Inside No 9 stage adaptation to run in the West End with Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith

Steve Pemberton (The Pillowman) and Reece Shearsmith (A Very Expensive Poison) will bring their award–winning television comedy Inside No 9 to London’s West End. 

Pemberton and Shearsmith will star in the show, titled Stage/Fright, which will blend original material with familiar characters from the show. The duo explained today: “We’ve been asked about doing a live show ever since the series first started on the BBC, probably because each episode is like a mini-play. There are small casts and single locations, and we were definitely inspired by our work in theatre when writing the stories for TV.

“We are currently writing the script even as it goes on sale, but we are certain there will be plenty of new material and surprises for fans and new-comers alike. There’ll be something old, something new, something butchered and something… BOO! We want to use the different things a theatre show can offer in terms of comedy – a collective audience behaves very differently to a solitary one, the laughter builds and the shared enjoyment is infectious. So there’ll definitely be some big comic moments, but also something a bit spooky and more dramatic.”

The duo has also revealed that, through the new IN9 Theatre Company, there could be more stage adaptations in the future. ​They continued: “Inside No 9 viewers go into each episode not knowing what to expect and we want this to be the same for the theatre show, with the ability for each audience to experience the performance for the first time and go on that theatrical journey with us. On TV we have done everything from knockabout farce to psychological drama to full on horror.  We’ve chosen the subtitle Stage/Fright, which does suggest something theatrical and something unsettling. But to say anymore would spoil the surprises and we would never do that. We want to deliver the perfect West End night at the theatre… we might even crack out a song if you’re lucky!”

The show will play a 12-week season from 18 January at Wyndham’s Theatre. Further casting and creative team is to be announced. Tickets for the 12 week limited season will go on sale at 19:00 on Wednesday 8 May.

Sign up for our newsletters for more.