British Comedy Guide
Inside No. 9. Image shows from L to R: Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith
Inside No. 9

Inside No. 9

  • TV comedy drama
  • BBC Two
  • 2014 - 2024
  • 55 episodes (9 series)

Dark comedy anthology series from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. Each episode focuses on the goings-on around something to do with the number 9.

  • Returns on Sunday 22nd December on BBC2 at 9pm with Documentary
  • JustWatch Streaming rank this week: 195

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Episode menu

Series 3 - The Devil Of Christmas

Inside No. 9. Image shows from L to R: Celia Devonshire (Rula Lenska), Julian Devonshire (Steve Pemberton), Kathy Devonshire (Jessica Raine), Klaus (Reece Shearsmith), Toby Devonshire (George Bedford). Copyright: BBC
Julian Devonshire, his pregnant wife Kathy, their son Toby and mother in law Celia arrive at the alpine chalet for a family holiday.

Preview clips

Further details

It is Austria, Krampusnacht, December 1977. Julian Devonshire, his pregnant wife Kathy, their son Toby and mother in law Celia arrive at the alpine chalet for a family holiday. They are shown around by Klaus who tells the family about the local legend of The Devil of Christmas. All the good children are given gifts by St. Nicholas, and all the bad ones are punished by the demonic Krampus. But who has been good, and who has been bad?

Inside No. 9. Julian Devonshire (Steve Pemberton). Copyright: BBC
Inside No. 9. Klaus (Reece Shearsmith). Copyright: BBC
Inside No. 9. Celia Devonshire (Rula Lenska). Copyright: BBC
Inside No. 9. Toby Devonshire (George Bedford). Copyright: BBC
Inside No. 9. Celia Devonshire (Rula Lenska). Copyright: BBC
Inside No. 9. Kathy Devonshire (Jessica Raine). Copyright: BBC
Inside No. 9. Image shows from L to R: Klaus (Reece Shearsmith), Julian Devonshire (Steve Pemberton). Copyright: BBC
Inside No. 9. Image shows from L to R: Celia Devonshire (Rula Lenska), Toby Devonshire (George Bedford), Julian Devonshire (Steve Pemberton), Kathy Devonshire (Jessica Raine). Copyright: BBC
Inside No. 9. Image shows from L to R: Kathy Devonshire (Jessica Raine), Celia Devonshire (Rula Lenska), Julian Devonshire (Steve Pemberton). Copyright: BBC
Inside No. 9. Julian Devonshire (Steve Pemberton). Copyright: BBC
Inside No. 9. Kathy Devonshire (Jessica Raine). Copyright: BBC

Broadcast details

Date
Tuesday 27th December 2016
Time
10pm
Channel
BBC Two
Length
30 minutes

Cast & crew

Guest cast
Steve Pemberton Julian Devonshire
Jessica Raine Kathy Devonshire
Rula Lenska Celia Devonshire
George Bedford Toby Devonshire
Reece Shearsmith Klaus
Naz Osmanoglu Young Dennis
Derek Jacobi Dennis Fulcher (Voice)
Cavan Clerkin Interviewer (Voice)
Writing team
Reece Shearsmith Writer
Steve Pemberton Writer
Production team
Graeme Harper Director
Adam Tandy Producer
Jon Plowman Executive Producer
Steve Pemberton Associate Producer
Reece Shearsmith Associate Producer
Joe Randall-Cutler Editor
Simon Rogers Production Designer
Tracey Gillham Casting Director
Yves Barre Costume Designer
Helen Speyer Make-up Designer
Christian Henson Composer
Chris Kempton Lighting Designer

Video

Thrid night long out

Julien dismisses Klaus' warning. Kathy isn't so sure.

Featuring: Steve Pemberton (Julian Devonshire), Jessica Raine (Kathy Devonshire) & Reece Shearsmith (Klaus).

Press

Inside No. 9 'The Devil of Christmas' review

Steve Pemberton & Reece Shearsmith's opener was them at the very peak of their powers and showed why there is no-one even coming close to what they can achieve in just 30 minutes of television.

