Empty Orchestra Empty Orchestra "Empty Orchestra" is the fourth episode of the third series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme "Inside No. 9". Written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith and directed by Guillem Morales, the episode was first shown on 7 March 2017, on BBC Two. "Empty Orchestra" is set in a karaoke booth, and follows a group of work colleagues—Greg (Shearsmith), Fran (Sarah Hadland), Connie (Tamzin Outhwaite), Janet (Emily Howlett) and Duane (Javone Prince)—celebrating the promotion of Roger (Pemberton). Rebekah Hinds also stars. "Empty Orchestra" is close to a musical. The characters sing throughout much of the episode,
Empty Orchestra wholly told through song, but this was not possible. For Shearsmith, the reality of this was difficult to maintain; on the episode commentary, Pemberton expressed a wish that there was less dialogue. The closest example to the original intention of storytelling wholly through singing in the final episode was the performance of "I Know Him So Well". Nonetheless, the resulting episode, for Pemberton, was "a kind of musical", in that "there's music all the way through it". While he would be interested in doing "a proper "La La Land"-style musical" in the future, "Empty Orchestra" serves to "[tick] that box