The 12 Days Of Christine

The 12 Days Of Christine is the second episode of the second series of Inside No. 9.

## The 12 Days Of Christine

### Produced By

Adam Tandy (producer)Jon Plowman (executive producer)

The episode begins with the sound of Sirens and a Dog Barking. Christine (Smith) arrives home to her flat with Adam (Riley), whom she has just met at a New Year's party. Thirteen months later, it is Valentine's Day and Christine chats with her flatmate Fung (Liu) at home. Christine is dating Adam, but receives a card from her first boyfriend, whom she has not seen since childhood. On Mother's Day, Christine's mother Marion (Dotrice) visits. Marion reveals that Christine's first boyfriend died when he was 16, which Christine had forgotten. Marion urges Christine to marry Adam; Christine's father Ernie (Copley) has Alzheimer's disease and is deteriorating. The following year, Adam moves in with Christine at Easter. Christine begins to prepare a surprise for him, but is disturbed when an egg smashes on a nearby wall. In her kitchen, which is covered with Egg Shells on the Floor, she is approached by an unknown man, the Stranger (Shearsmith) who says "I'm sorry".

Christine, now pregnant and married, awakens startled on a May bank holiday, insisting the events were just a horrible dream, Adam and Christine struggle to build a Cot. Thirteen months later, it is Father's Day and Adam tends to their son Jack (played variously by Joel Little and Dexter Little) in the night. Christine hears the Stranger's voice through the Baby Monitor saying "Come on little man, let's get you out of there" and rushes into Jack's Room, seeing the Cot empty and believing that Jack has been kidnapped, she yells out to Adam, but Adam returns from another room with Jack in his arms. Christine celebrates her 30th birthday thirteen months later. Ernie no longer recognises Christine, while Adam is more interested in his colleague Zara (Ellerby). Marion blindfolds Christine for a game of blind man's buff, which she insists Christine has played every year on her Birthday since she was 6. Christine hears suspicious noises from behind a door and removes her blindfold to step through. Thirteen months later, Adam is packing a case for a family holiday. Ernie has died, and Christine's relationship with Adam is strained.

Now divorced from Adam, Christine films Jack as he gets ready for his first day of school. Left alone in the flat, Christine is comforted by Ernie as she cries. On Hallowe'en of the next year, Christine dresses up with her friend Bobby (Pemberton), a colleague at Clarks. Someone Christine assumes to be Adam enters the flat to pick up Jack. When Adam calls at the door, Christine goes to Jack's room and finds Jack in the arms of the Stranger who says "I've got him, I've got him". On Bonfire Night, Christine arrives home with Jack, who has burnt his hand on a sparkler. Marion finds that Jack is not injured, but says that Christine was burnt the same way when she was Jack's age, she then pulls her sleeve down to reveal a scar on her hand from said accident.

It is Christmas, and Christine is having dinner with Marion, Ernie, Fung, Bobby and Adam. Christine and Adam are back together. Christine unwraps her present to find an album of photos from her life, and then realizes what is happening: Christine has been dying as a result of a recent road collision as emergency services attempt to free her, and the episode's events were her memories replaying themselves during said accident, hinted at as every time jump also had subtle ambulance sirens playing in the background. As a result of said accident, there are broken eggs from a shopping bag on the front seat and windscreen of the car. The Stranger turns out to be a man that accidentally stepped onto the road causing the crash. He explains to the police that although he rescued Jack, he could not reach Christine in time, and that he is sorry. At the dinner table, Jack enters dressed as a Nativity angel. Marion says it is time for Christine to go. Christine says a final goodbye as she passes away.

## Cast

 Tom Riley
 Stacy Liu
 Michele Dotrice
 Reece Shearsmith
 Steve Pemberton
 Paul Copley
 Jessica Ellerby
 Joel Little
 Dexter Little