Inside Number 9: Stage/Fright: Teetering the lines between tongue-in-cheek and terrifying

Acclaimed League of Gentlemen star Reece Shearsmith struts on stage. He dons a striped shirt and a bloodied apron, his hair slicked back with grey paint. He is a Mad Doctor in the latter half of the show. In character, he explains the concept of The Grand Guignol – a French theatrical genre that combines horror and comedy, stemming from the impulses of man. He talks of ‘hot and cold showers,’ or short plays at the Guignol theatre that would flip between horror and dark comedy. Inside Number 9: Stage/Fright resurrects exactly that. Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith’s utter dedication to their characters made for a nail-biting watch, expertly hooking audiences with their immediate chemistry and stage presence. Working together since their Bretton Hall days, you can tell this is what they genuinely love doing: from Psychoville to Inside Number 9, the dynamic duo love shocking audiences silly.

Inside Number 9 is a BBC anthology series written and acted out by comedy duo Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, who reprise different roles every episode. It seems touring across the UK was a good move, with the London shows selling out pretty quickly (those London prices were painful, but anything to see a couple of old men jump around on stage.) I had the pleasure of seeing the pair in February at Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End, a grade II listed building in Central London. Neither my friends nor I understood the abundance of 90s jokes, but the cast’s line delivery is so sharp, you kind of just let it go.

This section’s success depends heavily on the sharpness and enthusiasm of the special guest

One scene depicts Reece and Steve as robbers, and their ‘hostage’ is supposed to be a celebrity guest.  Interestingly, every show is met with a different celebrity guest. I was pleasantly surprised with Su Pollard in London, and Russell Kane in Birmingham. The show is split into two halves: the first essentially follows a recycled narrative that the theatre is haunted. The second half is darker in tone, exploring a curse of the lead actress (Miranda Hennessy) with jump-scares galore. Guests are then forced to do a bit of improv (‘Now speak Spanish for me!’) (‘Oh, darling, could you play the trumpet?’) and I must say, Kane absolutely stole the show in the Alexandra. This section’s success depends heavily on the sharpness and enthusiasm of the special guest. Having a comedy background definitely helps – Kane was sharp, witty and even managed to throw shade at some other celebrities (or other Russells… you know which one). His charisma totally threw off Reece and Steve, who ended up corpsing. In my opinion, actors trying to make each other laugh is more enjoyable than actors trying to make audiences laugh. It was reminiscent of their League of Gentlemen tour days – which, whilst I wasn’t around for them, I have since caught up with on YouTube.

The proscenium arch stage forces us into action, with Pemberton dryly joking about splashing water onto the front row

The proscenium arch stage forces us into action, with Pemberton dryly joking about splashing water onto the front row. It seems director Simon Evans chose to utilise a real-time camera – which added directly to the show’s eerie atmosphere. By projecting the performers’ movements live through a black-and-white filter, every gesture and expression was exaggerated in stark contrast, giving the audience an almost otherworldly perspective. This reinforced the Grand-Guignol-inspired horror, making the stage feel alive with unsettling energy. Complete blackouts were met with pale ghosts – the pair make sure to always keep you on your toes, so you better expect the unexpected.

It’s self-aware humour at its sharpest, reminding us that while the props may be dated, the pair’s dark wit never is

“We’re not out of date!” exclaims Shearsmith, dragging out a sign that writes ‘THATCHER OUT!’. The joke lands perfectly: a tongue-in-cheek nod to Inside No. 9’s timeless satire and the duo’s knack for mocking both the nostalgia and absurdity of British politics. It’s self-aware humour at its sharpest, reminding us that while the props may be dated, the pair’s dark wit never is. Trust them to make a 1980s protest slogan feel freshly macabre. ‘No. 9′ is littered with political undertones, often disguised beneath layers of dark comedy and absurdity.

The tour lasts until the 6th December 2025, so make sure to catch it if you’re local.  All I have left to do is thank Reece and Steve for this cinematic, spine-tingling experience. Thanks lads, laughter is definitely my memory of you.