Inside No 9: The Devil of Christmas (BBC Two)

Posted on January 4, 2017 Updated on January 4, 2017

Inside No 9 is a drama-comedy anthology series in which there is no connection between one episode and the next save for the appearance in the cast of The League of Gentlemen alumni Steve Pemberton and Reece Sheersmith, who also created the series and write each episode. Inevitably that means that some episodes work better than others according to personal taste – the near-silent burglary escape “A Quiet Night In” is nothing less than a work of comedy genius, for example, but “Sardines’ felt like a good ten minute idea that didn’t know where to go for the final 20 minutes of running time. As a result I’ve tended to be a bit hit or miss about watching the show over its two seasons of six episodes apiece, but I did make a point of catching the special festive edition “The Devil of Christmas” last week.

The story operates on multiple levels, as it recreates what appears to be a lost episode of a 1970s Christmas TV ghost story. The set, costumes, script and acting are all authentically recreated – the production even uses the massive studio cameras of the period to give the end result the right old school video tape feel and 4:3 aspect ratio, even down to the way that a light source such as a candle leaves a ‘burn trail’ across the screen for several seconds after panning across. The whole thing is presented as DVD release complete with an audio commentary in which the fictional director laments the lack of time and funds, continuity errors, and where the actors miss their marks or have to leave to record a voiceover for Findus. It’s a delightfully nostalgic experience for those of us who remember watching the real life counterpart shows of the time, such as Tales of the Unexpected and Thriller. Read the rest of this entry »