Inside No 9 pulls off massive crossover featuring some unexpected cameos

Inside No 9
(Image credit: BBC / Sophie Mutevelian)

Genius! Eagle eyed fans spotted a brilliant tribute to another series during the latest episode of Inside No 9…

If you’re a dedicated fan of Inside No 9, you’ll be familiar with the array of hidden references by creators Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton.

But their most recent one delighted fans, as they chose to reference their own cult series Psychoville. It was spotted in Monday’s episode, ‘Death Be Not Proud’.

Many fans took to Twitter to share their excitement about the unexpected crossover, which featured Psychoville characters including Maureen Sowerbutts (Reece Shearsmith) and son David (Steve Pemberton) turning up at the home of a young couple.

David makes an appearance first, telling new resident Beattie (Jenna Coleman), “Hello my name is David Sowerbutts, and I used to live here”.

Then, we see a series of flashbacks featuring David and Maureen, as he explains the flat’s history to Beattie.

Psychoville’s most iconic character, embittered clown Mr Jelly (Shearsmith) made an appearance too, which was very appreciated by fans.

One fan wrote, “#InsideNo9 /Psychoville crossover! This is genius”

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Another added, “That #InsideNo9 was so good. Hilariously disturbing. Mr Jelly Psychoville crossover cameo too!”

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A third said, “Okay. I am watching Inside No 9 and I'm screaming! David and Maureen!!! Psychoville is the best thing ever!”

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And a fourth agreed, saying, "Ahh, that was everything! Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton are fricking geniuses. Clever surprise after clever surprise! #InsideNo9"

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In a Telegraph interview, Steve Pemberton revealed that it had been a tightly guarded secret. He said, “Most shows, if they’ve got a special episode like this, they shout about it from the rooftops and we’ve done the complete opposite.

“Because the notion of having something unexpected or a lovely surprise like that is what Inside No 9 is all about. I don’t think it will have broken the Internet, but I hope it dented it a little.”

Inside No. 9 continues on 17th February at 10pm on BBC2.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress