The Riddle of the Sphinx (Inside No. 9) was characterised by Pemberton as a thriller in the style of Anthony Shaffer's 1970 play "Sleuth", while Shearsmith identified the episode as particularly theatrical, in the style of "Sleuth" and Ira Levin's 1978 play "Deathtrap". BBC executives, according to Shearsmith, saw the episode as a cross between "Sleuth" and Willy Russell's 1980 play "Educating Rita" that read as if it had been authored by psychopaths. The executive producer Jon Plowman suggested that the first half of the episode plays out like a radio play. The word-play and tea-drinking in this part of the episode are, in the writers' opinion, very
Educating the East End 2011. Ten sixty-minute episodes were commissioned; the first eight were shown from September to October 2014 with the other two episodes acting as "specials". The original title for the series was "Educating Walthamstow" but shortly before transmission the title was changed to "Educating the East End". Before filming began Twofour advised Smith to get into contact with the headteachers of "Educating Essex" and "Educating Yorkshire". They both reportly gave advice on handling the attention and stayed in contact throughout the filming process. After the first episode was broadcast, "The Guardian" gave a favourable review, calling the show "funny, moving and