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'I was buzzing to be the guest star for Inside No. 9'

Kofi Smiles Three men stand in front of a large green double wardrobe. The man on the left has dark hair, wears glasses and has a blue buttoned shirt. The man in the middle is taller then both men, has black braided hair and a black beard, wears a floral dressing gown tied in the middle, and has his arms around the two men with his hands making "rock" symbols. The man on the right has white hair, is smiling at the camera and wears a black puffer jacket.Kofi Smiles
Kofi Smiles (centre) with Reece Shearsmith (left) and Steve Pemberton
Charlie O'Loughlin,East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and
Kofi Smiles,BBC Radio Humberside

BBC presenter Kofi Smiles had a bit of a fright when he was called up for an appearance in a stage production of Inside No.9 – the long-running comedy-horror show.

Spoiler warning: This article reveals details about Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright, which is touring the UK.

Smiles, who presents the breakfast show for BBC Radio Humberside, found himself "starstruck" when chosen to be a surprise guest alongside creators Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith during a performance at Hull New Theatre.

But after appearing as the "hostage" in a kidnapping gone wrong, he said he was "buzzing" and added: "It was nerve-racking and exhilarating."

"One bit I had to do was flamenco dancing, so at that point I was like, well, I'm not going to be a flamenco dancer on my own," he recalled.

"So I grabbed Steve, who was dressed as one of the burglars, then we both started dancing on the stage and spinning and twirling around. And that got a lot of laughs."

Kofi Smiles A group of 21 people seated in three rows on a small stage. The seating is arranged in tiers. The lighting is bright on the group, in comparison to the pitch-black background. There is a mixture of males and females on each row, some lean into each other smiling at the camera, others hold small toys in their hand and some point at each other. Kofi Smiles
Kofi Smiles was invited to join the cast and crew in a team quiz before the show

Inside No. 9 ran on BBC Two for nine series between 2014 and 2024 and, like the TV show, the stage version challenges audiences to "expect the unexpected".

At one point in each performance, a celebrity guest is brought on stage. During the Hull run they included the ice dancer Christopher Dean and comedians Tommy Cannon and Paul Chuckle.

Smiles said: "I never thought I'd even be asked and I haven't done any sort of drama or acting since I was a kid.

"I thought, let's give it a go. It could be a disaster, it could be terrible.

"I was a little bit starstruck at first. But they're just so genuine and very good with people.

"You can tell these guys are just doing it because they love it.

"I think it's cool they do this because it's a show that's got such a long run and they need to keep it interesting, making it very specific to every location that they go to."

BBC/Red Studios The image shows two men sat indoors in a café area. They are sitting side by side on wooden chairs with curved backs. The man on the left wears a light grey button-up shirt with rolled up sleeves and has one hand resting against the side of their face. The man on the right is wearing a dark jacket over a brown shirt. In the background, there are several empty tables with wooden chairs, small vases of flowers, and salt and pepper pots. Large windows behind them let in light.BBC/Red Studios
The pair are best-known for their works on Inside No. 9, The League of Gentlemen and Psychoville

Smiles was given the full celebrity experience, with his name on the dressing room door and having his hair and makeup done. His costume was made up of a dressing gown, pyjamas and slippers.

"I tried to get away with taking them, because they were so comfy. But they said you can't take them because we don't have that many slippers in that size," he said.

Pemberton and Shearsmith – who is from Hull – made their names in the cult comedy show The League of Gentlemen.

The pair were spotted out and about in the city by eagle-eyed fans earlier in the week.

They popped in to the 95-year-old Dinsdales Joke Shop, in Hepworth's Arcade, to purchase gags and pranks.

Dinsdale's A group selfie with a mixture of males and females spread throughout in a small joke shop. A brunette female with large framed glasses and a burgundy gillete takes the photo and smiles. Behind her there are two males and three females who are leaning to and away from the camera, their heads are partially or fully cut out of the frame. To the right is a dark-haired man with black glasses, a khaki coat and mustard coloured scarf - he leans towards the camera. A white-haired man is partially cut out of frame, he has his mouth open wide.Dinsdale's
Shearsmith at Dinsdales, believed to be one of the oldest joke shops in Britain

Shop owner Graham Williams said it was "lovely" to see them and added: "We always wondered if the joke shop in League of Gentlemen was based on our shop?"

The show's run in Hull ended on Saturday, with the tour heading to Oxford, Stoke, Liverpool and Edinburgh, before finishing in Birmingham on 6 December.

Smiles said his experience was "really fun".

"I had a great time and would definitely do it again."

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