Inside No 9: Series 7 awards and my episode rankings

[@davidrobinson5357]

Its good to see Jessica Hynes get some recognition. I think shes a massively underrated actress

[@WeeLin]

She absolutely is. I think it's a shame that, out of the cast and creators of Spaced, she's the one who gets the least recognition. She was wonderful in No 9 and I'd love to see her in more roles, comedy or dramatic.

[@OfficerFriendly2006]

@@WeeLinthere’s a show she was in called ‘Years and Years’ and she’s amazing in it as is the show itself.

[@hannahl3381]

@@OfficerFriendly2006 shes also in jack and dean of all trades here on youtube shes very good in it

[@Riktenstein]

Best wigs is a great catagory.

[@WeeLin]

Or should that be worst wigs? I did do a best hare/hair, so that should cover it!

[@miarose5156]

This came up in my notifications as important and it certainly is!!! This series was very special to me as it had a league reunion, and Bob having OCD had a profound effect on me given I was diagnosed with OCD this year and seeing his character not be someone washing his hands every 2 minutes like most media it really spoke to me. Wise owl was definitely number one for me though as the blend of public information films and the overall story was really captivating. The animation was really accurate for the time and was very eerie to help those disturbing themes of the story come to life. I’ve always found the public information ads of the 70’s fascinating as someone who grew up 20 years later so when the episode first aired I was very much hooked. Another great video I hope you have a happy Christmas hope you enjoy the Christmas special!

[@WeeLin]

Those old PSAs/PIFs are so oddly fascinating to me, and always have been (there were a few still running on TV even into the 90s, including two of the Charley Says films). I have some people very near and dear to me who've been diagnosed with OCD and both were surprised, mostly because they didn't fit the stereotype at all. It's such a misunderstood condition, and I'm always glad to see more thoughtful representations. I hope that was helpful for you too.

[@soulfoodie1]

Would absolutely love to have you review 'Don't hug me I'm scared ' the TV series. It really did justice to and continues the spirit of the KZbin series and truly one of the most original and 'creatibe' TV shows of recent yras

[@WeeLin]

I thought they'd agreed to never be creative again! Thanks, I've had a few other people say they'd like a review of Don't Hug Me I'm Scared - curious to see what the crossover is like between DHMIS fans and IN9 fans!

[@haysleigh1190]

Fellow IN9 and DHMIS fan here! I would have thought there's a decent overlap, they're both wildly creative shows with unexpected horror that always get the brain cogs whirring.

[@WeeLin]

@@haysleigh1190 Makes sense when you put it like that!

[@juliannaking4473]

Im in the US, and blown away with 9# ... never heard of DHMIS.

[@WeeLin]

@@juliannaking4473 The web series of DHMIS is all on KZbin if you want ti check it out. Careful though, as you'll end up with the songs in your head forever!

[@clarkejoseph49]

My disturbing moment has to be the Wickerman part of Mr King. Because it gave me PTSD flashbacks of The Harrowing. And a Christmas special? If that ends in another revelation that it’s a Snuff film, I’m calling the BBC Police on Dennis Fulcher. Hopefully in either season eight or nine, they’ll do another Live one but it doesn’t go wrong this time and it doesn’t end in Pemberton and Shearsmith being “killed.”

[@WeeLin]

I wonder if they'll ever revisit Dennis Fulcher, seeing as it's heavily implied that he made other films and is only now facing justice. It'd make for another very dark and interesting No 9. Also, the end of The Harrowing really freaked me out too - I watched it right before I went to bed and all I could hear and see was "... mischief". Another live show would be great too, seeing as they're such great live performers (I don't think they'd have to "die" again though!)

[@aperson6505]

Glad Inside No. 9 will be able to fill in for my Doctor Who Christmas special fix

[@WeeLin]

I'm ashamed to say I haven't really kept up with Doctor Who since Matt Smith. That might be one to do several binges of when I have the time!

