"Empty Orchestra" is the fourth episode of the third series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No.

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 colleagues—Greg (Shearsmith), Fran (Sarah Hadland), Connie (Tamzin Outhwaite), Janet (Emily Howlett) and Duane (Javone Prince)—celebrating the promotion of Roger (Pemberton).

9, "Empty Orchestra" is upbeat, features romantic elements, and lacks explicitly bloody or macabre references.

The filming experience and resulting episode was a highlight of the series for Pemberton, but raised technical challenges, in part due to simultaneous singing and talking.

9 was announced in October 2015, and was heavily publicised beginning in January 2016, at which time Sarah Hadland, Javone Prince and Tamzin Outhwaite were named as guest stars in the series.

[4][5] "Empty Orchestra"—the name of which is a literal translation of the Japanese word karaoke[6][7]—was written by Pemberton and Shearsmith, and was directed by Guillem Morales.

[11] At the series launch, speaking in reference to the previous episode "The Riddle of the Sphinx", Pemberton said that "When you've cut someone's bum off and eaten it, you kind of go, well, better try something different!

"[12] One influence on the episode was Shane Meadows's This Is England; Pemberton drew inspiration from the way that characters' enjoyment of music events was portrayed in the film.

[11] During filming, Outhwaite and Hadland said that Pemberton and Shearsmith would not enjoy working with another cast more; the following week, the writers jokingly sent them pictures with Fiona Shaw and Morgana Robinson (who star in "Private View"), claiming to be having more fun.

She possesses, she explained, "very little understanding of what constitutes music, and no idea at all about things like keys, pitch or melody – I even struggle with the concept of 'high' and 'low' sounds".

[16] Pemberton said that Hadland and Outhwaite "brought a bubbly energy which injected into the hysteria of that room", naming the episode's production his favourite filming experience from the series.

The actors wore an earpiece to listen to the music while singing; Howlett's, used so that she could feel the beat, was taped under her wig, and she was counted in by Outhwaite.

[7] Greg, dressed in a sumo-themed fatsuit, enters a karaoke booth and begins singing The Human League's "Don't You Want Me".

He has the group play "pills roulette"; each take either ecstasy, Viagra, ketamine, Paracetamol, a laxative or a Tic Tac.

"Empty Orchestra" follows a relatively simple narrative of co-workers on a night out, telling several interweaved stories through body language, muffled conversations, and relevant song lyrics.

[20] Phil Harrison, writing for The Guardian, characterised the episode as "a study in communication breakdown; how people use booze, loud music and enforced jollity to fill the gaps between them".

[20] The comedy critic Bruce Dessau called it "a hit",[6] and Mark Butler, of i, offered a positive review of an episode that, for him, "ended up being a down-to-earth, relatable and ultimately feel-good slice of drama".

9,[20][25][26] though both Julie McDowall (The National) and Lawrence stressed the quality of the programme overall, emphasising that "Empty Orchestra" was still commendable.

[26][25] The more upbeat story was "a refreshingly restrained change of pace for the show" for Butler,[22] and possessed its "own charm" for Owen.

[20] Butler wrote that "some will have no doubt been disappointed" by the lack of a bloody climax, but that "variety in tone and story is what helps make Inside No.

"[12] Owen, similarly, argued that the episode "achieved what it wanted to, ending with a fantastic reveal [concerning UV lights] and each of the storylines were resolved quite nicely",[20] though Lawrence felt that the "twist" involving Janet's ability to lip-read was "obvious".

[25] Patrick Mulkern (Radio Times) commended the production, and the inclusion of Janet,[18] while Phil Harrison (The Guardian) called the episode an "object lesson in economical narrative".

Though Lawrence claimed that it "illustrated how good Pemberton and Shearsmith are at creating maximum tension on a minimal budget",[25] others found that it interfered with their enjoyment of the episode.

[20] Similarly, Lawrence felt that "amid the karaoke din, it was hard to get a proper handle on the characters or, indeed, really care about their fates".

[12] Lawrence described the characterisation as "painted with the broadest of brush strokes, but that suited the super-annuated, hypercharged nature of the plot and the faintly camp dialogue",[25] praising Pemberton in particular.