Two police officers have time to get to know each other on the night shift.

After last week’s misstep, the Inside No. 9 creators are back in business with a creepy tale that’s even better on second viewing.

PC Thompson’s (Steve Pemberton) previous partner died in a brutal attack, the forensic evidence has gone missing and his new assistant PC Varney (Reece Shearsmith) is asking awkward questions. They’re staking out a graveyard, serving as a visual deterrent, passing time by playing word games, answering riddles and identifying common tropes in genres.

After a clever intro that fiendishly missteps you, we get to know both characters in the squad car – one suffering from guilt, the other having an aversion to garlic. As the clues mount up, you’ll probably work out the twist earlier than Thompson, but that’s the fun of it. From character names to the title of the episode itself, everything is there for you, and the denouement feels like it could easily slip into the League of Gentlemen’s horror-themed Christmas Special.

Verdict: A great instalment to finish a strong season with. 5 out of 6 is an impressive batting average, and with two further seasons confirmed, we can look forward to a dozen more twisted and twisty half hours. 9/10

Nick Joy