Big Top

New BBC One sitcom set in a circus, due to start soon.

Here's a Chortle interview (which I assume they haven't pilfered from somewhere else) that, if nothing else, has annoyed me for getting the technical term for a fear of clowns (coulrophobia, not claurophobia) wrong. I know it's petty, but when you write a sitcom about clowns, called Clowns and then this pops up, it kinda pisses you off:

http://www.chortle.co.uk/features/2009/11/15/9964/roll_up,_roll_up,_the_circus_is_coming

https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/big_top/

Dan

Quote: swerytd @ November 16 2009, 4:25 PM GMT

I know it's petty, but when you write a sitcom about clowns, called Clowns and then this pops up, it kinda pisses you off:

View original

Oh no!

The initial reports of this show suggest that it's not really worth worrying about ...

I have heard the same, but I'll give it a chance, being perfectly neutral about the situation. As I described earlier.

Dan

Quote: Tim Walker @ November 16 2009, 4:32 PM GMT

The initial reports of this show suggest that it's not really worth worrying about ...

View original

Yet the BBC commissioned it off the back of the first reading...

Had you sent your script off to prod. comps Dan?

I had Belgium very interested in pitching it to French TV. (Seriously, I'm not making this up.) In fact, I think they did (but didn't really keep me all that well-informed).

But in the end they couldn't take it forward. I think they missed the ludicrously dark undertone amongst all the people falling over. In fact, I would've bet money on them asking for the rewrites to have 'more people falling over'!

Still, you've gotta laugh!

Dan

I admire you for taking the high ground, Dan, in the same way I am doing as I watch the current Comedy Showcase season.

*sticks pins into various Voodoo dolls*

I would have loved to have been massive in Belgium and completely unknown in the UK. That would have been brilliant.

Dan

I've been told that Big Top has great scripts, but they cast Amanda Holden.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it'll pop up in the schedules soon; BBC One launched it in their Autumn lineup ...launch, so hopefully it's not too far off.

https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/big_top/

Big Top starts 2nd December (which is a Wednesday... and it's going out at 7:30pm... it looks like the BBC are trying to hide it!).

We'll have a detailed guide to the show online next week. Watch this space.

Ouch. Yes. Might get quite a follow-on from The One Show, but it's not looking good. Damn shame.

Guide mostly online now: https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/big_top/

Unsurprisingly, Chorlte nicked their 'interview' in a mass cut 'n' paste from the BBC press pack. (Including that spelling mistake.)

I didn't want to throw accusations around, but I had my suspicions...

Dan

I'll be quite interested to see how they split it up over Christmas - that'll be the real teller of how much confidence they have in the show, and what the audience figures and duty log feedback has been.