What could be more Christmassy than spending Christmas Eve night in a (haunted?) church, decked out with the requisite tree, lovely old Simon Callow telling the story of Saint Nick and the tantalising possibility of an ancient relic ready to be found?

It all begins with Champing, simply camping in a church, a peculiar but very real activity booked here by one Dr Jasper Parkway (Steve Pemberton), a rather donnish sort with an interest in history and archaeology. Unfortunately his solitude is soon interrupted due to a double-booking, and he’s joined by the gauche Pierce (Reece Shearsmith) and his far more likeable wife Posy (Shobna Gulati, probably best known for Coronation Street, more recently seen as Yaz’s mum in Doctor Who). Also occasionally joining the trio is Dick, the Champing organiser, played by Callow who brings his usual impish twinkle and impeccable diction to the proceedings.

This is all frustrating for Jasper, who really needs to be alone, his rubbings being interrupted by Pierce’s dad jokes and Dick’s efforts to ensure a good time is had by all. It soon becomes apparent that Jasper, ostensibly “our hero”, is a rather terse and unpleasant fellow who may just be telling porkies. Conversely Pierce and Posy have a rather emotional reason for being there, and I warmed to them quite quickly, Gulati giving a very sweet performance (as always, the casting for this show is spot on).

That’s about all the detail I can give here. As usual there are little incidents and clues along the way which all tie up by the end so your attention is rewarded. Obviously this is an homage to the Dickensian tradition of the Christmas ghost story – casting noted Dickens aficionado Simon Callow is surely no coincidence. I’m not overly familiar with the genre beyond A Christmas Carol’s Jacob Marley apparating to give Scrooge a heads up – those stories were never part of the Smith family Christmas and I’m not best placed to judge if this is a successful addition to the genre. I feel it probably is though, although some of the content undoubtedly crosses the line marked “safe scary stuff for all the family” and will no doubt be triggering for some viewers. We’re never allowed to forget that this is still Inside No.9 despite all the tinsel and baubles.

Verdict: While this can’t hope to match Series 2’s deeply disturbing The Devil of Christmas it succeeds as a curious little tale which hits all the right notes for a Yuletide tale of unease. 7/10

Andy Smith