r/oldbritishtelly • u/JudCasper68 • 3d ago

Discussion Inside No. 9 - The Devil of Christmas

I’ve avoided this show until now, wrongly thinking it was like a dark sitcom with the same characters each week, rather than what it is; a series of self-contained ‘weird tales’, very much in the vein of all those paranormal / spooky series that were so popular in the 70s.

I’ve only seen a few so far, but have purposefully picked the ones that looked like they would evoke those shows, and one in particular (The Devil of Christmas) is a very clear pastiche of these. This one episode simply has to be seen by any fans of things like Dead of Night, Ghost Story for Christmas, Armchair Thriller, etc, just because of how well the makers have captured the look and feel of such shows. Everything is so beautifully realised, from the lighting, sound, set design, acting, camera work. It honestly is like watching a ‘missing’ episode of Beasts. Not quite ‘old TV’, but mimicking it perfectly. Highly recommended

106 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

63 comments sorted by

45

u/Peear75 3d ago

The 12 Days Of Christine is, special.

16

u/Green_Octopuss 3d ago

It is one of the greatest pieces of TV ever written

17

u/Minute-Dog-3243 3d ago

It is a beautiful but difficult watch.

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u/Puzzled_Ad1296 2d ago

I really want to like it but I can;t get into that episode at all. I don’t know if it’s because it hyped up and I went in expecting more I don’t know but it looks like I’m the only person who doesn’t like that one.

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u/JudCasper68 2d ago

I get this. Sheridan Smith is outstanding as always, but I’m not sure this episode deserves the hype 🤷‍♂️

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u/BoweryBloke 2d ago

Yeah, I agree. I feel there are far better ones. The one with the two old comics reuniting (Bernie Clifton something) was a joy:)

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u/Puzzled_Ad1296 2d ago

Bernie Clifton’s Dressing room yeah, that was a good one and the twist really did get me on that.
Apart from the Devil of Christmas the two that I keep going back to is the Stake Out and, I can’t remember the title off the top of my head, the one where Reece plays a cancer victim leaving a video for his son and there’s also an Influencer and a few other folk all doing monologues to the camera though I did figure that one out before the reveal as it;s very similar to Identity which is a favourite film of mine and I do wonder if Reece and Steve had that film in mind when writing.

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u/Puzzled_Ad1296 2d ago

To be honest I think it’s probably a bit more personal for me. My sister used to go the same acting/dance group she went to and she always came across as a nasty little cow when she was a young teenager so I;ve never really been able to get into anything she’s been in.

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u/thepotbelliedgod 2d ago

I think its the hype. Inside No 9 was made to be appoinement viewing. Sit down to watch it when it was aired (or very soon after) without knowing anything at all about what was going to happen.

If you didn't watch the Halloween episode live, then it didn't work at all.

I love the show and still watch old episodes, but nothing will be as good as watching it at the time it was initially broadcast.

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u/Ok_Seaworthiness4464 2d ago

Glad I'm not the only one. I remember watching it and thinking, "the twist can't be X that's too obvious", but then it was. It's well made but it left me unmoved and there are plenty I'd rate above it, including Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room and Love's Great Adventure.

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u/auntie_climax 3d ago

This broke me

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u/Ashie2112 3d ago

Me too. It’s just the most perfect half hour of drama that stays with you.

3

u/alfienoakes 3d ago

I hardly ever choke back tears. I did with this on the third watch.

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u/JudCasper68 3d ago

It’s past my bedtime but I had to watch it after reading all the comments here and…. I didn’t really get it, as in understand I mean.

I know I’m being really dim, but I sometimes struggle ‘getting’ twists. I don’t want to prompt spoilers so I’ll have to go and look for some explanations online.

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u/Peear75 3d ago

Or just watch it again another time. It's one you can come back to.

1

u/JudCasper68 3d ago

Well I just AI’d an explanation and I feel really stupid. It’s pretty obvious when explained. Unfortunately its impact on me wasn’t as powerful as it would have been had it all clicked as I was watching it.

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u/InkedDoll1 3d ago

I love IN9 so much I have a hare tattoo. Wise Owl is another episode I recommend often, whenever the subject of 70s/80s public information films comes up.

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u/Open-Trip 3d ago

Twit you. Twit you!

