Inside No. 9 (TV Series) The Bones of St Nicholas (2022) User Reviews

A true Ghost story for Christmas.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 23 December 2022]

Dr Jasper Parkway spends Christmas Eve at a church, part of The Church of England's scheme to raise funds, he's joined by married couples Pierce and Post, who break his tranquility.

Prior to watching this, I watched Simon Callow in The Dead Room, and of course this was very much along the lines of A Ghost story for Christmas, there's even a cheeky couple or references.

You know when Callow is cast what you're getting, and he was terrific here, Shobna Gulati was great also, and delivered one particularly excellent scene.

Perfectly pitched, this was a wonderful, seasonal ghost story, it's macabre, it's funny, it's an instant classic, it's up there with the show's best episodes. It moved by very quickly, that ending....wow.

There's been a lot of news recently about the show coming to an end after its ninth series, and for acid fans that's sad of course, but it always seemed inevitable that would happen, fingers crossed we'll get specials like this in years to come.

9/10.

Loved it...

[fingazmc · 8/10 · 23 December 2022]

Been waiting for this since it was announced and I managed to get my (6th maybe 7th) re-watch through of every episode finished yesterday (22/12/22) and watched on iplayer as soon as it dropped.

Genuinely loved it, great twist, great acting, great guest stars and everything looked amazing as it always does.

I will say, I called the twist quite early on, but I'm an Inside no 9 (and everything Stephen and Reece have done) addict, so I was bound to get one right sooner or later lol.

I've already watched the new episode 3 times.

Once for the story, second to try and spot hints for the twist and third to try and spot the golden hare... Yes I am that sad, but I don't care I love this show lol.

So if you're reading this wondering whether you should give it a watch (that's what reviews are for, if you're going to tell everyone the plot of something then write it as a synopsis!!!! Sorry when people do that it really winds me up) YOU SHOULD! Whether you're a seasoned in9 viewer or coming to this episode as a newbie, you should get it watched.

If you are a newbie and this is your first episode, I implore you to go back and watch from the start after this episode, you'll love it!

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Altar-ed States.

[southdavid · 8/10 · 23 December 2022]

A Christmas special to kick off season 8 of "Inside Number Nine" and one that I enjoyed very much, but couldn't help wishing had gone in a slightly different direction.

Dr Jasper Parkway (Steve Pemberton) arrives at Church in the middle of the night, he has booked the church for a 'Champing' experience, sleeping overnight in the pews. The warden, Dick (Simon Callow) meets him, but it's clear that Parkway wants to be alone to get down to his agenda. He's further disappointed to discover that a couple, Pierce (Reece Shearsmith) and Posy (Shobna Gulati) have also booked the church last minute. As his frustration grows, he sees a figure, dressed in a red cloak in his peripheral vision, and decides to investigate.

So, my problem is perhaps mine alone. I want most episodes of "Inside Number Nine", particularly the Christmas episodes to be horror ones and, staying away from spoilers, ultimately that's not really what this one ends up being.

That level of minor disappointment aside, what we got was yet another cleverly plotted episode, that's a little light on laughs until Pierce and Posy arrive on the scene - even they though have a sad back story that is expertly teased out through conversations between them. They also explain what's really going on in the episode, though it's not until that is overlaid with the conclusion that it is revealed. Interesting that we don't get more of an insight into Dr Parkways goals, it did leave me feeling a little conflicted about his fate.

That it wasn't all that I hoped for is, certainly, my problem - as what it is, is another excellent addition to what must be the most consistently excellent anthology series ever produced.

Jolly old St. Nick.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 6/10 · 18 June 2023]

With a slick structure filled with foreshadowing, this Christmassy episode follows a man who takes a special interest in the Church in which he's staying. Its Yuletide horror is subdued yet effective, leaving you unsure as to where it's heading until its final few moments. The ending is suitably excruciating in its own callous way, satisfying in its construction and unforgiving in its execution. Although it's somewhat predictable if you're paying attention to the aforementioned foreshadowing, it's still effective. The performances are solid and the atmosphere is palpable, but the mid-portion of the piece is somewhat slow and the overall affair isn't as gripping as it perhaps could have been. Still, this is a solid effort with a fairly intriguing concept.

