Big Deal: the comedy drama tackling gambling
"Robby Box makes his living playing poker. Some people say he's got it made, but his girlfriend Jan isn't one of them."
That was the premise of a comedy drama that - despite having run for 30 episodes on the BBC in the 1980s - has pretty much since been forgotten. It's a shame, as the show explored interesting themes, such as gambling addiction.
Maybe you are one of the people who remember Big Deal, which ran from 1984 to 1986? The series followed the smooth-talking but seriously flawed small-time gambler Robby, whose addiction to betting often put him in conflict with his personal relationships and financial stability.
Surprise and absurdity are facets of British comedy. Indeed, comedy often requires ordinary situations to be turned on their head, so that makes gambling a really interesting topic for a comedy drama. With their glam but somehow sleazy appeal, casinos in particular can give writers the ideal backdrop to weave tales full of mishaps, larger-than-life characters and over-the-top scenarios into their scripts. Casinos may have moved online now, with sites such as Snabbare Casino now offering up virtual versions of roulette and poker, but in the 1980s the physical buildings were very much still at the heart of gambling culture.
With its high-rollers, shady dealings and eccentric personalities, gambling culture has provided the perfect setting for British sitcom writers to craft stories balancing wit, satire and slapstick humour... but normally the gambling topic is just seen in one episode, when the central characters decide to have a flutter. For example, in Peep Show, Fawlty Towers or Only Fools And Horses.
Big Deal was different in that it focused on the topic of gambling every week. What worked for the programme was how it dealt with the consequences of gambling in a very earthy and real manner without glamorising it. With its mix of humour, drama and relatable storytelling, it became a cultural touchstone for British audiences, showing them the darker, more human side of gambling culture.
Ray Brooks, who had appeared in Carry On Abroad, took on the lead role of 40 year-old Londoner Robby Box. The character hadn't done a day's work since leaving school. Instead, he made a living playing poker and betting on horses and dogs. The sudden realisation, however, that his life is passing him by and that he has nothing to show for his misspent youth encourages Box to "go straight", calling on the help of his girlfriend, Jan, and her teenage daughter, Debby.
Things don't entirely go to plan, though, especially with the taxman on Robby's tail and Jan always likely to walk out on him. For Jan, too, has her problems. She wants Robby to change but, paradoxically, loves him just the way he is.
In the low-life circuit of pubs, bookies and smoky gambling dens, viewers see Robby riding a rollercoaster from bankruptcy to wealth and back again. When it jeopardises his relationship with his girlfriend he is determined to give it all up - until the next big game... all-night poker session... race meeting...
Sharon Duce (who viewers may have recognised as Lu from The House That Jack Built) played Jan. Meanwhile Debbie was played by Lisa Geoghan, who would go on to take on the role of Louise in Desmond's.
The episode titles of Big Deal give a sense of the themes the show touches on. For example, the first series featured titles such as: Red Lady, Black Night; A Ragged Run; and Cash Flow.
The plotlines themselves included Robby sussing out a crooked gambling house for a friend, but only brings trouble on himself in the process; attending an evening race meeting to see a horse that can't lose... but Jan of course has other plans; and Robby saving up nearly all the money he needs to get straight with the tax man, until he hears that an American, Mr Poker himself, has just flown in...
Want to check it out? Episodes of the show can be found on sites like YouTube, and it's worth noting the first series of the comedy was officially released on DVD in 2006.
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