Last Gasp (Inside No. 9)

"Last Gasp" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. It first aired on 26 February 2014 on BBC Two. The story revolves around the ninth birthday of the severely ill Tamsin (Lucy Hutchinson). Tamsin's parents Jan (Sophie Thompson) and Graham (Steve Pemberton) have arranged with the charity WishmakerUK for the singer Frankie J Parsons (David Bedella) to visit as a treat for their daughter. Frankie dies after blowing up a balloon, leading to arguments between Graham, the WishmakerUK representative Sally (Tamsin Greig), and Frankie's assistant Si (Adam Deacon) over the now-valuable balloon containing Frankie's last breath. The story, written by Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, was inspired by someone Pemberton had seen on Swap Shop who collected air from different places.

"Last Gasp" is a morality tale that satirizes and critiques celebrity culture. Reviewers praised the episode for its humour and performances, while critics noted that it compares unfavourably to other episodes of Inside No. 9. In retrospect, Pemberton said that "people hated" the episode. On its first showing, "Last Gasp" drew 872,000 viewers, lower than any previous Inside No. 9 episode. After "Last Gasp" aired, Pemberton sold a balloon containing his own breath on eBay, with proceeds going to a Sport Relief charity.