6. And of course, the big question, your favourite episode? Why!

The Trolley Problem, ofc! I just love the drama of it, I love the episodes that are about mind games/the shifting balance of power, Reece doing the laughing-to-crying breakdown turned my "am I falling in love with Reece Shearsmith?" thoughts to "Oh no I am in love with Reece Shearsmith". Plus Steve looks incredible in this episode and my appreciation for his performance has only grown with repeated viewings.

13. Your favourite plot twist?

Can't choose a favourite, but the Last Weekend is up there as one that made me go "what the fuuuuuuuck?" Just brutal and insane.

17. Favourite line of the show? (I know, difficult!)

Again, can't choose a single favourite, but...

"You'll do as you're told - kill that baby!"

27. Do you have something special to show us related to inside no.9?

Oh there's this artist called @not-xpr-art (idk if u've heard of them???) who drew (lol) some fanart titled after a line in one of my fics set in the Trolley Problem au that @silverview created?? And recommended my fics on their blog?? And it was the greatest thing to ever happen to me??

I'm gonna answer all three :)

1. How did you know the show?

My partner had been recommending it to me for aaaages, but I believed it to be a political satire show (i know im not the only one).

Oh how they must regret introducing it to me now...

14. Do you have an episode you wish could end different?

Not that I can think of!

21. An episode you wish Steve&Reece could switch characters!

Oh there’s SO many!! I do love it when IN9 leaves the ending somewhat ambiguous like Sardines and Cold Comfort, but I always wonder how the story would have played out.

(Andy DIDN’T die at the end of Cold Comfort I don’t CARE what the script says he survived and I am prepared to fIGHT ON THAT-)

I also kinda of wonder what would have happened to Henry at the end of Zanzibar, because, ya know, he did just try to assassinate a sovereign Prince. But also, what about Rico and Gus in general? What happens to Rico’s claim to the throne now it’s been revealed not only is he not a “legitimate” heir and is in fact the son of a convicted criminal, but has a twin brother. If I were Gus, I’d be PISSED that my twin got raised as a prince and I wasn’t 😂😂

I also like to think Katie was rescued at the end of The Harrowing. Hector and Tabitha may have “won” but they seem to forget Katie mentioned both parents (I’m pretty sure her father at least knows she’s there). And she’s still attending school.... So what happens when Katie’s family turns up? The teachers question where she is? I’d love to know what sort of bullshit they would have told to excuse her disappearance. The more they turn people away, as the last known people to have plausibly seen her, it’s only get more and more suspicious. I love Hector but he doesn’t seem the sharpest pencil in the drawer so I reckon it’d be Tabitha that comes up with all the alibis 😂

2. What were your first impressions to Steve&Reece?

I mean, we're going back 25 years here... My first sight of Reece would have been as Edward in the TLOG trailer, and Benjamin Denton in episode 1. And my first sight of Steve would have been Harvey Denton in the TLOG trailer, and Tubbs in episode 1.

I think I thought that Harvey and Tubbs were played by different people at first, until I clocked the chin dimple. I just thought they were funny guys who liked to dress up and be silly.

Reece in the late 90s/early 00s reminds me so much of my dad. Both small, baby-faced, filled with rage, same black-haired/blue-eyed/fair skin colouring. Tony from Catterick is even the same hairstyle and dress sense that my dad had in the mid/late 90s. So like I definitely mentally categorised him with the "not interested" label because of that.

9. I will Kiss/Marry/Kill this character (among all seasons)

Reece:

Kiss - Nick from Tempting Fate Marry - David from Diddle Diddle Dumpling Kill - Maurice from Private View Steve:

Kiss - Mr Clarke from The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge Marry - Trevor from Love's Great Adventure Kill - Joe Madison from The Last Weekend

21. An episode you wish Steve&Reece could switch characters!

Cold Comfort would be really interesting - they've talked about how they thought it would be "obvious" for Reece to play Andy - I guess because he loses his temper on the phone? But I would be really interested to see Steve's take on George.

