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Death Be Not Proud is the second episode of Inside No.9 Series 5… and this one has definitely pricked my curiosity, mainly because at this point, I haven’t seen all of it!
Yes, for some bizarre reason, only the first five minutes were available for this one, which begins with young couple Beattie (Jenna Coleman – Doctor Who, The Cry) and Sam (Kadiff Kirwan – The Stranger) moving into a new flat which they bought for a knock-down price. How come? Because something very grisly happened there some time before, and so it was reduced for a quick sale.
Every new home needs a few pictures up on the wall, but their place takes great exception to a Rita Hayworth framed poster, and it just ‘falls’ off the wall… (reminding me of The Shawshank Redemption).
Followed by a whole bucketload of things going bump in the night, and then the next day, there’s a ring at the door, but just as Jenna goes to answer it…. the preview ended.
At this point in the proceedings, I’m not sure why, other than I know that it’s not a fault in the preview. So, yes, this could be annoying, but then again, when the live Halloween 2018 episode was coming up, I was hoping to at least be able to watch a rehearsal, to allow me a chance to write a review in advance – and it wasn’t, but then if I had seen it in advance, I wouldn’t have got the *twist* which only can have had the right effect by watching it live!
So, I have to defer to the trust of Messrs Pemberton and Shearsmith for their decision, and this review will continue at 10.30pm on Monday February 10th…. or possibly a bit later that evening, depending on how befuddled I am by whatever the outcome is. Or, if I’ve hidden behind the sofa for a bit…
Okay, so I’ve seen the episode now, as broadcast, and in rewatching the opening again, when broadcast, it was only then that I noticed that when the ‘9’ is replaced on the door in the opening scene, there’s a 2 underneath (for BBC2, no doubt).
Plus, something I noticed this time round is that when Jenna Coleman’s looking at the plate of food, the knife and fork are in the OPPOSITE hands to those in the alternate shot when seen from the other side! I know that will have been done on purpose to see who spots it.
But back to the episode, and how was it when watching live? Was there anything to make me think “Why wasn’t this available as a preview?”
HOLY MOTHER OF F**K!!! YES!!! From now on, yes, I will put the rest of the review behind a spoiler, so you can’t see anything accidentally, and quite frankly, had I put anything in a review prior to broadcast, I could not have NOT mentioned the fact that… well, mentioned the thing that can’t be mentioned prior to broadcast.
Death Be Not Proud is broadcast on BBC2 on Monday February 3rd, and then will be on the BBC iPlayer..
Inside No.9 Series 5 is available to pre-order on DVD, but there’s no Blu-ray listed yet. However, with Series 4, I think the Blu-ray came a short time after the DVD release, rather than simultaneously, so hopefully that’ll come soon, as it’s popular series, as it’s longevity testifies.
Also available to buy:
- Series 4 on Blu-ray
- Series 4 on DVD
- Series 3 on Blu-ray
- Series 3 on DVD
- Series 1 on Blu-ray
- Series 2 on Blu-ray
- Series 1 and 2 on DVD together
Score: 9/10
Director: Matt Lipsey
Producer: Adam Tandy
Writers: Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton
Cast:
Beattie: Jenna Coleman
Sam: Kadiff Kirwan
…and a spoiler header for additional cast members in relation to the above spoiler.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.