No fewer than three people should attempt a séance, as it can be emotionally and physically exhausting on a small group. But this does not seem to be an absolute rule. Some say the number of participants must be divisible by three. Assemble the Participants: Gather the people who will participate." Séance Time" is the sixth and final episode of the second series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. It was first broadcast on 29 April 2015 on BBC Two. The episode was written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and directed by Dan Zeff. It stars Pemberton, Shearsmith, Alison Steadman, Alice Lowe, Sophie McShera, Dan Starkey, Cariad Lloyd and Caden-Ellis Wall. The episode begins with Tina (McShera) arriving at a Victorian villa for a séance. Hives (Shearsmith) sits her at a table and then escorts the ominous, shrouded Madam Talbot (Steadman) into the room. Like " The Harrowing", the final episode of the first series of Inside No. 9, "Séance Time" is somewhat more horrific than is typical for the programme, though humour remains. In writing the episode, Pemberton and Shearsmith began with the idea of a séance, and developed the plot from there. The theme was one that they had wanted to address for some time, though they wanted to approach it in an original way. The writers aimed to begin "Séance Time" with minimal humour, presenting it as straight horror, before introducing the first twist. The episode explores both the norms of horror films and the unpleasantness of actors and the television industry. Critics responded positively to "Séance Time", praising the horror-several considered the episode genuinely frightening-the humour, and the writing. Steadman's performance was singled out as strong, with critics commending her character as a highlight. 9 was written in 2014 by the programme's creators Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. The idea for "Séance Time" began with the "trigger" of a séance, and the plot grew out of this, while the episode's title was taken from a line performed by David Warner in the film From Beyond the Grave. Shearsmith had previously taken part in a séance with The League of Gentlemen in a putatively-haunted house. He had heard tapping and seen movement on a ouija board, and believed he had experienced something supernatural until Mark Gatiss confessed that he was responsible. Shearsmith said that he and Pemberton had always wanted to do a séance-inspired story, but had never been able to find a new angle from which to approach the theme. "Séance Time", he thought, "felt a bit different" from how séances had previously been portrayed. The writers were unsure how to conclude the episode, and considered 15 to 20 different endings before settling on the one they used. The title of "Séance Time" was inspired by the line "It's séance time!", spoken by David Warner's character in the 1974 film From Beyond the Grave. Casting and characters Īs each episode of Inside No. 9 features new characters, the writers were able to attract actors who might have been unwilling to commit to an entire series. "Séance Time" starred Sophie McShera as Tina-though Tina was played by an uncredited extra in the opening shot of a house's exterior -Shearsmith as "Hives"/Terry, Alison Steadman as "Madam Talbot"/Anne, Dan Starkey as "Blue Demon Dwarf"/Clive, Cariad Lloyd as Gemma, Alice Lowe as Amanda, Pemberton as Pete and Caden-Ellis Wall as William. The writers felt the episode featured a number of good roles for women. 9 's crew, include the episode's third assistant director Saloum N'Jie, appeared as uncredited extras playing members of a television crew. Though there were only a small production crew seen in the episode, this mirrors real crews of the kind featured.
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