Big Top

Enthusiastic ringmaster Lizzie has been handed Circus Maestro from her father, but it's struggling. Week after week, it moves from one crisis to another.

One thing I've always wondered: how on Earth did the BBC transmit the whole series? I can remember the backlash after episode one aired; people didn't respond well, but they put out the whole thing. I quit after about only ten minutes. Sixteen years on, I decided to dip my toe in once again.

This must rank as one of the worst comedies ever commissioned. Nothing works; the scripts are unfunny, the acting is poor, and all efforts to make Amanda Holden a comedy sitcom star failed.

There just aren't any laughs, apart from one or two decent lines in episode three. The stereotypical characters aren't likable, goofy, or in any way appealing. I'd argue Georgie and Boyco are the worst of the lot. Boyco's accent will make you think of Miss Popov.

At times, it felt as though it was written many years before it went out; it's dated, but I'm being unkind to the great comedies of yesteryear.

The biggest crime had to be the misuse of the great Tony Robinson. I can't understand how he agreed to be in it.

2/10.

1st of all, an apology to any overseas viewers.

If you tuned in expecting the sardonic writing of The Office, the eloquence of Yes, Minister or the raw genius of Fawlty Towers: Sorry! This can only be blames on current "blue sky" thinkers at the BBC's programming department.

Amanda Holden, With minimal talent (ahh, the irony!) to start with, must have pulled in every favour/loan/threat in her portfolio to get this made. Poor comic timing, dire scripts, sets recycled from "Crossroads" & something approaching no appreciable acting talent on display.

Oh, & what the hell is Tony Robinson doing in this mess?! what a way to see the 00's out. We saw it in with the aforementioned "Office" in 2001, & this wipes the ass of the decade!!

Still, there IS a plus side to this. There cannot be anything worse than this in the 2010 schedule.

can there????

I just viewed the first episode of the new British comedy "Big Top" and it will be the last time I will ever watch this show. It features a traveling circus full of misfit clowns and incompetent performers managed by the only competent person on the show, Lizzy, an attractive female ringmaster. Boyco, the acrobat character is almost unbearable to watch with his horrific Eastern European accent. The jokes are second rate retreads, and overused clichés. I had to force any of the few laughs I had while watching it. I've seen some great British comedy series such as "Spaced", "Peep Show", "The It Crowd", and "The Office" and this series just makes me appreciate them more.

Very possibly the worst alleged comedy the BBC has produced in years. With few rivals for worst ever you need only see Amanda Holden's name in the credits of anything to know it's bad but this has to be her personal best/worst. This turkey was moved to a late night slot after the 2nd or 3rd ep to limit the damage. Contrived plots with wooden acting combine to swallow the hopes and dreams even the most dedicated career actor who has the misfortune of being cast in this, the 2nd worst ver sitcom to come from the same management team. It is hoped that just this once the BBC go back to the practise of reusing video tape to insure the complete erasure of this embarrassing pile of ick.

In one episode of this 'comedy' series someone suggests the lead character should sleep with a Health and Safety Inspector to pass a routine inspection. Maybe this is a case of art imitating life and the sales pitch to the BBC involved a little indoor wrestling on the casting couch.

Seriously, I came across this on the cable channel BBC Entertainment and just sat hypnotised by the sheer awfulness of this show. I mean, was this the organisation that gave us Tony Hancock and Fawlty Towers? How did a member of the 'Blackadder' team end up spewing out trite one-liners which were nowhere near as venomous and cynical as his former master (but were obviously intended to be)? Could the cast read? How hungry do you have to be to do this sort of stuff? Added to the terrible scripting was a cheap, shoddy production in which the principle characters were backed up by extras doing nothing in particular in the background, and obvious inserts of a real circus audience for 'performance' sequences.

If you need something to take your mind off a toothache don't watch this, live with your toothache, it will be funnier.