Production is underway on the ninth and final series of Inside No. 9, with six new half-hour episodes written by and starring Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith being filmed for broadcast in 2024.

The BBC has now revealed that amongst the cast will be Dorothy Atkinson (Mum), Charlie Cooper (This Country), Philippa Dunne (Motherland), Joel Fry (Plebs), Katherine Kelly (Bloods), Matthew Kelly (Stars In Their Eyes), Eddie Marsan (The World's End), Vinette Robinson (Code 404), Hayley Squires (A Royal Night Out) and Susan Wokoma (Cheaters).

Series 9 will also feature an episode involving Siobhan Finneran, the actor with whom Pemberton shared the screen with for long-running sitcom Benidorm. The run will also reunite the creators with two actors from their previous BBC Two series, Psychoville. Adrian Scarborough, who previously took on the role of Mr Jolly; and Mark Bonnar, who played Detective Finney in the second series.

A first look image has also been revealed today, showing the writers and stars playing characters waiting for a train. Shearsmith in a plain-looking suit, with Pemberton appearing to be in drag, wearing a pink dress featuring a fake chest. The duo are standing on the platform for the Wirral Line connection for Merseyrail underground station Moorfields.

Talking about the new series, the BBC confirms: "Once again, the series will feature six new stand-alone stories, each being set in a different location, the style and tone changing each week. Viewers will be invited into the extraordinary world of Shearsmith and Pemberton's storytelling."

The multi award-winning show is BBC Two's longest current running comedy, having launched in 2014. It has won numerous awards across the last decade, including twice taking the Comedy Of The Year title in the Comedy.co.uk Awards. Despite consistently ranking as one of the biggest programmes on the channel, and attracting a large international audience (the programme is also currently airing in the Nordics, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australia and China), the creators confirmed last year that Series 9 of the show would be the last, for now at least.

They commented at the time: "We're not saying it's over for good. After all, The League Of Gentlemen came back, but we won't be looking to make any more episodes for the time being." The duo have previously mooted the idea of a stage version, but it is not currently known if this idea is progressing or not.

Talking this week, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton say: "It is with mixed emotions that we announce we have started filming the final series of Inside No. 9. We overheard some crew members the other day describe us as 'a couple of Wonkas' and that seems an apt description. We take the finest ingredients (stellar casts and creatives) and blend them with our secret recipe to produce unique confections that are delicious and often deadly.

"It has been the greatest privilege to have been allowed to make 55 wildly different episodes and we'll miss the yearly challenge of trying to entertain and surprise our audience. We honestly feel like golden ticket winners - which makes us not a couple of Wonkas, but a pair of Charlies."

Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy, comments: "Reece and Steve have, once again, served up a stellar line up of guests to star alongside them in their funny, beautifully crafted and totally original scripts. Inside No. 9 will be hugely missed, but this final series promises to be a treat for all their avid fans."

Josh Cole, Head of Comedy at BBC Studios Productions, says: "Inside No. 9 is an all time comedy great, and Reece and Steve's achievement in writing 55 extraordinary episodes is little short of breathtaking. There is something so special about this show, and we will miss making it more than words can say."

All previous episodes of Inside No. 9 are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

Series 9 of Inside No. 9 will premiere on BBC Two in the Spring of 2024. Further details about the episodes will be revealed in due course.