The fourth episode of the first season of "Inside Number 9" is a bit of a curio, if you look back at it now. It's a solidly amusing episode, with some dark moments, but no real twist in the tail and even more surprisingly, no Reece Shearsmith.
Famed popstar Frankie Parsons (David Bedella) dies whilst blowing up a balloon at the birthday party for Make-A-Wish girl Tamsin (Lucy Hutchinson). Whilst waiting for the artists manger to arrive, Tamsin's father Graham (Steve Pemberton), Make-A-Wish organiser Sally (Tamsin Greig) and Parsons' security Simon (Adam Deacon) start to investigate whether the singers literal last breath has a marketable value. Paranoia grows between the three, both about how to divide the profits and how best to look after the precious balloon.
More of a straight comedy, this episode, with Tamsin Greig (as always) being a highlight. She relishes the delivery of some of the inappropriate things that Sally says and also gets to do the meta jokes with clarifying that the girls name is Tamsin, and not Tasmin. Sophie Thompson plays Tamsin's mother Jan who, though the episode sets her up as the better parent, actually is the one who has co-opted her dying daughters final wish, to orchestrate a meeting with her favourite singer. Pemberton is broader that we've seen him be before, but it is unusual that Reece Shearsmith doesn't appear at all. I assumed throughout that he was going to be playing the manager, whose arrival is talked about for most of the episode but then doesn't even have any lines when he does turn up.
It's a fine episode, with some amusing moments, but it's not near the top of the list, when it comes to the most memorable episodes.