Inside No 9

● COMEDY / 9.30pm / BBC2

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith’s

deliciously dark (and Bafta-winning) comedy anthology returns, opening with a heist story as only they could tell. Specifically, they’re doing it in the style of commedia dell’arte – an Italian theatrical style that’s famous for stock characters, masks and physical comedy. It’s an unusual mix, but it works, with a delightful blend of highbrow (Steve’s extremely verbose Doctor) and lowbrow (dad jokes and innuendo aplenty). As ever, the guest cast is top-notch: Paterson Joseph, Kevin Bishop, and a particularly winning turn from Gemma Whelan. ★★★★ SP

See feature, page 17