The final day of the football season and it has all come down to the last match – the crunch clash between United and Rovers – all safely in the hands of the four match officials.

Full disclosure. This episode of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s anthology show has no sci-fi or fantasy elements, but the show frequently does, and so we’re looking at every episode. This comedy drama that opens the fifth series shows that it’s still in rude health and not short of ideas.

David Morrisey is in full-on authority figure mode (there’s a touch of The Walking Dead’s Governor) as the referee, expressing his disdain for the three other match officials (Shearsmith, Pemberton and Ralf Little) who are acting unprofessionally just before the big match. But while he may act as the paragon of virtue, he has his own secrets that threaten to derail him.

The bitchy sparring between Shearsmith and Little is great fun, with Pemberton’s official bringing his own problems to an already problematic day. True to form, it’s a game of two halves, the second act picking up after some major on-pitch drama. One team needs to win to get promoted, the other to avoid relegation, and with everything to play for, even the dirtiest of tricks are on the table.

Verdict: The beautiful game is presented in the grubbiest way, with even the ultimate official being susceptible to bad behaviour. It’ll keep you guessing till the end. 8/10

Nick Joy