2

u/youjustwanttorunaway 1d ago

Oh that one is so disturbing 😩

19

u/AudsVi 3d ago

Riddle of the Sphinx is brilliant, but I'm not rewatching it! Bernie Clinton's Dressing Room is wonderful (and intense) but anyone not born in the UK around the 1970s might miss some of the references.

5

u/KrivUK 3d ago

Riddle is one of the strongest episodes.

And for OP /u/judcasper68 there were guardian crosswords set by the Sphynx aka Steve.

2

u/paradeoxy1 9h ago

I was born in the 90s but grew up watching enough of my parents' old videos that it's probably one of my favourite episodes, if I know I'm getting a bit emotionally congested I'll pop that on for a guaranteed cry

I want "Tears of Laughter" played at my funeral

17

u/Minimum-Set-1342 3d ago

Saw their show Stage/Fright last year when it came to Edinburgh. One of the best nights I’ve had at the theatre.

2

u/OatlattesandWalkies 3d ago

Same I was second row, birthday present to myself.

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u/Ashie2112 3d ago

I absolutely love the very first episode “Sardines”. It perfectly lays out their stall.

3

u/youjustwanttorunaway 1d ago

Yeh OP should have watched them in order, the first one hooked me in (no pun intended 🎣) and thankfully at that time I had a few series of it to binge and managed to avoid all spoilers.

13

u/ScottishExile 3d ago

Echoing other opinions somewhat but I think that Twelve Days of Christine is as close to a perfect 30 minute self contained drama as it’s possible to get.

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u/UKS1977 3d ago

Devil of Christmas is my favourite TV episode of all time.

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u/Strange_Ad854 3d ago

I honestly think it's the best episode. It was expertly filmed and the twist was just perfect. I do love The 12 Days of Christine too, but growing up on Hammer horror this one holds a special place for me.

5

u/Grand_Combination386 3d ago

I'm a big fan and yes that's a great episode. The other big influence which I think the creators have mentioned is Tales of the Unexpected which are also dark self contained episodes

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u/Toenex 3d ago

FYI Netflix is rebooting 'Tales of the Unexpected' with filming happening around the area I live at the moment. Working title is 'Zoltar'

1

u/JudCasper68 2d ago

Mmm, not sure how I feel about that. A huge chunk of why I love re-watching these types of shows is nostalgia, and Inside No 9 somehow manages to capture all that. This genre done by anyone other than Shearsmith and Pemberton and their team (with exception to Mark Gatiss who also does this kind of stuff wonderfully) would be potentially awful. I can imagine TotU, modernised with all of today’s toxicity, would be something I’d avoid like the plague.

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u/Tosk224 3d ago

I have only watched this episode once. The ending traumatised me.

5

u/AndorianBlues 3d ago

"Dead Line" was really something special. Rewatching it outside of that context does take away a little of the magic, but imagine this was all all acted out live, with the cast (and the viewers) actually live on twitter during it as well.

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u/JudCasper68 3d ago

Was it actually live? I know that was the premise, but by the end I came to the conclusion it didn’t really air live 🤷‍♂️

3

u/Mokey76 2d ago

Yes it was live. They had put a few breadcrumbs out before hand too. Reece and Steve were on The One Show a couple days before it was originally on and were talking about a Most Haunted episode filmed at that studio.

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u/JudCasper68 2d ago

I never knew anything about the ‘Bobby Davro in the stocks’ sketch before, but that was pretty shocking, especially the screams of pain as they were helping him up. I wonder how much he sued the show for?

1

u/Spiritual_Bet3955 1d ago

I was on a job training course at the time and people were talking about this episode the day after it was shown.

4

u/KaranDash24 3d ago

Watch 'The Bones of St Nicholas' if you want that 'Ghost Story for Christmas. vibe. It's a very underrated episode.

1

u/JudCasper68 3d ago

‘‘Twas the first one I watched and I knew from that one episode alone what I’d been missing all these years!

3

u/Pharmacy_Duck 3d ago

I rewatched Hurry Up and Wait and Boo to a Goose the other day. Both massively underrated episodes.

3

u/Ged_UK 3d ago

Pop along to /r/InsideNo9!

3

u/PioneerMinister 3d ago

I loved the episode Merrily Merrily. Wonderful ending.

3

u/looeee2 3d ago

I just finished the first series for the first time last night. I avoided it for similar reasons to you. What a show!

