"The Riddle of the Sphinx" is the third episode of the third series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. Written by the programme's creators, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and directed by Guillem Morales, it first aired on 28 February 2017 on BBC Two. It stars Alexandra Roach as Nina, a young woman seeking answers to the Varsity cryptic crossword, Pemberton as Professor Squires, who sets the crossword using the pseudonym Sphinx, and Shearsmith as Dr Tyler. The same crossword was published in The Guardian on the day the episode aired, and the episode is filled with references to the puzzle. Influences for the episode include Anthony Shaffer's 1970 play Sleuth, the works of Anton Chekhov, and the 1989 film The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. Critics lauded the writing and the precise attention to detail in the production. Roach's performance was praised, as was the direction of Morales.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Riddle_of_the_Sphinx_%28Inside_No._9%29

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1773:

French astronomer Charles Messier discovered the Whirlpool Galaxy, an interacting, grand design spiral galaxy located an estimated 31 million light-years away. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlpool_Galaxy

1917:

At least 30,000 people witnessed the Miracle of the Sun in the fields of Cova da Iria near Fátima, Portugal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_Sun

1961:

Newly elected Burundian prime minister Louis Rwagasore was assassinated by his political rivals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rwagasore

2013:

During the Hindu festival of Navaratri at a temple in Madhya Pradesh, India, rumours about an impending bridge collapse caused a stampede that resulted in 115 deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Madhya_Pradesh_stampede

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

overegg: (transitive, idiomatic, originally UK, regional) Chiefly in over-egg the pudding: to spoil (something) by exaggerating it, or an aspect of it; to overdo. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/overegg

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

For every idealistic peacemaker willing to renounce his self- defence in favour of a weapons-free world, there is at least one warmaker anxious to exploit the other's good intentions.   --Margaret Thatcher https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher