? And kind of consolidate this, because we really like the idea of it'."

Mind you it too long enough for the Beeb to get round to broadcasting series one as Shearsmith told us "I know, tell me about it - I have just been sat on it for such a long time - it is so over and done with in our minds - we filmed three over a year ago in December 2012. There was always going to be a gap then, as I was doing this murder drama for ITV and Steve did more Whitechapel and Benidorm, but then we came back together last July and did the other three... and it was all rushed to be finished for September, because it was going to be on the television in the autumn... and then it was stopped again! Even when the week was finally decided, they moved it from the 3rd to the 5th, so I was like "Oh my God!"... I was very gleefully announcing a date, and then they changed it again.

Watch Reece and Steve talking about the show



He confirmed the second project was on hold: "The BBC said yes, and so this [Series 2] will, for now, be the second thing. The other thing has been put on the back burner."

As previously reported, Shearsmith also revealed the BBC have asked for more episodes of cult comedy show The League Of Gentlemen. However, the comedy group don't currently have time to re-form to film any more episodes. "The offer came off the back of the interest that we had when we did our little reunion for the Royal Free Hospital charity gig. There was quite a flurry of 'oh are they getting back together?'. The BBC saw that and thought 'oh, right, so people still remember that do they?'... so then we got a call saying 'do you want to do some more of these?', to be linked in with the fifty years of comedy that is being celebrated on BBC Two in April... And it was like 'well, bit late now'. We felt we didn't have time to do it"

But we haven't ever said 'no' to the idea of reforming - this was just the wrong time. In 2019 it will be 20 years since The League Of Gentlemen launched on television... then, maybe, that might be the time to do it.

Inside No. 9 started on BBC Two on Wednesday 5th February and is shown Wednesdays at 10pm. This weeks amazing episode A Quiet Night In, was a dialogue-free farce, as we enter the beautiful, modernist home of Gerald and Sabrina... a beautiful home with lots of beautiful things in it. Beautiful things of extreme value. The kind of things that might just become the target of an audacious criminal enterprise.

When cat-burglars Ray and Eddie decide to break into the luxury house, they have to dodge all manner of obstacles - including the warring couple that live there - to get their hands on a priceless painting. Its still on BBC iplayer so do catch up... http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=Inside+No.+9