Next up is one of the most beloved episodes of the series.
In the private rooms of a University professor (Steve Pemberton), a woman Nina (Alexandra Roach) sneaks in to get a look at the crossword that he has written for publication, so she can impress her boyfriend. When he catches her, once the initial shock is over, he tries to teach her the way to solve a cryptic crossword. However, Nina has not been honest about her motivations.
Again, there's much to admire in the performances. Alexandra Roach has great comic timing, and her ruder lines made me chuckle. There was a meta aspect at the time, in that the actual crossword from the show appeared in the Guardian as their cryptic crossword, on the day the show aired - which must have given some viewers a weird experience.
I really enjoyed the first two thirds of the episode, with the explanation of the way cryptic crosswords work and the interplay between the pair. Personally, I'm not sure that this episode comes together quite as well as it might have done though. For the crossword to include words that all three participants use as big reveals of what they know, is pretty co-incidental, given that only one of the characters actually wrote it.
That said I liked the darkness of what took place and the references to Chekov's writing is another nice level of wit.