Tom & Gerri
A dark episode about mental illness and isolation.
"Tom & Gerri" is the third installment in the first season of the British dark comedy anthology *Inside No. 9*, first airing on BBC Two on 26 February 2014. The episode grew out of a two-hour play written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith during the time they shared a flat before *The League of Gentlemen* came together. It centers on Tom (Shearsmith), a primary school teacher who also writes, and his girlfriend Gerri (Gemma Arterton), an actress struggling to find work. Their lives take a turn when Tom lets a homeless man named Migg (Pemberton) into their home. The action never leaves Tom’s flat.
Critics widely noted that this episode was much bleaker and less humorous than the two that preceded it in the series. Still, overall reception was strongly favorable. Opinions split on how the show handled Tom’s mental health: one journalist argued the finale “set back public awareness of mental health at least half an hour,” while another described it as “a fine – if cartoonish – take on mental illness.”
**Production**
Pemberton and Shearsmith, previously collaborators on *The League of Gentlemen* and *Psychoville*, drew inspiration for *Inside No. 9* from “David and Maureen,” the fourth episode of *Psychoville*’s first series. That episode, itself inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s *Rope*, took place entirely in one room and was captured in just two shots. The anthology format was a deliberate shift from *Psychoville*’s complex, interconnected storylines. As Shearsmith put it, “We’d been so involved with labyrinthine over-arcing, we thought it would be nice to do six different stories with a complete new house of people each week.” The series also nods to *Tales of the Unexpected*, *The Twilight Zone*, and *Alfred Hitchcock Presents*.
The “loose story” of “Tom & Gerri” originated as a two-hour play written while Shearsmith and Pemberton were unemployed and sharing a flat, before *The League of Gentlemen* began. Their own experiences in that setting fueled the narrative. Tom’s gradual loss of “life energy” mirrors what the writers suggest jobhunters often feel. The episode’s “sinister” mood aims to capture the sensation of being unable to leave the flat or muster the energy to clean up. The final episode differed “quite a lot” from the original play, which had included a character similar to Pauline from *The League of Gentlemen*.
- Episode
- Tom & Gerri
- Series
- Inside No. 9, Series 1
- Premiere date
- 26 February 2014
- Network
- BBC Two
- Writers
- Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith
- Starring
- Reece Shearsmith, Gemma Arterton, Steve Pemberton
- Genre
- Dark comedy anthology
Lore & Background
The episode was based on a two-hour play written by Shearsmith and Pemberton while they were on the dole and sharing a flat, prior to The League of Gentlemen. The story was inspired by their experiences in that environment, with the character of Tom having his "life energy" drained in the same way the writers suggest is experienced by jobhunters. The "sinister" atmosphere was meant to evoke the feeling when a person "can't quite manage to leave the flat" and "can't be bothered to tidy up". The episode ended up "quite different" from the play, which had featured a character much like Pauline from The League of Gentlemen. Pemberton described the feel as Pinteresque, comparing it to Harold Pinter's A Slight Ache.
The plot begins with Tom apathetically marking work while his girlfriend Gerri goes to an audition. A tramp named Migg returns Tom's wallet, and Tom invites him inside. Migg claims to have known Charles Bukowski, whom Tom idolises. Over time, Migg manipulates Tom, hiding his phone, deleting messages, and encouraging him to quit his job. The flat deteriorates, and Tom becomes unkempt and depressed. Eventually, Gerri tells Tom that Migg is a hallucination, but after she leaves, Migg emerges from hiding. Later, Tom appears recovered, but when his friend Stevie visits, Stevie reveals that Gerri died in a car accident and that Tom went back to work too soon. Stevie then sees the corpse of Migg in the bath.
Reader's Guide
Reviewers generally agreed that "Tom & Gerri" was significantly darker but less funny than previous episodes of Inside No. 9. Nonetheless, the response to the episode as a whole was very positive. Critics disagreed about the presentation of Tom's mental illness: one journalist suggested the ending "set back public awareness of mental health at least half an hour", while another said the story presented "a fine – if cartoonish – take on mental illness". Will Dean of The Independent called it "sad brilliance", and Bruce Dessau said viewers would be "totally immersed from start to finish". The episode was praised as a highlight of the series by some critics, though others found earlier episodes weak. The title likely references the cartoon characters Tom and Jerry, with critics noting "a game of cat and mouse" in the plot.
Did You Know?
- Pemberton hated the wig and beard he wore to play Migg, which irritated his skin.
- The entire episode takes place inside Tom's flat.
- Critics disagreed on whether the episode's ending harmed or fairly depicted mental health awareness.
More in Inside No. 9 episodes 1-24
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