Inside No. 9 - Season 5 May 2026

: A kitchen-sink drama that breaks the show’s typical dark mold. Structured around an advent calendar, it follows a cash-strapped family struggling at Christmas.

: A major fan-service episode that functions as a crossover with Pemberton and Shearsmith’s cult hit Psychoville . It follows a couple (Jenna Coleman and Kadiff Kirwan) who move into a flat with a gruesome past.

: A dark, two-hander finale set inside a police car on a graveyard shift. It begins as a buddy-cop parody before descending into something far more macabre. Production & Reception Inside No. 9 - Season 5

Inside No. 9 ’s fifth series is a masterclass in versatility, shifting seamlessly from high-stakes football tension to heartwarming family drama and visceral police-car horror. This season, co-creators Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith lean heavily into mature storytelling, prioritizing character depth and atmosphere over simple shock-value twists.

: The series features high-profile guest stars like Maxine Peake, Phil Davis, and Jill Halfpenny. : A kitchen-sink drama that breaks the show’s

You can catch up on all six episodes of Series 5 on BBC iPlayer in the UK or BritBox internationally.

: Perhaps the most experimental episode, using a "talking heads" format to connect seven disparate characters in a complex psychological thriller. It follows a couple (Jenna Coleman and Kadiff

: A "quintessential" Inside No. 9 chamber piece featuring a battle of wits between a traditionalist magician (Shearsmith) and a young student journalist (Fionn Whitehead).