When I stumbled across the first episode of The Big Knights showing on BBC2 one Christmas, I knew I had discovered a real gem of British animation.
"The Big Knights" introduces us to Sir Morris, and his brother Sir Boris, two well-meaning but dim-witted knights, who live in Castle Big with pets Sir Horace, their faithful dog, and Sir Doris, their gluttonous hamster. Each 10-minute episode follows the heroes as they deal with everything from dragons and vampires to who is going to make breakfast. Boris and Morris tackle every problem they meet with gusto, shouting, sword fighting and food aplenty, oblivious to the trail of destruction they inevitably leave in their wake. Set in the kingdom of Borovia, an out-of-time country where castles and villages sit amongst electricity pylons and television sets, the Big Knights do their best to serve the pompous King Otto.
What makes "The Big Knights" really stand out is its wonderful writing. In each episode we are presented with classic fairy tales, fables and Middle ages stereotypes turned on their heads to place the knights in any number of hilarious situations. One episode places the knights in a vampire's castle with only garlic-breath between themselves and peril, while another follows the heroes as they try to rescue two princesses from a tower by catapulting themselves to the top (without considering how they are to get down again). The bold, simplistic computer animation, styled after traditional paper cut-out animation, befits the series perfectly. This is supported by a superbly-selected voice talent, featuring well-known British comedians, actors and media figures.
"The Big Knights" is a treasure, a series that sparkles with wry humour and boisterous slapstick, and yet it remains relatively unknown, a great tragedy for a work that has been put together so well.
