Every Inside No. 9 Episode Ranked From Worst To Best 

16. Dead Line

Inside No 9
BBC

Plot: Supernatural happenings mess up an attempt at a live episode of Inside No. 9.

Location: A television studio.

One thing we can all agree on is that Dead Line is a masterpiece of live television. It's an astonishingly bold and inventive half-hour that's a real testament to just how creative Shearsmith and Pemberton are.

Obviously, to get the best experience of this episode, you'll need to have seen it live (apparently a fifth of viewers switched it off part-way through, since they thought the live broadcast really had gone wrong) but if you watch it on catch-up, the chances are you'll still love it.

However you watch it, this is still a jaw-droppingly smart and twisty episode that deploys a clever twist every few minutes (literally), brilliantly juggles multiple locations and formats and even manages to get a couple of jolting jump scares in the bargain too.

The format might be the most impressive part, but it's a testament to how well-written this episode was that it still works without being seen live.


Contributor

Film Studies graduate, aspiring screenwriter and all-around nerd who, despite being a pretentious cinephile who loves art-house movies, also loves modern blockbusters and would rather watch superhero movies than classic Hollywood films. Once met Tommy Wiseau.