Taking Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's show to its seventh season

The BBC has commissioned TWO more series of Inside No 9.

In January, Chortle exclusively revealed that Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith would be making a sixth series of their twisted tales.

And now the BBC has announced that a seventh is also in pipeline,  just ahead of the series five finale at 10pm tonight on BBC Two.

In a joint statement the creators said: ‘Little did we know when we started Inside No. 9 in 2014 that we would end up with as many episodes of it as Countryfile. 

‘We are delighted and exhausted in equal measure at the prospect of two more series-worth of tall tales and fearsome fables. However we will endeavour to showcase the very best of what the BBC can do in every genre with 30 minutes of story-telling and some half-decent wigs. 

‘We might even try a Countryfile episode, no one would expect that…"

Shane Allen, the BBC’s controller of comedy commissioning added: ‘With more than 30 distinctive and dazzling shows to date, their ability to master and nail every genre of storytelling with brevity, invention and flair is unparalleled. 

‘Oscars have been won for less than Reece and Steve manage to conjure up with each original concept for every single show. Quite simply they have the most fertile minds in British comedy and god knows what magic the next series will bring.’

Broadcast details of the next series, which will again adopt the anthology format, are yet to be announced.

Josh Cole, the head of comedy, at programme-makers BBC Studios says: ‘Reece and Steve continue to make and break all the rules of comedy in ever more spectacular and horrifying fashion, and we are delighted that the BBC have given us the opportunity to make two more series. To paraphrase the show itself, not since the escaped cow has there been such excitement. Long live Inside No. 9!’

Guest actors in series five included Jenna Coleman, David Morrissey, Ralf Little, Fionn Whitehead, Maxine Peake and Phil Davis.

Commissioned by: Shane Allen, Controller, BBC Comedy Commissioning and Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two
Commissioning editor for the BBC: Gregor Sharp
Executive producer: Jon Plowman 

Published: 9 Mar 2020