Inside No.9 Season 9: Release date, cast, number of episodes, is it the last season?

It’s been one of the most critically-acclaimed series of recent years, but all good things must come to an end.

The final season of Inside No.9 will start later this month.

BAFTA Award-winning black comedy Inside No.9 is returning to television screens this month for its ninth season.

The anthology series written and starring League of Gentlemen stars Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton was first broadcast in 2014 and, since then, there have been 49 episodes and an online Webisode - each a standalone story featuring a range of weird and wonderful characters.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new series.

When is the ninth season of Inside No.9 released?

The first episode of season nine of Inside No.9 will be broadcast on BBC Two at 10pm on Wednesday, May 8, and will also be made available on the BBC iPlayer on the same day.

There’s no option to binge watch, with each episode following on a weekly basis every Wednesday at 10pm.

How many episodes are there in season nine of Inside No.9?

As with the previous eight seasons of Inside No.9, there will be six half hour episodes in the ninth season.

What’s the first episode of season nine of Inside No.9?

The plot of the first episode has been kept closely under wraps - all we know is that it’s called ‘Boo To A Goose’ and has a cast including Siobhan Finneran, Mark Bonnar, Charlie Cooper, Philippa Dunne, Joel Fry, Matthew Kelly and Susan Wokoma.

Is this the last season of Inside No.9?

Pemberton and Shearsmith have said that this is likely to be the last season of the programme, although have not ruled out returning to it at some point in the future.

Speaking on X, Pemberton said "Time to say goodbye to Inside No. 9 having just wrapped series 9. This takes us to 55 episodes, a very decent innings. Mixed emotions but can't wait to share what we've made."

Shearsmith added: "The end. That's it for Inside No. 9 series nine. What a journey the last ten years have been. But today we arrived at the final stop. So long. Farewell. And thanks for all your kind support and love for the show over the years. We'll miss it."

But there is some hope for fans, with Shearsmith saying: “We're not saying it's over for good. After all, The League of Gentlemen came back, but we won't be looking to make any more episodes for the time being."

What guest stars appear in season nine of Inside No.9?

Star names confirmed for series nine - who will appear alongside are Dorothy Atkinson (Pennyworth, Mum), Mark Bonnar (Guilt, Napoleon), Charlie Cooper (This Country, See How They Run), Philippa Dunne (Derry Girls, Motherland), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Benidorm), Joel Fry (Plebs, Game of Thrones), Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street, The Long Shadow), Matthew Kelly (Stars In Their Eyes, Cold Blood), Eddie Marsan (Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky), Vinette Robinson (Boiling Point, The A Word), Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey, The Chelsea Detectives), Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake, Adult Material), Susan Wokoma (Cheaters, Chewing Gum), and more.