[@aperson6505]

@@WeeLin When the Capaldi series came out, I wasn't fully sold on them (as great an actor as he and Jenna Coleman are), but I have to say they're growing on me these days!

[@WeeLin]

@@aperson6505 I'm surprised I missed so much of Capaldi's, as I was thrilled when he was announced as the new doctor. He'd be a brilliant guest at No 9 too, just sayin'!

[@aperson6505]

@@WeeLin Somehow my brain did not connect IN9 and Capaldi. Now I want nothing more

[@justicelovingskunk9910]

I really liked the soundtrack for Random Act of Kindness

[@WeeLin]

I loved it too - choosing the best soundtrack for a No 9 series is always hard, there are so many great ones.

[@dantheman7016]

Glad to see you back, the series 6 awards and ranking is my favourite video of yours so I was looking forward to this. My favourite guest actor this season was Ron Cook who gave one of the shows most horrifying performance, my favourite recce performance was his character in Nine lives Kat, my favourite Steve character was Darren in Merrily Merrily and my favourite episode was Kid/ napped.

[@WeeLin]

Thanks for sharing! Ron Cook was incredible, both in person and as the voice of Wise Owl. Definitely one of the most horrifying No 9 characters. Barnabus Bull was a fun performance (picturing him now popping up in the background whispering "get Matt Damon"), I really loved Darren in Merrily Merrily and Kid/Nap was fantastic. Very strong series altogether.

[@octavianblackthorn5106]

Really glad you shed light on the Wise Owl score. The music in the final minute is always enough to move me.

[@WeeLin]

The whole score is brilliant, but the last few minutes are pure perfection. TV highlight of the year for me, that was.

[@soulfoodie1]

So glad you did this! Agree with all your awards and agree that in another strong season 'Wise Owl' takes the crown. Such an astonishing episode on so many levels (and indeed love Christian Henson 's score especially for the PSAs)

[@WeeLin]

Thank you. I almost feel sorry for the rest of the series (which was brilliant, possibly one of their best) just because Wise Owl was so damn good!

[@mantistoboggan5171]

2:33 is how I've felt after getting no notifications from you. So glad to "suddenly Seymour" (you must know the reference) content from your channel! Keep on keeping on!

[@WeeLin]

I absolutely get the reference, and now that's going to be in my head all day!

[@DCSMedia]

I remember spotting the Hare in A Random Act Of Kindness on first broadcast, the only time I've done it first try. Speaking of Hair, Mr Edwards's hair in Mr King is eerily similar to a wig that I have that I've used for comedy sketches and what not XD. The main thing about Series 7 is, the reason I love Series 3 and 5 as much (those are my top 3 of the show), they push the boat out as far as possible (in Merrily Merrily's case, quite literally). Very unique locations, unique presentation styles, unique ideas, and even for those odd times where it didn't hit the mark (still not a massive fan of Nine Lives Kat), I admire the experimentation, and it's what I come to No.9 for. Here's my current ranking of the season: 1. Wise Owl 10/10 2. A Random Act Of Kindness 10/10 3. Kid/nap 9/10 4. Merrily Merrily 9/10 5. Mr King 8/10 6. Nine Lives Kat 6/10

[@MissMaraJoy]

It was a great series, and I agree with your ranking! I would love to hear more from you about the Don't Hug me I'm Scared show in the future!! It's been a while since I watched that, but I can't get the image of that family eating fried chicken out of my head 😵

[@WeeLin]

The "Family" episode was a wonderful bit of horror - probably the freakiest of the series. That scene with the chicken bucket... urgh!

[@noawarren2548]

Ranking this series as being ‘not at all kind to animals’… I see what you did there ;) Anyway, I’ve recently discovered your channel and am thoroughly enjoying your content! I love the local histories and all your Inside No. 9 videos. The only thing I can’t agree with here is your ranking of Merrily Merrily at no. 5, because I just cannot find fault with it. I think it is absolutely fantastic, from the beautiful and slightly eerie music to the firework scene and the characters’ personal stories. Putting Wise Owl at no. 1 though was an absolute no brainer, as you said it’s an astonishing piece of television!

