I don't write many reviews...actually, only one other so far. That being said, this show is absolutely one of the best shows I've ever watched. Incredibly well written, acted and directed. Production values are top notch. The show is beyond smart, witty and surprising. Twists are always unexpected and well hidden. So much is packed into a 30 minute episode it's absolutely surprising so little time passes. It would be remiss of you not to give this show a watch.

From the writers and creators of The League of Gentlemen and Psychoville, when I heard the title I assumed it would be something to do with the house opposite No. 10 Downing Street, I could not be more wrong. Writers and stars Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton brought us another British series full of fantastic dark comedy, but this was not a sitcom or series of sketches, it is an anthology series. Each half hour episode focuses on a self-contained storyline with new characters and new settings, the stories are only linked by the fact that they take place at a number 9, e.g. house, flat, desk, dressing room, etc. Shearsmith or Pemberton, usually both, star in each episode, but each has a new cast, a number of well-known stars, these have included: 4.3.2.1.'s Ophelia Lovibond, The Musketeers' Luke Pasqualino, The IT Crowd's Katharine Parkinson, Four Weddings and a Funeral's Anna Chancellor, Green Wing's Julian Rhind-Tutt, The Mother's Anne Reid, EastEnders' Timothy West, Nativity's Marc Wootton, Oona Chaplin (Charlie's granddaughter), Denis Lawson, Fonejacker's Kayvan Novak, Gemma Arterton, Tamsin Greig, Sophie Thompson, Dead Set's Adam Deacon, Skyfall's Helen McCrory, Mark Benton, Coronation Street's Julie Hesmondhalgh, Jack Whitehall, Sheridan Smith, Paul Kaye, Another Year's Ruth Sheen, David Warner, Jane Horrocks, Tony Way and Alison Steadman. Stories in the first series included: a game of Sardines that turns dark, bumbling burglars trying to steal a painting from a mansion, a homeless man stepping into the lives of a couple and changing dynamics, a celebrity dying at a little girl's birthday and his last "valuable" breath being held in a party balloon, an understudy actor doing whatever it takes to steal the leading role of Macbeth, and a young girl hired to house sit in a Gothic mansion with bumpy noises and a disabled family member "not to be disturbed". Stories in the second series included: a French sleeper carriage with passengers coming in and out and a dead body in a bunk bed, a young lady's life is mixed and unravelled following a car accident towards Christmas and New Year, a woman is put on trial in the 17th Century as she is accused of witchcraft, a man starts working for a helpline company called Comfort Support Line and gets some disturbing calls, a grandmother's 79th birthday party with a a large fake cake for hiding someone underneath brings out some embarrassing but also life changing home truths, and a TV personality sets up a séance with an actress playing a spiritualist medium to prank unsuspecting members of the public, only for it to turn dark. It is a fantastically written and performed show by Shearsmith and Pemberton, each episode is full of great jokes, dark and sinister or moving and dramatic moments, believable domestic and social situations that become unusual, strange, cringing or twisted, and you never know what to expect, a must see British dark comedy anthology. It was nominated the British Comedy Awards for Best New Comedy Programme and Best Comedy Drama. Very good!