Please make a Christmas Ghost movie

[goldismine · 10/10 · 27 December 2022]

Dark spooky funny and dam right brilliant,I just wanted more from this wonderful cast ! I just loved every minute of the episode ,guys since this might be the last series of number 9 I'm suggesting for you to come up with a ghost movie for Christmas with all of the past actors that were in all the episodes, This would make one hell of a fright Fest and I just know that the movie would be one hell of a movie of future Christmas classics I can't believe IMDb are asking us to come up with 600 characters for this review,if this is the new norm of reviewing I'm might think twice about putting one up in the future all the best to the crew of number 9 simply Wonderful ⛄🎄😁

Inside no 9 recycled lore

[srrrrdjw · 6/10 · 16 April 2023]

Minus one episode (an oversight) I have watched this entire series up to this point, and like most Americans, I had no clue this had aired until long after the fact. Many reviews have aged poorly, IE "should have thrown it out before it went bad, hopefully there will be no series 4." It appears that the audience reaction to 2022's final tale was as enthusiastic as Pemberton's character tolerating the truly awful jokes written for the otherwise decent Bones of St. Nicholas. Every anthology show has had an immortal holiday episode, from Tales from the Crypt's maniacal Santa to Black Mirror's bite sized story to Tales from the Darkside's joyous Grither. Maybe it is the fear of having to one-up themselves that left fans with the feeling of recycled lore, minimal effort, and familiar themes in the shape of a terrifying 14th Century anti-Claus. On the other hand, the subject of the piece is a terrifying 14th century anti-Claus. Maybe it was the hole in my spirit left by 3 months of no Christmas spirit, but I found this to be decidedly above average. Despite the feeling that we've seen this one before, it was a more polished product than they usually deliver, and at worst, it's recycled Inside No 9, by which I mean better than almost everything else.

Points awarded for unique approach, for not doing a Scrooge episode, for hiring a female to act in their show (well done, boys) and serving as a reminder that any review declaring the show dead is, yet again, wrong.

Spooky and festive!

[becky-92346 · 10/10 · 2 January 2023]

The Bones of St. Nicholas (Inside No.9, 2022) follows a man who decides to stay the night in a haunted church on Christmas Eve. This is another absolutely amazing episode! I can't wait to give it a rewatch, it's so tense with such a great atmosphere and some perfect performances!

This episode has a lot of beautiful visuals and top-notch cinematography. The colour palettes are subtle yet effective, that consist of a lot of blue and orange/gold. The mood lighting is great too and really helps to create an effective atmosphere. I also really like the use of focus shifts to reveal hidden details within the shots.

The score immediately sets the tone and adds a strong sense of mystery and intrigue. Also, the sound design is very effective, I particularly like the eerie howling of the wind heard throughout most of the episode.

All the acting is on point and the characters are well written. Reece Shearsmith's character has such a large personality and he's incredibly funny, his and Steve's on screen chemistry is once again fun to watch. In addition, Simon Callow is perfect and his line delivery made me hooked on every word!

The episode is creepy right from the start and builds up an enormous amount of tension. The pacing is steady and leads to an unsettling climax and an unexpected and well thought out twist with a lot of meaning!

Christmas Special

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 8 May 2023]

Let's start with some positives: Reece Shearsmith's Pierce character had some good lines in this one, but the character was a little bit shaky and poorly written.

But the negatives outweigh the positives. While Inside No. 9 is always good at creating a setting and creating a few central characters, they missed the mark a bit by not giving us a real payoff. They did not make it clear why Howard was there and what his goals were and they did not present a true danger.

Not every twist on this show works, but this one most certainly did not. I would have preferred a more joyful twist if it had to be as lame as this one.

