Inside No 9 – ‘The Bill’

After the Christmas special a little while ago, the third series of Inside No 9 has finally kicked off. Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith’s anthology series begins with a drama based around the simplest of premises, from which a load of comedy and tragedy emerges. If ‘The Bill’ is any indication, we’re in for another strong series.

In a pleasant restaurant, four friends sit for a meal after a few rounds of badminton. Malcolm (Steve Pemberton), Archie (Reece Shearsmith) and Kevin (Jason Watkins) are old friends from the North, and they’re wining and dining with the newest addition to their social circle, wealthy cockney Craig (Philip Glenister). But what begins as a fun evening of anecdotes and jokes takes a turn when the bills arrives, and someone has to pay. Each man is determined to pay his own way, or not at all, and tensions begin to rise.

I read an interview before the series began in which Pemberton asked how you could make people arguing over a bill interesting for half an hour. On the strength of ‘The Bill’, I can confirm that the two writers managed it perfectly, by sketching a character drama all about men trying to assert themselves. I couldn’t help but be reminded of a set of characters from The League of Gentlemen, Geoff, Mike and Brian – business friends who were hugely toxic in the way that were dominated by Geoff’s sense of failure and overwhelming jealousy.

The narrative takes a lot of turns, and I loved the way it panned out

From that description, you probably get a sense of what the characters are like. Both Craig and Malcolm are eager to prove themselves as the alpha male, something that makes Archie clearly resentful. The sniping and lies that are exchanged help the whole scenario worsen, and no man is able to accept failure or back down in any way – it’s so painful, and it feels entirely true. A counterpoint is Watkins, a fantastic comic actor whose penny-pinching ways are played for a lot of laughs. The only other member of our cast is Ellie White, playing a foreign waitress unable to contend with her increasingly frantic clients.

‘The Bill’ is a fantastic piece of taut writing, in which every line is meaningful and not a moment is wasted. That Pemberton and Shearsmith manage to ratchet up the tension naturally, yet fit in so many laughs, is a hugely impressive feat. The narrative takes a lot of turns, and I loved the way it panned out – every twist and turn felt earned, and this one is worth a re-watch with the knowledge of where it goes. My only real issue is the final minute, which stretched events in a way that didn’t ring true with me.

On the strength of ‘The Bill’, we should be in for another compelling series of Inside No 9. It’s full of the usual strong performances, a tightly-written narrative that does a lot with its timeslot and it’s a gripping watch. Considering the incredibly simple premise and the fact that the whole episode is essentially static, that it holds your attention and surprises you in so many ways is masterful. A minor slip aside, this is an essential watch in a series full of them.