| "Private View" | |
|---|---|
| Inside No. 9 episode | |
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Private_View,_Inside_No._9.jpg) From left to right: Bea (Montserrat Lombard), Maurice (Reece Shearsmith), Jean (Fiona Shaw), Neil (Peter Kay), Carrie (Morgana Robinson), Kenneth (Steve Pemberton), and Patricia (Felicity Kendal) | |
| Episode no. | Series 3 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Guillem Morales |
| Written by | Steve Pemberton Reece Shearsmith |
| Editing by | Joe Randall-Cutler |
| Original air date | 21 March 2017 |
| Running time | 29 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Private View" is the sixth and final episode of the third series of the British black comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. Written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, the episode was directed by Guillem Morales and was first shown on 21 March 2017, on BBC Two. It stars Pemberton, Shearsmith, Fiona Shaw, Montserrat Lombard, Morgana Robinson, Felicity Kendal, Johnny Flynn, and Muriel Gray. The comedian Peter Kay makes a cameo appearance, with his character being killed in the episode's opening seconds.
The episode follows a number of people at the launch of Fragments, a retrospective exhibition featuring the work of the late sculptor Elliot Quinn. A projection of Quinn welcomes the motley assortment of guests, who have, the projection claims, been hand-picked for the occasion. Shortly after their arrival, they realise they are trapped in the basement gallery, and are being killed one-by-one. The episode lampoons pretentiousness in the contemporary art world, and pays homage to Agatha Christie's 1939 novel And Then There Were None and classic horror films, including Theatre of Blood.
"Private View" received critical acclaim, with many characterising it as a strong end to a strong series. Critics noted that the episode was both funny and horrific, featuring toilet humour and gore horror, and the cast was praised. Multiple critics noted that they found the episode's final seconds unclear, but the journalist Rachel Cooke said that such "unlooked-for moments when nothing quite makes sense", serve only to "emphasise [Inside No. 9's] surpassing brilliance".[1]