‘Inside No. 9’: Last Night of the Proms

Typically, a series of Inside No 9 wraps up with a horror-infused episode – the sixth slot has, in the past, brought us such crackers as ‘Private View’ and last series’ ‘The Stakeout’. But this time round, with horror out of the way in episode five, we were treated to something a little different. ‘Last Night of the Proms’ is a grotesque family drama that packs a lot of punches and a lot into half an hour. Whether or not it fully works, though, is likely to be hotly debated.

It’s the Last Night of the Proms, and Dawn (Sarah Parish) and Mick (Steve Pemberton) are hosting their annual get-together with all the family to enjoy the music and festivities. But there’s tension in the household, and it’s not just down to the simmering of post-Brexit Britain. Dawn’s sister, Penny (Debra Gillett), is convinced that her opera snob husband Brian (Reece Shearsmith) is secretly gay, and their father Ralph (Julian Glover, who I loved seeing, even though he gets very little to do) is struggling with dementia. As the drinks flow, some of their differences start to come to the fore. Will the arrival of a mysterious stranger called Yusuf (Bamshad Abedi-Amin) help heal the group or divide it even further?

Most obviously, the episode explores nationalism, and you can feel the spectre of Brexit hanging over it

‘Last Night of the Proms’ is a bit of weird one for me to review. I didn’t fully understand it, even on a rewatch, and yet I really enjoyed it – but (if the social media is anything to go by) I’m not alone there, with many people loving the ideas but faulting the execution. I didn’t see where the episode was going to go at all, and I had so many questions once it was over. Interpretation is key here (I think) because there’s a lot of ambiguity (I’m trying not to spoil anything, but I think you’ll get what I mean once you’ve seen it).

Most obviously, the episode explores nationalism, and you can feel the spectre of Brexit hanging over it. Mick, clad in a Union Jack waistcoat, waving flags and full of bombast, is full of fun, as is his patriotic wife – you can see that Pemberton and Parish are both having great fun with the roles. On the other side, Shearsmith (in one of his best roles in this show) is a miserable pedant and Remainer, almost morose about what the Proms music has come to represent. Despite some fun lines, his isn’t a pleasant character at all (and, in an incredible turn of events, the writers got a negative representation of Remainers on a BBC show – that takes some doing).

It wants to tell two stories – it manages with one, the family drama, but I think the second one is just a bit too much

The tension builds in lots of interesting and natural ways, and there are few among us who wouldn’t recognise the ugliness of family get-togethers like this. It’s brutal and it’s real and it’s wonderfully written – it put me in mind of ‘Nana’s Party’ from series two, which also explored the currents that underpin families. It was working so well, the family dynamic and its use of the music to parallel or critique what was happening in the house, and then things go… elsewhere. I won’t spoil anything, but it feels like Pemberton and Shearsmith threw one idea too many into the pot, and even though it could be linked back into concerns of nationalism with a wonderful montage, it just all ends up feeling a little disjointed.

I suppose I tempted fate a little when I was speaking with my partner a few days ago, telling her that we’d had five great episodes and no duds in this sixth series. I’m not going to be harsh and claim that ‘Last Night of the Proms’ is a dud, but I don’t think it fully sticks the landing. It wants to tell two stories – it manages with one, the family drama, but I think the second one is just a bit too much. Maybe you’ll disagree with me, and think that ‘Last Night of the Proms’ is excellent. You could make the case – even on its off days – Inside No 9 is still one of the greatest things on TV. Series seven can’t come soon enough.