Big Top (2009 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Big Top was a BBC
television situation comedy series which first aired on 25 November 2009. The series was set in and around a travelling circus, aired on BBC One
and BBC HD
simultaneously. The series revolved around the performers and backstage staff of Circus Maestro. The first series consisted of six episodes, each thirty minutes in length. Big Top was not recommissioned for a second series and was formally cancelled by the BBC in February 2010.
Lizze is the Daughter of Circus Maestro's founder, but when her father ends up in prison for fraud she becomes the Ring Mistress. Lizzie grew up in the circus and loves it with all her heart. Her only regret is that she has absolutely no circus skills. She can't juggle, can't spin plates and never even took the stabilisers off her unicycle.
Geoff is one half the clown double act, Plinky and Plonky, the husband and wife team involving him and his wife Helen. One problem being, their act isn't very funny since Geoff hasn't got a funny bone in his body.
Erasmus is the cynical Soundman who has a scheme and con for everything. Anything that involves him getting cash he will try it.
Georgie is the Grande Dame of the circus and has an act with her dog, David, a West Highland Terrier. She cares a lot about David but often uses him as part of little schemes. When Boyco gets a job as advertising Accident Claims and Compensation, Georgie tries to use David to claim saying he is suffering with stress.
Boyco is the Acrobat of the Circus and he's also madly in love with Lizzie. He is 28 years old and does juggling, high wire, balloon animals and trampolining.
Helen acts as the other half of Plinky and Plonky. Helen is Lizzie's auntie and always tries to help out Lizzie in any way she possibly can, even if she fails. She tries to help Lizzie with finding love but Lizzie doesn't like any of the men Helen matches her up with.
. The show was written by Daniel Peak, directed by Marcus Mortimer and co-produced by John Stroud and Marcus Mortimer. It was commissioned by Jay Hunt
, Controller of BBC One, and Lucy Lumsden, Controller of Comedy Commissioning for the BBC. The executive producers were Jed Leventhall for Big Bear and Simon Wilson for the BBC. Prior to broadcast, the second and third episodes were in reverse order; "Skydiver" then "Visa".
commented that the jokes were so obvious that he invented a game, whereby he would pause the show after the set up and ask his girlfriend to guess the punchline. Sky
's website was equally negative, stating "The jokes are more tired than you'd find in a Christmas cracker and it all seems just a bit juvenile. Apart from a few off colour gags about sleeping with a health and safety inspector which were just the wrong side of distasteful."
The sitcom was named the worst new sitcom of 2009 by the visitors to the British Comedy Guide
announced in February 2010 that they will not recommission Big Top for a second series, and therefore has been axed.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television situation comedy series which first aired on 25 November 2009. The series was set in and around a travelling circus, aired on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
and BBC HD
BBC HD
BBC HD is a high-definition television network provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007...
simultaneously. The series revolved around the performers and backstage staff of Circus Maestro. The first series consisted of six episodes, each thirty minutes in length. Big Top was not recommissioned for a second series and was formally cancelled by the BBC in February 2010.
Plot
Lizzie the Ring Mistress (Holden) must overcome all of the problems which get thrown at her during the production of the circus show. The circus features a husband and wife clown team (Thomson and Thompson), who aren't as funny as they believe they are, and Erasmus (Robinson) is a cynical soundman. Georgie (Madoc) is the Grande Dame of Circus Maestro, and Boyco (Mackinnon) is an East European acrobat who is still learning about the ways of the English world.Cast
- Amanda HoldenAmanda HoldenAmanda Louise Holden is an English actress and presenter. Among her roles are Mia Bevan in Cutting It, Sarah Trevanion in Wild at Heart, and the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award...
as Lizzie the Ring Mistress
Lizze is the Daughter of Circus Maestro's founder, but when her father ends up in prison for fraud she becomes the Ring Mistress. Lizzie grew up in the circus and loves it with all her heart. Her only regret is that she has absolutely no circus skills. She can't juggle, can't spin plates and never even took the stabilisers off her unicycle.
- John Thomson as Plonky the Clown/Uncle Geoff
Geoff is one half the clown double act, Plinky and Plonky, the husband and wife team involving him and his wife Helen. One problem being, their act isn't very funny since Geoff hasn't got a funny bone in his body.
- Tony RobinsonTony RobinsonTony Robinson is an English actor, comedian, author, broadcaster and political campaigner. He is best known for playing Baldrick in the BBC television series Blackadder, and for hosting Channel 4 programmes such as Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History. Robinson is a member of the Labour Party...
as Erasmus
Erasmus is the cynical Soundman who has a scheme and con for everything. Anything that involves him getting cash he will try it.
- Ruth MadocRuth MadocRuth Madoc is a British actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Gladys Pugh in the 1980s BBC television comedy Hi-de-Hi!, and as Daffyd Thomas's mother in the second series of Little Britain.-Early life:...
as Georgie
Georgie is the Grande Dame of the circus and has an act with her dog, David, a West Highland Terrier. She cares a lot about David but often uses him as part of little schemes. When Boyco gets a job as advertising Accident Claims and Compensation, Georgie tries to use David to claim saying he is suffering with stress.
