With guest stars Shobna Gulati and Simon Callow

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith have made an Inside No 9 Christmas special.

The episode, entitled The Bones of St. Nicholas, features guest stars Shobna Gulati and Simon Callow and is set in a mysterious church. 

 Shearsmith said: ‘We were delighted to be asked to do it and it's come together in a lovely way and is a real treat for Christmas.

‘I think it will be great to settle down and watch on a late December night and have your spine tingled.’

Pemberton added: ‘We discussed many, many different ways of presenting a Christmas special and the one we were really excited by was Christmas ghost stories.’

The spooky story, to air on BBC Two, features Pemberton as Dr Jasper Parkway, who has booked an overnight stay in a reputedly haunted church on Christmas Eve.

However, much to his dismay, he is soon joined by unwanted guests Pierce (Shearsmith) and Posy (Gulati), who have even brought their own sleeping bags. Together with the eccentric warden Dick (Callow), it doesn’t look like Jasper is going to be lonely this Christmas… even though he was unusually keen to be left to his own devices.

Speaking of why he took the role, Callow said of Inside No9: ‘It’s a very sparky, original series. Mention of it always provokes gargles of admiration. I thought I’d like to be part of that!"

Gulati added: ‘It has its own unique genre of TV, something you can’t put in a box. Often a perfect blend of drama, comedy and horror. To be a part of this is very special to me.’

Also returning to coincide with this festive special will be the Inside… Inside No. 9 podcast, with a new episode dropping on Christmas Eve.

The eighth series of Inside No 9, will return to BBC Two and BBC iPlayer next year

Made by: BBC Studios Comedy Productions
Written by: Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton
Directed by: George Kane
Produced by: Kim Crowther
Commissioning editor for the BBC: Gregor Sharp
Executive producers: Adam Tandy and Josh Cole

Published: 29 Nov 2022