When Damon and Val move into 9 Mulberry Close it’s not long before they meet their busybody neighbours. After Damon is seen acting suspiciously they begin to wonder if there’s been a murder, and if so, will it get a Netflix special?

From the off it’s clear we’re in the realms of one of the series’ high concept ideas as the entire episode is presented as found footage. From the viewpoint of number 9’s doorcam we’re first introduced to Val, played by Vinette Robinson (The Lazarus Project/Sherlock) and neighbour Larry (Psychoville’s Mr Jolly), along with his dog, Popcorn. A thrilling conversation about the recycling ensues, and it’s this sort of suburban mundanity that continues for a while. Across-the-road neighbours Kenny (Steve Pemberton) and Sheila (Pennyworth’s Dorothy Atkinson) pop over with a homemade quiche but this time it’s the surly Damon (Reece Shearsmith) who answers the door with the bare minimum of politeness. Rightly so as it transpires because they’re passive-aggressive busybodies whose definition of fun is crazy golf and who ditch a social engagement because Michael Ball’s on the telly.

Once the setup is complete what we have is something of a riff on Hitchcock’s Rear Window as the three neighbours set about trying to solve a similar crime, assuming there is one. They’re no Jimmy Stewart though as their general incompetence proves. They’re also certainly not the sort of people who know how doorcams work…

With these sort of productions one wonders, had the unusual concept been ignored, would the story still work? Last week’s episode (The Trolley Problem) I think would have been fairly satisfying without being couched in terms of the famous ethical dilemma – it still would have been a pretty good revenge thriller albeit overly familiar from other episodes. This one though has a very thin story that wouldn’t pass muster without its unusual device. It’s certainly entertaining enough and meets the challenge of telling a story in this way, I’m just not sure it’s a story really worth telling, especially this late in the show’s run.

Verdict: A cleverly done instalment for sure and reasonably entertaining, but lacking much meat on the bone 7/10

Andy Smith