Dodo's Words, 5th January 2017

Devil of Christmas review - macabre merriment all round

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton take us back to the 1970s for this nightmarish festive folk tale.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 28th December 2016

Inside No. 9 review

It's a gargantuan, incredibly precise task to make such gloriously terrible TV, a skill reserved for only the greatest of comics. But Inside No. 9 achieves it - a demented, finely-honed comedy that also works as a twist-filled Christmas mystery.

Adam White, The Telegraph, 28th December 2016

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's twisted anthology comedy returns for a Christmas special, with Pemberton, Jessica Raine and Rula Lenska hamming it up gleefully as a family getting more than they bargained for while on an Alpine holiday. Initially, it's a homage to 70s TV melodrama. But a voiceover - director's commentary or something more sinister? - lends an uneasy undertone, and soon the spoofy chuckles are over.

Phil Harrison, The Guardian, 27th December 2016

Before the third series starts, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton are treating us to a seasonally-twisted special of their anthology comedy, Inside No.9.

It is Austria, Krampusnacht, December 1977. Julian Devonshire (Steve Pemberton), his pregnant wife Kathy (Jessica Raine), their son Toby and mother-in-law Celia (Rula Lenska) arrive at the alpine chalet for a family holiday.

They are shown around by Klaus (Reece Shearsmith) who tells the family about the local legend of The Devil of Christmas. All the good children are given gifts by St. Nicholas, and all the bad ones are punished by the demonic Krampus.

But who has been good, and who has been bad?

Elliot Gonzalez, I Talk Telly, 27th December 2016

How could I have doubted them? The two darkly brilliant men who write and star in this series, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, have never once let us down. Whether in The League Of Gentlemen or in this creepy anthology series, They simply do not put a foot wrong.

I was initially underwhelmed by this Christmas special. It was good but nothing spectacular ... and then it reared up and slapped me out of my complacency. It grabbed me by the lapels and shook me hard and reminded just me who I'm dealing with. The show is styled like a 70s BBC drama: streaky lights, shaky sets, wooden acting, clumsy shifts in focus and a wildly panning camera. It tells the tale of Krampus, The Devil of Christmas, who is stalking an English family as they take a winter break in a cosy Austrian chalet. A director's commentary is tacked onto the programme mocking its production values and gossiping about the actors - but nothing is as it seems and there's a fine twist. It's weird, bizarre and brilliant.

Julie McDowall, The National (Scotland), 27th December 2016

Inside No 9: The Devil Of Christmas preview

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have taken a leaf out of the Garth Marenghi's Darkplace playbook for the much-anticipated return of Inside No. 9, give or take a decade.

Steve Bennett, Chortle, 27th December 2016

Inside No. 9 - The Devil Of Christmas review

Like with all of Inside No. 9 however, the real twist in the tale comes at the very end. Of course it would be bad of me to spoil it, which just goes to show what incredible writing talent Shearsmith and Pemberton have. The horror and dark twists certainly come as a surprise, while the commentary provides the humour. It is worth watching a few times because you can easily miss some gags.

Ian Wolf, On The Box, 27th December 2016

Inside No. 9 Christmas special review

The opening episode of the third season of Inside No 9 is a Christmas themed nightmare, dealing with the old legend of Krampus.

Andrew Allen, Cult Box, 27th December 2016

Inside No. 9: The Devil Of Christmas review

The Inside No. 9 Christmas special is an expertly layered treat for fans of vintage horror.

Louisa Mellor, Den Of Geek, 27th December 2016

Preview: Inside No. 9 Christmas Special

Inside No. 9 makes its long-awaited return with a festive special on 27th December, entitled 'The Devil of Christmas'.

Sophie, The Velvet Onion, 26th December 2016

Preview: Inside No 9 - The Devil Of Christmas

A new series of Inside No 9 starts in early 2017 but as a brilliant curtain raiser here's a one-off episode with a Yuletide theme. The Devil of Christmas is set in December 1977 in an Alpine chalet where a nice middle class English family has arrived to enjoy a skiing holiday.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 24th December 2016

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