- Bruce MackinnonBruce MackinnonBruce Mackinnon is an actor who has appeared in various television programmes.Mackinnon was born in Esher, Surrey and was educated at Eton College, before studying drama at The University of Manchester...
as Boyco
Boyco is the Acrobat of the Circus and he's also madly in love with Lizzie. He is 28 years old and does juggling, high wire, balloon animals and trampolining.
- Sophie ThompsonSophie ThompsonSophie Thompson is an award-winning English actress, best known for playing Stella Crawford in EastEnders.-Early life:...
as Plinky the Clown/Auntie Helen
Helen acts as the other half of Plinky and Plonky. Helen is Lizzie's auntie and always tries to help out Lizzie in any way she possibly can, even if she fails. She tries to help Lizzie with finding love but Lizzie doesn't like any of the men Helen matches her up with.
Episode 1
- Patrick BaladiPatrick BaladiPatrick Baladi was born on 25 December 1971 and is an English actor.Baladi was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. His father is a gynaecologist from Libya, and his mother was a midwife...
as Andy James - Ross Gurney-Randall as Jimmy Steed
- Michael Elliot as an Elderly Man
Episode 2
- Nick HolderNick HolderNick Holder is an underground hip-hop and house music deejay and producer from Toronto, Canada.Holder began DJing in the early 1980s, and soon became influenced by the Detroit techno scene and DJs such as Derrick May and Carl Craig....
as The Immigration Official - Holly Hayes as The Registar
- Tom Goodman Hill as The Advert Voice-Over
- The KrankiesThe KrankiesThe Krankies are a Scottish comedy duo that enjoyed success as a cabaret act in the 1970s and on television in the 1980s, featuring in their own television shows and releasing their own music single. They entered semi-retirement in 1992, but they have regularly appeared in pantomime since.The duo...
as Themselves
Development
The BBC released an announcement on 22 January 2009 that the series had begun filming. Big Bear Films produced the series. Big Top was filmed in front of a live studio audience and on location in and around LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The show was written by Daniel Peak, directed by Marcus Mortimer and co-produced by John Stroud and Marcus Mortimer. It was commissioned by Jay Hunt
Jay Hunt (BBC)
Jay Hunt , is a United Kingdom-based television executive, appointed to the new post of Chief Creative Officer, Channel 4. She is a former controller of BBC One.-Early life:...
, Controller of BBC One, and Lucy Lumsden, Controller of Comedy Commissioning for the BBC. The executive producers were Jed Leventhall for Big Bear and Simon Wilson for the BBC. Prior to broadcast, the second and third episodes were in reverse order; "Skydiver" then "Visa".
Reception
Reception to the first series of Big Top was poor. Sam Wollaston of The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
commented that the jokes were so obvious that he invented a game, whereby he would pause the show after the set up and ask his girlfriend to guess the punchline. Sky
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
's website was equally negative, stating "The jokes are more tired than you'd find in a Christmas cracker and it all seems just a bit juvenile. Apart from a few off colour gags about sleeping with a health and safety inspector which were just the wrong side of distasteful."
The sitcom was named the worst new sitcom of 2009 by the visitors to the British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide
The British Comedy Guide or BCG is a British website covering all forms of British comedy, across all media. At the time of writing, the BCG has published guides to more than 1,200 individual British comedies - primarily TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, variety...
Cancellation
Following speculation that the series would be returning, the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
announced in February 2010 that they will not recommission Big Top for a second series, and therefore has been axed.
Series 1 (2009)
| Episode number | Episode title | Plot | Airdate | Viewers (audience share) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Boyfriend" | The circus is sabotaged by a rival one in town, and Lizzie is determined to get revenge. A Health and Safety inspector also pays a visit. As Lizzie and her Auntie Helen start talking about her past boyfriends it helps her to realise that she likes him. But the date ends in disaster when he insults the cast and crew of her circus and suggest she leaves... | 25 November 2009 | 3.3 million (15%) |
| 2 | "Visa" | Boyco the Acrobat gets a small job advertising an agency that deals with Accident Claims and giving out compensation. Lizzie thinks this is great because now the circus is being promoted. But her happiness is soon gone when she receives a visit from immigration and it appears that her star acrobat is Eastern European and has no work visa. Being desperate to keep Boyco, Lizzie is willing to go to any lengths to make him legitimate, even if that means marriage but Plonky the Clown wants him banged to rights. As always Auntie Helen is always there to save the day! | 2 December 2009 | |
| 3 | "Skydiver" | Milo the Skydiver is injured a replacement needs to be found quickly. Her options are limited to a suicidal man, a Chinese hypnotist and a reluctant West Highland terrier. It is not looking hopeful... | 9 December 2009 | |
| 4 | "Dad" | Lizzie is happy after finding out that her circus has a chance to perform in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Erasmus has a plan to get her dad out of prison, to dig up some cash for the event. | 16 December 2009 | |
| 5 | "Clown" | The sales are at an all-time low when Geoff becomes ill. Lizzie attempts to fill in as the clown herself. The rest of the members of the circus attempt to make money by any means possible. | 23 December 2009 | |
| 6 | "Thief" | The police notify Lizzie that the members of the circus are prime suspects for a series of local robberies. Lizzie suspects Erasmus and banishes him, before the criminal underworld arrive at the circus. | 30 December 2009 |