[@WeeLin]

Honestly, Merrily Merrily could belong anywhere between no 5 and no 2 depending on my mood - the middle four episodes were unbelievably close and ranking them was near impossible. For the record, I love Merrily Merrily! Thanks for watching my videos, and let's hope the new series is at least "fairly kind" to animals (so far, so good!)

[@shawbag11]

I was actually kinda surprised when i sore there was a Christmas special this year deffnetly wasn’t expecting that to happen but I’m soo looking forward to watching it :)

[@WeeLin]

Me too, but I'm not complaining! Looking forward to it.

[@joew5710]

this might be the strongest series of number 9, I loved every episode I don't think I could rank them

[@Callum_2613]

I don’t envy you having to rank these episodes because I feel series 7 has been the strongest collection of episodes ever for number 9, I think depending on the day you ask me my ranking would change, although Mr King is probably gonna be first often due to my love of the Wicker man and general creepy folk tales. Loved the videos this year, need to rewatch the Dark Place video as I was quite drunk watching it the first time, I hope you have a great Christmas :)

[@WeeLin]

Ranking these was torture. I had an absolute favourite, and a least-favourite-but-still-really-liked-it, and everything else just felt equally brilliant, but very different. So yeah, 2-5 would change day by day for me!

[@Milksword]

Great video as usual! My rankings were a little different but your reasonings were really well-explained. Need to rewatch some of these again before the new series comes out!

[@WeeLin]

Thanks, and if it makes you feel any better, my rankings for 2-5 switch around quite a bit depending on my mood!

[@RubberDuckieIsBae]

Always good when wee lin uploads

[@WeeLin]

Always good to hear that too!

[@MostlyLoveOfMusic]

you're very committed, well done

[@WeeLin]

Thank you - I feel like I haven't been giving the channel nearly enough attention lately.

[@loganmackenzie5294]

If there was a word to summarise series 7 of inside number 9 it would be trauma. From Laurice losing his wife to Zack and the hole bob ordeal and to Rony and trauma of losing his sister to a fire and being the unfortunate victim to his abusive father who cause the fire

[@loganmackenzie5294]

Or if I am wrong please point me in the right direction to correct it or in the direction to a local shop for local people where I won’t get far

[@WeeLin]

Trauma and loss were most definitely big themes in this series. Very difficult subjects to tackle, but No 9 does it so well.

[@CatBlackGuitars]

Hey great to see you back again. I absolutely loved series 7 and I'm really looking forward to the Christmas special and series 8. Oh and as for Reece's hair in Wise Owl - check out Dave from The Lovely Eggs!!

[@WeeLin]

Ha! I just looked them up - they could be twins! Either they've been going to the same stylist or they use the same bowl.

[@vykkye]

I absolutely love your videos. You are such a fan!

[@WeeLin]

Thanks so much! Yes, I'm a huge No 9 fan, not to mention League of Gentlemen and Psychoville.

[@george4mon]

Yes WeeLin! Been waiting 6 months for this video 🥳

[@WeeLin]

Thanks - hope it was worth it!

[@IfIHadMyTimeAgain]

9:45 i really want to go through each episode and theorise as to what the wishes might've been!

[@WeeLin]

I may just be planning this for a future video when series 9 wraps up!

[@mikebarratt8146]

Thanks Lin. Another very enjoyable video. I hope you and the new dog hit it off well.

[@WeeLin]

Thanks - I'm typing this one handed while giving him scratchies with the other one! He's a beauty, I love him, he's still settling in and that's been a lot of work so far, but he's worth it!

[@mikebarratt8146]

@@WeeLin Ah, that's good to hear. Hope he continues to settle well and you have a good Christmas together

[@jabe8874]

it's here! So happy to watch this and great vid! love your channel!

[@WeeLin]

Thanks! Sorry it took so long. And is that Mark and Jez from Peep Show photoshopped into the Fight Club poster?

