Every Inside No. 9 Twist Ranked
11. Dead Line - The Broadcast Didn't Really Go Wrong And It's All Part Of The Episode
Plot: Supernatural happenings mess up an attempt at a live episode of Inside No. 9.
At first, a story about a mysterious phone begins... but then problems with the live broadcast prevent it from continuing, so A Quiet Night In is screened instead.
At this point, around a fifth of viewers were fooled and turned off the episode... but during A Quiet Night In, ghosts start appearing in the background. The 'problems' with the live TV broadcast are all part of the episode.
What follows is a crazy episode of live TV in which Pemberton and Shearsmith, playing themselves, are pursued by ghosts in a haunted TV studio.
Of course, this has the biggest impact if you were lucky enough to see if live but even if you didn't, the way Dead Line messes with viewers and plays with format is still enthralling to watch. This all makes for one of the most original, creative and intelligent pieces of live television you'll ever watch and this very early twist was the first indicator of just how good this special would be.