Inside No. 9 is the brain child of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, the writer/actors party responsible for The League of Gentlemen, which I think is one of the best British TV comedies ever. With this new series, they retain the comedy with horror undercurrents basic idea but with each separate episode being a standalone teleplay. All stories occur in a place with the address no. 9. The format is such that the action in each instalment never moves from the one location. It reflects that these have been made on a pretty tight budget but despite this the writing is good and the cast does include several respected actors such as Katherine Parkinson, Denis Lawson and Gemma Arteton; Pemberton and Shearsmith themselves are of course brilliant character actors themselves and appear throughout the series too.Season One:Sardines – in a large country house, a game of sardines is played, resulting in everyone ending up in a wardrobe in one of the bedrooms. This is a claustrophobic opener.Tom & Gerri – a man enters a downward spiral when he befriends a mysterious tramp. This episode is the best of the series. A genuinely dark tale.A Quiet Night In – a couple of bugling burglars try to steal a painting from a luxury home. This is I guess the experimental episode. It plays out effectively like a silent movie.Last Gasp – a pop star dies while making a home visit to a sick girl, his entourage and the family then squabble over a balloon which holds his dying breath. This is the weakest episode, with a definite lack of material.The Understudy – an acting understudy eventually assumes centre stage but at a price. This one is an interesting atmospheric tale.The Harrowing – a teenage girl is hired to house sit but it appears that there are scary things going on in this home. This is the most clearly horror influenced segment. It has interesting things going for it but it doesn't really amount to as much as it could.Overall, the first season is good but not a great one. As a comedy it's really not all that funny, surprisingly so when you take into account just how hilarious The League of Gentlemen was. But to be fair, I don't honestly think they were going for laughs a lot of the time, quite often it seemed like it was the dark tone that was the main idea. Ultimately pretty uneven but certainly an interesting bit of work though.Season Two:La Couchette - a group of passengers share a Trans Europe sleeper carriage in a train where something very bad happens in the night. A good start to season two that benefits from some fine comic performances from a good cast of TV familiars. This one is quite a bit more obviously funny than most in the series.The 12 Days of Christine - twelve key days in the life of a woman called Christine. I reckon that this has to go down as the best episode in all of 'Inside No. 9'. In fact, this is one of the best bits of television I can remember seeing for a long while. In half an hour, this fantastically constructed episode conveys a huge amount of genuine emotion in an interesting and original way. Sheridan Smith is quite brilliant here also.The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge - two witch finders arrive at a village in order to interrogate a woman accused of witch-craft. The influence of the 17th century horror films of the British film studio Tigon is very much in evidence. A little more straightforward than most in season two, yet very satisfying all the same.Cold Comfort - a new volunteer worker at a Samaritans phone line experiences a series of unpleasant events. Once again this is an episode that shows huge invention on the part of its creators. Shot from a permanent split-screen that shows the views of three static in-house cameras, the story is expertly told and uses this restriction to its benefit even if the final pay-off is perhaps slightly under-par.Nana's Party - events at a family birthday party go from bad to worse. This one is typified by lots of psychological tensions maximised by a set of oddball characters that don't seem to know how to socially interact.Séance Time - a bad tempered TV prankster gets more than he bargained for during a mock séance he set up. Like the final episode of season one, this is another that goes for a horror styling in a much more overt manner. Once again it works well, as a result of some strong acting, even if it isn't ultimately the best work of the series.In summary, season two was a blinder and, for my money, noticeably stronger that season one. I think Shearsmith and Pemberton have really got into their stride here and there really aren't any weak episodes in this second batch at all. The level of invention is highly impressive and the quality overall is very high indeed.

But I can see that it won't be everyone's cup of tea.There are no jokes,no funny foreigners,no silly voices and no kids,cute or otherwise. It is insidiously involving however and the first episode:- "Sardines" had a great cast and a killer ending. Set at a middle - class family party in a big old house where patriarch Mr.Timothy West thinks it's still 1955,a game of sardines is in progress with all the characters eventually hiding in a big wardrobe in a bedroom. Familial tensions simmer as the members are forced into close proximity with one another and an appalling secret is revealed at the end. With most of the action going on in what is in effect a large cupboard, the cast interact beautifully and here I must mention the great Miss K.Parkinson who is the first face we see and to whom the eye is drawn even when she is not the focus of attention. Mr S.Pemberton - the sublime Mick Garvey from "Benidorm" quietly seethes with hatred and resentment throughout what is actually nobody's idea of a TV comedy series - more a bleak tale of convoluted relationships and the things we humans do to each other and try to justify. With that caveat,don't expect many belly - laughs. But it is fascinating stuff nonetheless and together with "Uncle" and "House of fools",reason enough to think that the BBC has it's mojo back.