[@jabe8874]

Yep!

[@brobs0463]

Oh my god how did I not know they were making a Christmas special! Can’t wait!! Also as a side note you mentioned possibly making a video on Don’t hug me I’m scared, that would be so cool and I’d love to see it as it was my favourite show this year

[@WeeLin]

Glad to bring you some good news then! I'd love to make a Don't Hug Me I'm Scared video, either on the web series, the TV series, or both.

[@ethanhughes7462]

Always great to see you upload and here your thoughts. I'm really looking forward to the Christmas special no doubts it'll be another great No. 9 :)

[@WeeLin]

I can't wait for the special - it's like Christmas is coming early this year!

[@TheCoops119]

spiritfarer is such a beautiful and wonderful game, so glad you enjoyed it. I don't know if you've heard about them but 'To the Moon' and 'Finding Paradise' are some other wonderful indie games about dying with brilliant writing.

[@WeeLin]

Thanks so much for the suggestions - I'd love to play more indie games, especially ones like that. Spiritfarer destroyed me emotionally over and over again, which is probably why I love it and why it stayed on my mind all year.

[@catbhoy]

Aye moving house that’s KZbin money for you 😂😂😂😂😂 Brilliant to hear your take on inside number 9 again, I can almost hear Reece dishing up the f**ks as he sees you ranking the episodes. Best season to-date with the best episode Wise Owl. Will watch & listen to your recommendations I will recommend in turn Vampire Survivors on the (indie) video game front. Merry Christmas to you ( and the community) and FFS get more videos made 🤣.

[@WeeLin]

If I moved house based on KZbin money, I'd be in a wendy house just now 🤣 That's part of the reason I don't upload as often as I'd like, because I work full time and do other freelance, then KZbin has to come after that. I actually get where Reece is coming from, as I'm not really a big fan of rankings or scoring systems myself, but so many people asked me to do it for No 9 that I caved. I love indie games and vampires, so that sounds like a good recommendation to me!

[@carlanthonydelosangeles7411]

It is finally here. Looking forward to the Christmas Special too!

[@WeeLin]

Me too! The Devil of Christmas is one of my favourites, so I was really excited to hear about a new special.

[@carlanthonydelosangeles7411]

@@WeeLin oh no! Be careful about Krampus

[@Will-pg4bh]

Worth the wait-great video!

[@WeeLin]

Thanks - glad you think so!

[@SANCHA.]

My favorite is Wise Owl.

[@WeeLin]

Wise Owl was my favourite of this series, and probably one of my all time favourites now too.

[@alfredezehn2.083]

Are you planning to go another Local Histories? A Herr Lipp one would be quite gud

[@WeeLin]

I absolutely heard it in his voice! Herr Lipp would be a great one, especially when you take the Christmas special and the movie plotlines into account. The Local Histories vids take a long time to write and research, but I would love to do some more. Gives me an excuse to rewatch the League again too!

[@LeightonCorcoran]

I enjoyed series 7 a lot. Wise owl, a random act of kindness, and kid/nap were probably my favourite episodes of the series. Have you seen the recent Xmas episode 'The bones of St Nicholas'? and if so, any plans on doing a video about your thoughts on it, or will you wait until series 8 is finished (as is usually the case)? I really enjoyed it personally, and can't wait to see the rest of the new series. Only one more series to go then....doing more than 9 series of Inside Number 9 would be silly, obviously....

[@WeeLin]

My Bones of Saint Nicholas review is up on my channel now! Yes, nine series is the perfect number - I personally think that series 9 should be nine episodes long too.

[@FTZPLTC]

Wise Owl deserves an award for Least Appropriate Teeth.

[@WeeLin]

Such a weird, unsettling thing, those owl teeth. And it's exactly the kind of thing you'd see being done in a low budget animation from the 70s or 80s - so much unintentional horror in kid's TV!

