Big Top

The first sitcom that's less funny than its situation?

We've had shops, police stations, hospitals, newsrooms, prisons and offices - what about a circus sitcom? On BBC1. Starring Amanda Holden. What could possibly go wrong?

You won't have seen many adverts for Amanda Holden's Big Top, BBC1, 7.30pm, because the BBC are embarrassed about it. Correctly. It's worse than it sounds. That's worse than a sitcom featuring Amanda, Tony Robinson and Ruth Madoc in a circus sounds. Think on that.

With Britney Spears and Take That going down the circus route for their recent albums, suddenly the big top's back in vogue. But even if it didn't feature Ruth Madoc as one half of a dog act (the other half being a West Highland terrier called Dave) the ghost of Hi-de-Hi! hovers over this show.

Like holiday camps, a circus - where this is set - is like a sheltered environment where all kinds of eccentrics can live in safety, at arms' length from the outside world. The genial folk at Maestros appear to have been preserved in aspic from some time in the 60s and their biggest star seems to be Amanda Holden in a ringmaster's outfit.

Also on the bill are Tony Robinson as a grumpy caretaker named Erasmus, leotard-wearing Boyco, (Bruce MacKinnon) and John Thomson and Sophie Thompson (not related) as a pair of clowns, Jeff and Helen.

The gentle comedy tonight revolves around some ferrets down a clown's trousers and a visit from a health and safety officer - who's played by a seriously bemused-looking Patrick Baladi.

Big Top, BBC One, review

The notion that the "traditional British sitcom" is dead has been around for so long that the non-traditional British sitcoms of modern times now almost represent a tradition of their own. The Office, Peep Show, Pulling, The Thick of It, Extras, The Inbetweeners: across the past decade is strung a line of comedies that feature no chucklesome studio audience, precious few uplifting moments and little in the way of genial back-and-forth banter; instead they're gleefully heartless farces that prompt the audience to wince as often as to laugh. Their jokes appear to be designed not to cheer you up but to make you reach despairingly for the nearest bottle. Naturally I love them all.

Hear that? It's the sound of arthritic gags trying to pull themselves up from the bottom of a deep barrel. Welcome to Big Top. Amanda Holden plays the ringmistress/owner of a terrible circus full of pathetic acts, so there are plenty of broad, wheezing jokes. The grumpy clown puts ferrets down his trousers! The acrobat has a comedy Russian accent! As you feel the last of your life force drain away and you decide eight-year-olds will love Big Top, it spoils everything with an off-colour routine about sleeping with a health and safety inspector in return for a good report. And if anyone thinks that will pass safely over the heads of tinies, then I beg to differ.

Why Amanda Holden hates clowns

Big Top serves up predictable jokes but is saved by a great cast, mainly of people called Thompson.

Amanda Holden on her new comedy series Big Top

As she begins a new role away from Britain's Got Talent we talk to Amanda Holden about her new sitcom, Simon Cowell - and how her tiny daughter is behaving like a mini-celebrity.