Inside No.9 season 8: Confirmed guest stars, release date and first-look trailer

Inside No.9 is back for an eighth series of perfectly crafted black comedy drama with a twist in every tale. 

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's world of the extraordinary and macabre has been a huge success, and has won numerous awards since it first appeared on our screens in 2014.

Inside No.9: Nine things you didn't know about the series

Find out everything we know so far about the show's latest season – including another stellar line-up of guest stars.

When is the Inside No.9 season 8 release date?

Season 8 of Inside No.9 begins on BBC Two at 10pm on Thursday 27 April, with new episodes airing every Thursday and available on BBC iPlayer after broadcast.

Is there a trailer for Inside No.9 season 8?

There is - and here it is in all its usual spine-tinglingly creepy glory...

How many episodes are in Inside No.9 season 8?

There will be six 30-minute episodes of Inside No.9 season 8. The first episode of the series, The Bones of St Nicholas, aired at Christmas 2022, so the first episode of this run, Mother's Ruin, is technically episode 2.

Here are the episodes we know about so far, including their guest stars...

Episode 1: The Bones of St Nicholas

Shobna Gulati and Simon Callow join Reece and Steve to conjure up a Christmas ghost story. It’s Christmas Eve, and Dr Parkway (Pemberton) has booked an overnight stay in a reputedly haunted church.

But he's less than happy when eccentric warden Dick (Callow) and happy-go-lucky couple Posy and Pierce (Gulati and Shearsmith) also show up. Why is he so keen to be left alone?

Catch up on The Bones of St Nicholas on BBC iPlayer.

Episode 2: Mother's Ruin

Episode 2, Mother's Ruin, features EastEnders alumni Phil Daniels and Anita Dobson (above) as guest stars alongside Shearsmith and Pemberton.

The series' creators play the sons of East End villains Harry and Annie Blackwood, who are rotten to the core and who did some truly horrible things when they were alive.

But what secrets have they taken to their grave? Their sons have a plan to find out...

Watch Mother's Ruin on BBC Two at 10pm on Thursday 27 April.

Episode 3: Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Gareth is definitely going to be working from home today. Just to be on the safe side. In case anything unlucky happens. Because today just happens to be Friday the Thirteenth.

Shearsmith plays superstitious Gareth, whose caution is likely to be tested by callers Barry (Pemberton) and Sue (Sex Education's Samantha Spiro, above). Amanda Abbingdon also appears as Gareth's long-suffering wife, Sue.

Watch Paraskevidekatriaphobia on BBC Two at 10pm on Thursday 4 May.

Episode 4: Love is a Stranger

You get to meet all sorts when you go online dating, as Vicky's about to find out. Will she finally meet her perfect match? Or will she be talking to the Lonely Hearts Killer?

Claire Rushbrook guest stars as Vicky, with Mathew Horne, Frances Barber and Asim Chaudhry also making an appearance. 

Watch Love is a Stranger on BBC Two at 10pm on Thursday 11 May.

Episode 5: Hold On Tight

Wolfie and Clarke love their bus - but perhaps not as much as the mysterious Mr Cole and his dolly-bird nieces. As Clarke would say, "plenty of room up top!"

This series' most eagerly anticipated episode stars comedy acting legend Robin Askwith as Mr Cole alongside Shearsmith's moustachioed Wolfie and Pemberton's Clarke in a half-hour seemingly inspired by 70s sitcom On The Buses.

Watch Hold On Tight on BBC Two at 10pm on Thursday 18 May.

Episode 6: The Last Weekend

Joe and Chas have been together for nine years. It's a long time to be truly in love with someone. But how long does it take to properly say goodbye?

Sheila Reid (Benidorm) guest stars as Mollie alongside Pemberton as Joe and Shearsmith as Chas in the last episode of the series.

Watch The Last Weekend on BBC Two at 10pm on Thursday 25 May.

Who are the Inside No.9 season 8 guest stars?

Inside No.9 never disappoints when it comes to casting, with everyone from Sheridan Smith to Nicola Walker and Jason Watkins to Derek Jacobi snapping up the opportunity to appear alongside Pemberton and Shearsmith in a half-hour episode. 

The following cast members have been confirmed for season 8:

• Amanda Abbington (Sherlock)
• Robin Askwith (The Madame Blanc Mysteries)
• Frances Barber (Dreamland)
• Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing)
• Phil Daniels (House of the Dragon)
  
• Anita Dobson (EastEnders)
• Leon Herbert (Ghosts)
• Mathew Horne (Gavin & Stacey)
• Menyee Lai (Stay Close), Moyo Akandé (Guilt)
• Sheila Reid (Benidorm)
• Claire Rushbrook (My Mad Fat Diary)
• Samantha Spiro (Sex Education)

"We are thrilled to invite viewers inside a new set of funny and frightening number 9s; take your shoes off, make yourself at home and switch your devices to Do Not Disturb. Well it might work..." promised Shearsmith and Pemberton in a statement.

Will there be an Inside No.9 season 9?

Yes, a ninth season of Inside No.9 has already been commissioned by the BBC.

Creators and writers Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have said that the ninth series will be its last for the moment.

However, they have also suggested that Inside No.9 may return in another guise - could it continue as a stage show or even a movie?

Inside No.9 returns to BBC Two at 10pm on Thursday 27 April. 

Watch all 7 series of Inside No.9, and season 8's festive opener The Bones of St Nicholas, on BBC iPlayer.