And The Stakeout! Because as much as we all love Varney we were robbed of Vampire Steve feeding on Reece. I feel like the IN9^2 podcast would play out the same way, but with Steve being even more gleeful about the homoerotic vibes

30. If you could give the boys an idea for a new episode, let't hear it cunt.

Steve said in an interview that they'd never done a wartime episode, and threw out the idea "Trench Number 9" and that has stayed stuck in my head. Like a WWI episode with Reece and Steve as British soldiers. Reece as a Wilfred Owen-type suffering from shellshock. Steve as his commanding officer or the doctor who is trying to treat him (could be an Evil Steve role depending on how dark they want to go with it). Maybe you think Reece has PTSD but he's actually being haunted by ghosts, who are tormenting him in order to get revenge for something he did.

~~~

6. And of course, the big question, your favourite episode? Why!

I've already given my answer for The Trolley Problem so I'll talk about one of my other favourite episodes... Hmm... I'll do Dead Line.

I didn't watch this live but I read about it in the paper a few days after it went out and I though I HAVE TO WATCH THIS. I absolutely love love love things that play with genre and push the limits of a medium, so the fact that this episode did things that could only be done on live TV, and the way that social media added an extra layer to the narrative, was like catnip to me.

And even though I didn't get to see the show live, I was still so tense the whole time I watched it. I was absolutely gripped and had no idea where it was going to go next.

In the early 90s there was a one off TV show called Ghost Watch, which was a drama that looked like a live TV broadcast and (accidentally) fooled a lot of people into thinking it was real. Dead Line is Ghost Watch for the social media generation and I'm so so thrilled that I was around for it, even if I didn't get the full live experience!

11. Your favourite guest star among all seasons?

Impossible question. Too many to list. I'll just say that I love that they got David Warner back after working with him in Apocalypse, and that he evidently loved working with them, too

13. Your favourite plot twist?

This seems to be a popular question for me 😆

Can't choose a favourite, but I'll say that To Have and To Hold was a big one. The moment when Adrian is making the pot noodle in the dark room, and then suddenly the discordant cello kicks in, and Steve's eyes just go cold and he opens the door... I had to stop the episode and skip back a few seconds and watch it again because I was so shocked

~~~

25. Which guest star is on top of your wish list for s/f uk tour?

Answered this previously, but I'll just name another one: Noel Fielding (and/or Julian Barratt tbh)

26. Do you have a film/show in mind you thought 'I wish the boys could do this/play this character'?

kooka pointed out that something I wrote yesterday had big Hannibal vibes, and now I can't unthink Steve as Hannibal and Reece as Will Graham.

27. Do you have something special to show us related to inside no.9?

7. Your favourite characters of the boys?

Uh it's so difficult... Keeping it to Inside No 9 only... In no particular order, 9 faves for each of the lads

Reece - Maureen Sowerbutts, Drew Dawson, David from DDD, Mr Warren, Urban Bedford, SPC Varney, Aidan from Thinking Out Loud, Scaramouche, Ronnie from Wise Owl

Steve - Prof Nigel Squires, Blake Chambers, Len Shelby, Wilma Dickshow, Adrian from To Have and to Hold, Mr Clarke, Julian from The Devil of Christmas, David Sowerbutts, Harry Blackwood

~~~~

Haha!!

• Clarke hyper focuses on his letters and writings, he likes things neat and orderly when it comes to the accounts and facts.

• Unlike Warren, Clarke’s the only son of a schoolmaster, but not from a family rich enough to have lands he’s entitled to. His father died leaving a bit of debt to various merchants and landlords and, having no children of his own, Clarke sends part of his pay to his two younger sisters to pay the debts off.

• Has a particular fondness for honey and stirs it in his tea whenever possible.

• From a devout Catholic family, he wears a St Christopher pendant under his clothes. He also carries rosary beads hidden in his bag.

• Suffers from arthritis that gets particularly bad in the winter, which can interfere with his writing. He tends to keep the candles closer during those times when the cold gets too much for his bones.

• Has never set foot outside England, but dreams of visiting Italy and taking in the warmer climes.