La Couchette

Maxwell is on a night train travelling through France, his journey becomes unbearable as passengers start joining the carriage making incredible amounts of noise. The journey is worsened when one of the sleepers falls out of the bed, dead.

A wealth of talent, Mark Benton, Julie Hesmondhalgh and the wonderfully talented Jessica Gunning. Shearsmith and Pemberton show their German capabilities.

Having travelled on a sleeper I can appreciate the realism, literally any noise someone makes is amplified. I'm reminded by the wardrobe episode from that first series and this is similar in format, a confined space, a set of irritating characters, but this goes one better and has a murder.

Cleverly written. It's a mix of frustrating and funny, it's a solid opener. 7/10

In a show that can be very hit and miss, this is one of the better episodes.

This partly lies in the simplicity. Sort of like the previous season's opener we have characters arriving in staggered fashion to an enclosed location where can enjoy their vivid characterisation and conflict with many rich details that hide the important details.

This one does not disappoint in its conclusion and it's only the flatulence that didn't please me. I'm sensitive to that kind of thing. Decapitations I can handle but not that.

One of my favourite episodes. Absolutely hilarious from start to finish and what an ending. Just brilliant.

The interplay between the great cast line-up in this opening episode of season two are fantastic. Jack Whitehall is fun as are Hesmondhalgh and Benson :) The enclosed setting really helps with character interaction.

What Pemberton and Shearsmith capture so well is the characterisation even before a word is uttered.

Shearsmith's, Maxwell is fussy, tidy wanting to go to sleep as he has an important interview the next morning. Pemberton's Jorg is a slob. Drunk, uncouth, loud.

They are just two of the passengers on a sleeper train travelling through Europe. A married middle aged English couple are on their way to their daughter's wedding in France. An australian backpacker is hoping to have a frisky time with a guy she has just picked up. All of them making noise, upsetting Maxwell who just wants a good night sleep.

Suddenly one of the passenger already in bed is dead as he drops out and lands on one of the passengers. We have not seen him before and the passengers are reluctant to stop the train as some of them know they will face delays.

What starts off as a humorous episode of a man being constantly disturbed in a sleeping compartment takes a disturbing twist with then another layer added on. Wonderful.