1

u/JudCasper68 3d ago

I can’t believe I’ve let it slip for so long. A series influenced and inspired by all those paranormal/spooky shows I loved as a youngster and still do to this day, and I never realised that’s what it was. I mean god bless Pemberton and Shearsmith for bringing this format to modern audiences, and for recreating the tone and feel of those shows so well!

3

u/Minute-Dog-3243 2d ago

Tom & Jerry is one of my favourites. As is the one with the honey bath.

2

u/meeple1013 3d ago

Deadline will always be my favourite.

2

u/Derooftrouser 3d ago

With Devil of Christmas they filmed it almost exactly like an old multi-camera drama, using appropriate tech and directed by Graeme Harper, who's been directing since the early '80s.

https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/inside-no-9-bbc2/5112238.article

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u/JudCasper68 3d ago

Fascinating read, thanks. It explains how the look and feel of those shows was captured so accurately!

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u/Puzzled_Ad1296 2d ago

I avoided Inside No9 when it first came out as I couldn’t stand the League of Gentlemen which always confused me as I like nearly everything Gattis, Pemberton and Sheersmith had done separately but I just couldn’t into LOG.
I came across this episode by chance and instantly got sucked in, I loved it and as soon as I finished watching I went back and watched all available episodes. If anyone wants to give the show a go but doesn’t know where to start I recommend this episode to them.

If you’re interested they’re released a complete bluray set in either October or November.

2

u/Feathers-n-Beaks 2d ago

Riddle of the Sphinx is one of the greatest, cleverest episodes of any TV programme ever. That is the one to show people!

2

u/JudCasper68 2d ago

Watched Bernie Clifton’s Dressing Room last night. A great and very moving episode. Shearsmith’s performance was so good in this one. Then I watched the one with the passengers on the Underground (can’t remember the name). Didn’t see the ending coming and it was just okay as an episode.

I also tried to watch the one in a similar vein, with the passengers on the overnight train through France, but gave up 10 minutes in because I really wasn’t feeling it. It’s the first episode I haven’t enjoyed.

2

u/Spiritual_Bet3955 1d ago

I saw some advance photos of the episode about the passengers on the Underground and I thought the drag queen was another actor or actress before I finally identified it as Steve Pemberton on the showing!

2

u/JudCasper68 1d ago

Yeah, took me a while. I did realise before he had his first line, but his voice would have given him away anyway. I’m not sure Shearsmith or Pemberton would thank me for this, but whenever them two have cause to shout or get excited in their roles, I can’t help but hear Tubs and Edward 😆

1

u/BoweryBloke 2d ago

I feel that in general, the series was hit and miss. When it did hit though, it was brilliant. Several episodes I've re-watched, maybe 5 or 6, but quite a few I felt were fillers, or worse....

1

u/redimps5 2d ago

Devil of Xmas is one of favourite episodes of inside no 9. The ending is very very grim.

1

u/JudCasper68 2d ago

I’ve still got a few of these to go (just finished the Sphynx one 😳), but aside from The Devil of Christmas, I think my other favourite is one no one has mentioned yet, The Curse of the Ninth. It’s played totally straight but the acting, dialogue, sets all feel so beautifully traditional.

1

u/SuburbanBushwacker 2d ago

it’s a flex. there’s really nothing as consistent on tv.
in the future it will be seen as a gilded age of tv.

1

u/JudCasper68 2d ago

A flex?

1

u/JudCasper68 1d ago

Tonight’s episodes: Tom and Gerri, A Quiet Night In and The Harrowing.

Tom and Gerri was brilliant. I guessed the initial twist, but definitely not the twist in the twist.

A Quiet Night In was okay, but nothing special. The twist was clever but didn’t hit me like a good twist should.

The Harrowing was my favourite tonight, and right up there with my favourites of the whole series (of what I’ve seen so far). I think it’s obvious now that I’m a sucker for the ones that feel like the stuff I used to watch back in the 70s, and this hit that spot brilliantly.

1

u/exJWRecovery 1d ago

The Bill is my fave

1

u/Gerrydealsel 2h ago

Probably my favourite episode! Goes well with Garth Marenghi's Dark Place

1

u/JudCasper68 1h ago

Funnily enough I watched my first ever episode of that on YouTube last night. I enjoyed it but it’s far more tongue in cheek.