James is on location, waiting in the green room for a police drama that he has a small role in. But the owners of the property are not so excited about the filming.

Another great episode of Inside No. 9 where the less you know about it the better. James (Reece Shearsmith) is playing a policeman in a crime drama starring Adrian Dunbar (Line of Duty) and is running through his lines ahead of his big scene. They’re running a bit late and are keeping him in a temporary green room within a local house rather than taking him back to the unit base.

To say that the residents of the house are characters is somewhat of an understatement. Mother Oona (Pauline McLynn, Father Ted) constantly argues with her infantilised daughter Bev, while father Stan (Steve Pemberton) is looking for a fight with anyone who wants one. They’ve rented out their home for the production, but it’s more dramatic than anything being filmed.

Adrian Dunbar is great fun as an exaggerated (hopefully!) version of himself, taking lines from supporting characters and protesting that this is a very different role from that of his signature role in Line of Duty. ‘Hastings parts his hair to the left!’ he protests. It’s like a moment from Extras, and he must have had great fun playing such a monster.

Jo (Bhavna Limbachia, Citizen Khan) is the runner, trying to keep everything together in the face of organised chaos, while not actually listening to people she’s talking to – it’s all very well observed and believable. But then James starts putting two and two together before reaching five, and everything changes for him.

Verdict: Wonderful storytelling in a plot that refuses to sit in any one genre and continues to keep you on your toes. 9/10

Nick Joy