Ep 1. The Referee's A ...

Inside No. 9 is a British dark comedy anthology series created by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. Each episode is a standalone story with different characters, settings, and plotlines. The series is known for its clever writing, unexpected twists, and dark humor. The show is set inside various No. 9's, which can be anything from a house number to a train compartment.

Season 5 of Inside No. 9 premiered on February 3, 2020, with an episode titled "The Referee's A...". The episode is written by Shearsmith and Pemberton and directed by Guillem Morales. The story centers around a junior football match and the referee who has a peculiar way of making decisions.

The episode opens with a group of parents watching their children's football match on the sidelines. The match is between two teams, "The Rovers" and "The Wizards". The referee arrives, and he is an eccentric man named Jockey. Jockey is played by Steve Pemberton. Jockey's appearance is unusual, he is wearing an oversized black hat, a long black coat, and he is carrying a cane. He introduces himself to the parents and the teams and tells them about his unusual way of making decisions.

Jockey tells everyone that he makes decisions based on the toss of a coin. He explains that he flips the coin before every decision, whether it's a corner, a foul, or a penalty. The parents and the coaches are skeptical about Jockey's method, but he assures them that it's fair and unbiased.

The match begins, and Jockey starts making his decisions based on the coin toss. His decisions are not what the parents and coaches were expecting, and they begin to get frustrated. Jockey's decisions start to favor one team over the other, and the match becomes heated. The parents and coaches start to argue with Jockey, and he stands his ground. He tells them that his method is fair, and he will not change his decision-making.

As the match continues, Jockey's decisions become more absurd, and the parents and coaches become more agitated. The tension between the two teams, the parents, and Jockey reaches a boiling point, and things start to spiral out of control.

The episode is a commentary on the pressure that is put on referees, especially in children's sports games. It shows how the decisions made by a referee can cause tension and divisions between parents and coaches and how these tensions can escalate into something much more significant.

Overall, the episode is a typical Inside No. 9 story, with a dark and unexpected twist at the end. The writing is clever, and the performances are excellent, especially Steve Pemberton's portrayal of Jockey. The episode is a great start to the fifth season of the series and sets the bar for the rest of the season.