[@JAProductions494]

Well this was a pleasant surprise but a welcome one to be sure. Coincidentally I was actually rewatching a lot of your old No. 9 videos recently so the fact that you uploaded this now was quite funny Either way, I thought that Series 7 was one of the strongest seasons overall and I enjoyed every episode (although I enjoy every episode of this show besides Last Night of the Proms) Here’s my ranking: 6) Nine Lives Kat: Interesting concepts but the execution wasn’t to my liking (7/10) 5) Mr King: Well made but I just don’t like the Wicker Man story. Sorry (8/10) 4) Kid/Nap: Really overhated I feel. I found it really creative and interesting and would be higher if the other episodes weren’t so good (9/10) 3) Merrily Merrily: Fantastic opener and surprisingly emotional (9/10) 2) A Random Act of Kindness: Perfectly blends a brilliant human drama with an intriguing time travel story. Also, I’m a sucker for Sci-Fi (10/10) 1) Wise Owl: Really really dark but was incredibly emotional and hard hitting as a result. It also appealed a lot to me personally as an avid viewer of PSAs and a big fan of animation especially the darker and more mature animated movies like Coraline, When the Wind Blows and (recently) Padak (if you haven’t checked it out then I recommend it) Anyway, this was a fantastic video and I’m excited to see what else is coming Also, great to see another DHMIS fan

[@WeeLin]

Thanks, and that's a well thought out list there! Honestly, my entries for 2-5 are completely interchangeable for me depending on my mood and when I last watched them. Such a strong series. Strangely enough, I was talking about When the Wind Blows only yesterday (I think the conversation was about animated films that broke your heart, and that one gets me every time). I'll make a note to watch Padak, cheers!

[@nxgan1088]

Can there be a Kind to Animals category for the next season? Categories being: Very Kind, Kind, Fairly Kind, or Not at All Kind to Animals.

[@WeeLin]

I should do that - so far, series 8 had been fairly kind to animals in my opinion, but we're only halfway done.

[@paulflint6254]

Series 8 episode was good, though I did predict the ending which I won't spoil here. Merry Christmas 🎄🎁🕯️

[@WeeLin]

Merry Christmas to you too, and thanks for avoiding spoilers for those who haven't seen it yet (I didn't predict the ending, but I thought it was brilliant!)

[@paulflint6254]

@@WeeLin I surprised myself that I could do that.

[@organicketchup5171]

What are your favourite movies, Wee Lin? Is that something you’d cover in a video?

[@WeeLin]

I have so many favourites, and I've covered some of my favourite horrors on here back when that was the main theme of my channel. I thought Inside No 9 content was something not many people would be interested in, but here we are! As for non-horror, there's a few films I've taken notes for to see if there might be a video script in it, but never quite got them rolling. Usually if something grabs me, I'll watch it over and over again, do some research and make notes and that's how I've ended up with most of the movie content on here. So yeah, I might do some more videos on my favourite movies, thanks for asking!

[@organicketchup5171]

My pleasure. Thanks for your content 🙏 It’s interesting, well made and, most of all, fills a niche.

[@reecetomm]

As someone who is about to embark on a Masters in Library Science, and knowing WeeLin is a librarian, will we be getting a TerrorTome book review?

[@WeeLin]

There's a good chance of that after I've read it, as a few people have asked now. At least there won't be any pesky subtext to deal with!

[@mrdoctorgilmore]

For me: Kid/nap- Creative but the ending was a bit confusing Mr King- It's great but it goes alongside side Riddle of the Sphinx and Harrowing as episodes which are good but are so disturbing I never want to watch it again A Random act of kindness/Merrily Merrily- Both great, only issue is I am not a fan of the endings. Nine Lives Cat- As someone who wants to write, I love this one. Wise Owl- Phenomenal story.

[@WeeLin]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I think Nine Lives Kat really is a story for writers and aspiring writers - I can't tell you how many guilt trips I've given myself over half-written stories that ended up in my bottom drawer (or its digital equivalent).

