first series. Reception "Diddle Diddle Dumpling" was very well received by critics, some of whom characterised it as an improvement on the weaker "Empty Orchestra". Dessau identified it as a "terrific instalment", while O'Grady discussed it as a key example of how high-quality television continues to survive in the 21st century, as part of "a renaissance in British comedy". It was, for him, comparable with the best of Shearsmith and Pemberton's previous work; Billen, similarly, characterised it as one of the best episodes of Inside No. 9. For the freelance critic Dan Owen, "Diddle Diddle Dumpling" was a "characteristically rich and rewarding experience", for Patrick Smith of The Daily Telegraph, it was a "delicious slice of macabre humour", and for Hannah J Davies, of TheGuardian.com, it was "excellent", even if "not the strongest episode of the series". Mark Butler, of inews.co.uk, said that the episode "managed to weave a genuinely gripping and powerful half hour of TV from a seemingly bizarre and banal set-up: a testament to [Inside No. 9] ongoing mastery of mood". Julie McDowall, of The National, called it "a brilliantly slow, creeping and sinister episode". Similarly, Victoria Segal and Helen Stewart of The Sunday Times praised the way that the episode "builds up an atmosphere of creeping dread", but were critical of the "slightly tasteless conclusion" to which the episode "dribbles". In the sister paper The Times, however, Billen praised the conclusion, saying it "brought with it a tide of distress"; on the website of The Times, Hugo Rifkind characterised the ending as somewhat anticlimactic, suggesting that the best mysteries are never solved. Also writing for The Times, Chris Bennion praised the "near genius" premise, calling the episode a "witty glimpse of midlife inadequacy" that became darker as it progressed. Butler identified the device of the shifting seasons as "a clever and striking touch", characterising the episode as moving from "laugh out loud" humour to "profoundly uncomfortable" interactions, with a "hard to swallow" and "disquieting" conclusion. Morales's direction received high praise, as did the performances of Hawes, Baynton, and especially Shearsmith. Bennion, though, suggested that Hawes and Baynton were "somewhat underused". References External links "Diddle Diddle Dumpling" at BBC Programmes "Diddle Diddle Dumpling" at the British Comedy Guide 2017 British television episodes Grief in fiction Inside No. 9 episodes Television episodes about mental health Television episodes about marriage