Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s trademark blend of comedy mixed with some of television’s deepest, darkest horror is, across all of its nine series, absolutely essential television. And The 12 Days of Christine, often heralded as the greatest of all Inside No. 9 episodes, takes you on a journey that becomes one of the biggest tear jerkers in recent memory.
Inside No.9 S02 E02 – The 12 Days of Christine
Sheridan Smith is perfect as Christine, a young woman experiencing big time lapses, from meeting future boyfriend at a Christmas party to having a walking, talking son in no time at all. Nothing is out of the ordinary otherwise, particularly Christine life and that of her family and friends around her, but there are unsettling moments that appear to lead you down a ghost story path. Christmas remains a constant theme throughout the many family gatherings that occur as Christine’s uneasiness grows more intense.
The last edition of Entertainment Advent Calendar was unsettling, and The 12 Days of Christine is the same, but in a very different way. Sheridan Smith is at her absolute best as you follow and feel her journey. This is a story that keeps the wool over the eyes throughout, keeping you guessing until the very end, and then you have no idea what hit you and the rug is pulled from under you. It’s intriguing, its intelligently written, and most of all, it is absolutely brilliant.