[@juliannaking4473]

Someone PLEASE Tell me some shows like this... or other UK SHOWS..I love this one so much. Already seen L.O.G. and pshcoville a bunch..lol

[@WeeLin]

They're maybe not exactly like this, but I've got a review playlist called "Why You Should Watch" that looks at mostly dark comedy UK TV shows. You can skip the first one though if you've already seen Psychoville!

[@juliannaking4473]

@@WeeLin I DONE A BAD MURDER ! lol...answer is whole show 3 times

[@juliannaking4473]

@@WeeLin going to check out now

[@faithpearlgenied-a5517]

Some other UK shows, mostly comedies and panel shows so sorry if you're not into that but worth mentioning anyway. Taskmaster (definitely try this!) The IT Crowd, QI, The Inbetweeners, Would I Lie to You, 8 out of 10 cats does countdown, Luther, Inspector Morse, Garth Marengi's Dark Place, Spaced, Bottom, Fawlty Towers, The Mighty Boosh, Derry Girls, The Young Ones, People Just Do Nothing, Only Fools and Horses (gets better as it goes along, well worth watching)

[@richardlbowles]

Of course we enjoy the Episode Ranking section. We sit here at the other end of the Internet screaming "Kill, kill!"

[@frogprincereader]

Inside number 9 is the best show on television by far!!

[@filmunion8194]

Could you if you script for the ghostwatch sequel 31/10 please

[@WeeLin]

I read it, and I'm making some notes on my thoughts. Thanks for recommending!

[@steveclapton]

Terrortome is wonderful

[@KyleRDent]

Yes, it's great to read a book that doesn't rely on subtext.

[@WeeLin]

Subtext is for cowards

[@robinbaxter3055]

My ranking for season 7: 6. Nine Lives Kat. Aside from the second episode of season 5 (the Psychoville one, which I really, really didn't like at all) this is the only episode of the show which I considered to be genuinely underwhelming. A great idea poorly executed and it fell completely flat on-screen. 5. Kid/Nap. Beautifully shot but predictable and unimaginative. It also features a very predictable plot twist and wastes Jason Isaacs. 4. Mr. King. It might not be as good as some of the others in this season, but Mr King is still a very smart, funny and disturbing comedy horror which borrows heavily and intelligently from the folk horror genre. 3. Merrily, Merrily. It didn't use the boat setting as well as it should've done, but Merrily, Merrily is still an incredibly moving gem filled with smashing performances. 2. A Random Act of Kindness. By far one of the show's most moving episodes, featuring Jessica Hynes on incredible form. 1. Wise Owl. Perhaps the one episode of this season which feels like an all-timer Number 9 episode for me, Wise Owl is a hauntingly powerful and truly chilling story that, believe it or not, manages to be very uplifting at the very end.

[@Katielovegood44]

I really want to fill my need for dark twisted tv shows... but cabinet of curiosities is just so over the top, predictable and american.. I struggled hahah So rewatch of inside no9, psychoville, Gareth's dark place and black mirror it is lol

[@WeeLin]

I did enjoy it, but British dark humour just hits differently, doesn't it? I'd also recommend Nighty Night for dark and twisted comedy.

[@leejones8582]

Bit late to the party but my rankings are from bad to good 3 5 6 4 2 1

[@declantill8864]

I think this series was fairly weak. From Worst to best here's my thoughts! Mr King Nine Lives Kat Merrily Merrily Wise Owl Random Act of Kindness Kid/Nap

[@WeeLin]

Thanks for sharing - I thought it was a strong series personally, but that's just my opinion!

[@ghostlightx9005]

This was the weakest series of No9 yet for me. I loved Mr King and the first half of Kid/Nap, but the rest....ugh. And Nine Lives Kat was about the worst episode to date. I was getting a little worried till I saw Bones of St Nicholas and everything was redeemed.

[@Luis-fc5qt]

Keep shining as brightly as you do. Get to know the secret > 𝐩𝓻Ỗ𝓂Ø𝓈Ｍ