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Diddle Diddle Dumpling goes inside a size 9 shoe, rather than a building relating to the same number, diverting in such a way for the first time ever.
David (Reece Shearsmith) enjoys a jog round the block from time to time, but when arriving back home one day, he’s curious about the shoe he finds which is brand new and looks like it’s just been placed on the grass verge by his house, as opposed to one that’s been accidentally left behind. Will anyone collect it now that he’s put it up on his wall, in order to give it prominence?
Over the course of the episode, he gets increasingly paranoid, intense and obsessed about from where the shoe came. Will he find the owner?
There is a point to the episode, which obviously I cannot reveal and I wouldn’t even spoil it once the episode has been broadcast, but it brings out some superb drama from both Mr Shearsmith and Keeley Hawes as wife Louise, with cameos from Steve Pemberton and You, Me and the Apocalypse‘s Mathew Baynton, and was highly engaging.
Just before The Bill aired to begin this series (aside from the Christmas episode), Reece explained on Breakfast how this episode’s theme came about from the exact same thing happening in real life, at least to the extent of seeing a single shoe on a grass verge and pondering its origin.
In addition, this episode made me feel about placing a shoe in a similar place, myself 😉
Diddle Diddle Dumpling is broadcast next Tuesday on BBC2 at 10pm, and the series concludes the following Tuesday at the same time.
Inside No.9 Series 3 is available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD. You can also buy Series 1 and 2 on DVD together, plus the recent releases of Inside No.9 Series 1 on Blu-ray and Inside No.9 Series 2 on Blu-ray, and after broadcast, you can also watch this episode on BBC iPlayer until April 14th.
Score: 8/10
Director: Guillem Morales
Producer: Adam Tandy
Screenplay: Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton
Cast:
David: Reece Shearsmith
Louise: Keeley Hawes
Ted: Mathew Baynton
Chris: Steve Pemberton
Sally: Rosa Strudwick
DJ: Danny Baker
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.