Inside No. 9: The Harrowing

"The Harrowing" is the sixth and final episode of the first series of British dark comedy anthology series Inside No. 9. It aired on 12 March 2014 on BBC Two. The episode was written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and stars Shearsmith, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Helen McCrory, Poppy Rush and Sean Buckley. While comedic in places, "The Harrowing" makes extensive use of gothic horror elements transmuted into a modern context. The plot follows Katy (Edwards), who has been hired to housesit for eccentric siblings Hector (Shearsmith) and Tabitha (McCrory). They rarely leave the house, but have an event to attend. They tell Katy about their bedridden, disabled brother Andras (Buckley), who cannot speak but will ring a bell if he needs assistance. Katy is joined by her friend Shell (Rush) once Hector and Tabitha leave, and, upon hearing Andras's bell, the pair reluctantly head upstairs. The episode takes place in Hector and Tabitha's mansion, which is kept deliberately cold and filled with paintings depicting Hell. The writers experimented with a variety of possible endings, hoping to make the episode's close both interesting and scary. Critics agreed that the episode was the most gothic and scary of the series, with journalists writing for The Sunday Times saying that "The Harrowing" would be best avoided by those of a nervous disposition. Critics writing in the Metro felt that the episode was a poor finale for the series, and that the episode's ending was unsatisfying. By contrast, Alex Hoskins, writing for the Cheddar Valley Gazette, felt the episode's ending was very strong, and Bruce Dessau described "The Harrowing" as an excellent end to the series. On an Empire Online list, "The Harrowing", particularly its final scene, was selected as the 17th best TV moment of the year. The episode was watched by 833,000 people on its first showing, which was 4.7% of the audience. Due in part to her appearance, Edwards was nominated for a "Daffta" award.