[Brekkie]

The Inside No 9 team at it again - have pushed an On the Buses spoof with Robin Askwith as the episode of the series and replaced "the current episode" with a Lee Mack quiz format called 3 by 3. Been changed on the EPG but should still be caught on the series link. iPlayer description refers to the quiz show replacement.

www.bbc.co.uk 

BBC Two - Inside No. 9, Series 8, 3 by 3
Three threesomes compete for prizes in this general knowledge quiz presented by …
  Source: www.bbc.co.uk

[Josh]

The 1% Club has obviously had a few budget cuts since the last series!

[Brekkie]

Brilliant - one of their best.

[Larry the Loafer]

Anyone know why the episodes were shifted around? Or was that part of it too? I have to take any pres with a pinch of salt when Inside No. 9 is involved...

[Jon]

Anyone know why the episodes were shifted around? Or was that part of it too? I have to take any pres with a pinch of salt when Inside No. 9 is involved...

I think it was almost certainly part of it. They’ve played a similar trick with the live episode I seem to remember.

Some flaws in the format, what happens if a team loses two members and that team gets to the final? 

I liked the Pointless inspired set, although think the backdrop was green screen, considering that it looked quite authentic.

Interesting that Shelia Reid is the the next episode. I thought it was strange she’d not been in one yet considering her previous work with Pemberton.

[Joe]

Brilliant - one of their best.

Hmm - I can’t agree with this. It was such a well-observed example of a daytime quiz show that it didn’t feel especially funny to me, nor was the plot especially exciting or unexpected. I actually felt like I watched a 30 minute quiz show to watch a 30 second twist that I’d seen coming for ages!

[Jon]

Brilliant - one of their best.

Hmm - I can’t agree with this. It was such a well-observed example of a daytime quiz show that it didn’t feel especially funny to me, nor was the plot especially exciting or unexpected. I actually felt like I watched a 30 minute quiz show to watch a 30 second twist that I’d seen coming for ages!

I think it just depends whether you fall for it as as a live viewer. I read this thread first so before using live rewind (it wasn’t coming up for me on iPlayer right away) , so was constantly waiting for the twist. Although had I been watching live I’d imagine I’d have known it wasn’t real.

I imagine some of the more casual TV viewers may have fallen for it though.

Lee Mack was brilliant as always.

[Critique]

Brilliant - one of their best.

Hmm - I can’t agree with this. It was such a well-observed example of a daytime quiz show that it didn’t feel especially funny to me, nor was the plot especially exciting or unexpected. I actually felt like I watched a 30 minute quiz show to watch a 30 second twist that I’d seen coming for ages!

Completely agree that it wasn’t the most exciting of plots and was basically a standard quiz show until the very end, but I found it weirdly quite a satisfying watch based on how well-observed a clone of the quiz format it was.

They nailed every element of a TV quiz show, down to the promo photo they’re using on iPlayer of Lee Mack on the ‘set’ of the show holding branded question cards. The whole thing was done with a knowing wink to the tropes of the genre and I appreciate the effort that must go into pulling something together that seems so authentic - it’s the kind of thing that I imagine people in the industry will enjoy hugely.

[RhysJR]

Anyone know why the episodes were shifted around? Or was that part of it too? I have to take any pres with a pinch of salt when Inside No. 9 is involved...

I think it was almost certainly part of it. They’ve played a similar trick with the live episode I seem to remember.

Some flaws in the format, what happens if a team loses two members and that team gets to the final? 

I liked the Pointless inspired set, although think the backdrop was green screen, considering that it looked quite authentic.

Interesting that Shelia Reid is the the next episode. I thought it was strange she’d not been in one yet considering her previous work with Pemberton.

Indeed the set was all green screen

twitter.com 

[Joe]

Completely agree that it wasn’t the most exciting of plots and was basically a standard quiz show until the very end, but I found it weirdly quite a satisfying watch based on how well-observed a clone of the quiz format it was. 

They nailed every element of a TV quiz show, down to the promo photo they’re using on iPlayer of Lee Mack on the ‘set’ of the show holding branded question cards. The whole thing was done with a knowing wink to the tropes of the genre and I appreciate the effort that must go into pulling something together that seems so authentic - it’s the kind of thing that I imagine people in the industry will enjoy hugely.

I certainly understand that reaction to it, and I’m glad you enjoyed it! It just didn’t do it for me as an episode of Inside No. 9. It was certainly not a difficult or dull watch, and it was cleverly done. 

I think this is the first episode where neither Pemberton nor Shearsmith have appeared at all?