A not-so-special Christmas special.

[BA_Harrison · 22 December 2022]

Steve Pemberton plays Dr Jasper Parkway, who books himself into a church on Christmas Eve for a night of 'champing' (camping in a church). Secretly, he is searching for a lost relic of St. Nicholas - the saint's jawbone - which is rumoured to be hidden somewhere in the old building. During the night, Parkway catches glimpses of a mysterious figure in a red cloak...

I've only watched bits and pieces of past episodes Inside No.9, but from what I have seen, it's a wonderfully weird and delightfully twisted show (as one might expect from the people who gave us The League of Gentlemen). My daughter, a huge fan of the show, convinced me to sit down and watch this Christmas special in its entirety, but by the end we both agreed that it was massively disappointing, lacking in chills, not nearly as deviant as we had expected, and lacking a credible ending (I won't spoil it for you, suffice to say that there is no satisfactory explanation for the story's twist).

The Bones of St Nicholas

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 22 December 2022]

I never heard of the term Champing before. It is where you sleep in a church. Apparently it is a real thing.

Dr Jasper Parkway (Steve Pemberton) has come for an overnight stay at a church. The booking was made by his late wife and he wants peace and solitude on Christmas Eve.

Luckily Jasper has picked a church that does not have a service on the night of Christmas Eve.

Unfortunately Jasper keeps getting interrupted. There are creepy glimpses of someone and strange sounds.

Then two unwanted guests Pierce and Posy who also booked a night in the church turn up. Then there is the churchwarden Dick (Simon Callow) with a ghost story about St Nicholas's missing jawbone.

It looks like an atmospheric ghost story that promises a sinister end. Jasper seems to be up to something. Maybe Dick is more than just a jovial churchwarden.

It is when Posy recalls a tale to her partner that gives you an idea of what might happen. A warning from the future.

Maybe Jasper's late wife was telling him that he might be in danger. He failed to understand the warning as he was consumed by greed.

It was rather a bit like the movie Don't Look Now with the twist. It was not as dark as the other Inside No 9 festive specials.

This might be the weakest IN9 ever

[deckard2112 · 4/10 · 24 December 2022]

Echoes of Los Chronochrimes but poorly executed.

Massive disappointment. I was hoping for a chilling Xmas Eve story à la Mark Gatiss' sublime BBC Ghost Story For Christmas specials but this was so weak. At the end myself and my two fellow watchers looked at each other and said "what was that?" Too many unanswered questions: what was that point of the couple who were also in the church? Why was Pemby looking for the jawbone? What did this rubbings mean? How did he know to carry out the rubbings? What has Simon Cowell's Charlotte seen back in the day? What did Pemby's dead wife and dead mother have to do with the story.... Both had died recently.

Too many loose ends and random name-dropping

[syfb-49058 · 2/10 · 24 May 2023]

Noticed a HUGE amount of pop-culture references which is going to make this episode age very badly.

There was moments of suspense with no payoff.

Too many unanswered questions about each of the characters motives and their actions were also unexplained.

Too many Chekhov's gun scenarios that didn't add any depth or point to the plot.

Definitely going straight to the pile of weaker episodes.

It felt like a lot of the dialogue was written by a "hey there fellow kids" type of mindset, which made watching all of the conversations give off second-hand cringe.

Could easily skip this one, during future rewatches.

Champing at the bit

[safenoe · 5/10 · 18 October 2023]

I had very high hopes for this season 8 opener of Inside No. 9, which is a worthy successor to Tales of the Unexpected from yore. Anyway, it was gripping at the start, with some light touches about the concept of champing which is the unique concept of camping overnight in historic churches, brought to the world by The Churches Conservation Trust. Here, Dr Jasper Parkway is champing on night, but really what are his nefarious motives you may ask. The ending was kind of forced through and yes it was shocking, but the lead-up to it was kind of forced and we were left wondering what the suspense was all about init.