Last week's TV - the inthenews.co.uk view
Amanda Holden stars in the truly awful Big Top
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By Darren Estwick. |  |
Monday, 07, Dec 2009 12:23
Matt Robinson on a stronger second outing for Paradox and a depressingly awful BBC sitcom.
We finally said goodbye to I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! last week, after three weeks of D-list celebrities enduring bushtucker trials and Kim Woodburn's bossy antics. Whilst this series has been funnier than usual, now that it's gone, ITV's schedule is once again free to bring us new comedy, documentaries and drama.
If they are anything like BBC's new comedy Big Top though, perhaps we are better off watching unknown faces frolic around in the Australian bush. Despite a strong cast including John Thompson and Tony Robinson, this sitcom about a failing circus is truly awful and incredibly unfunny.
Amanda Holden, who makes her return to TV (excusing Britain's Got Talent) after burning to death in Wild At Heart, leads the cast as the absent-minded, yet skilled ringmaster of a group of people two sandwiches sort of a picnic. Whilst she asserts her position as the show's main star effortlessly, her delivery of 'funny' lines feels wooden and lacks the weight or charm of a strong comedy performer.
As well as a lame script the show also felt incredibly old-fashioned. The jokes followed the mechanical style of set-up, punch line, set-up, punch line. One example of the many cringe worthy moments included a clown (Thomson) crying: "I'll have you know that one critic said we were the perfect act." The circus's soundman ( Robinson) replied: "He said you were the perfect act for nipping out to the toilet." Other dated moments included a character using an electric buzzer concealed in his hand.
Rather than stirring warm feelings of nostalgia in the audience, these moments felt dull and un-original. The only really nod to the present came in the form of juggler with an Easter European accent, but even that felt forced and unnecessary, only there to generate simple laughs. Is there some brilliant irony at play here? I doubt it. Big Top is just as unfunny and outdated as the clowns it mocks for being unfunny and outdated.
After my lukewarm response last week, I watched episode two of Paradox with low expectations. However, I was right not to write it off, with last week's episode a distinct improvement on the series opener.
The plot this time was far more complex; a young schoolboy is kidnapped by a decidedly dodgy neighbour and locked in an underground lair beneath a shed guarded by electric wires. To complicate matters, the neighbour dies after being knocked down by a car, while a removed drain cover means that the boy's hide-away fills with water, almost causing him to drown.
This time though DI Flint and Professor Christian get to change the future, saving the boy and preventing the foreseen death of Flint's ex-lover Ben. No doubt this all spells trouble for when the next set of images download this week, as another race against the clock mission unfolds.
Whilst I was wrong about Paradox, unless there is a distinct improvement, I think it's safe to say, I won't be saying the same about Big Top next week.
So now onto the Bang Goes The Theory special The Human Power Station, which was as fun and creative as the show always is. This time the producers drafted in 80 cyclists to power a house for a typical family on a Sunday.
The family who had no idea what kind of experiment they were taking part in caused an almighty sea of groans from the cyclists as they used the kettle or, worse, the power shower.
Essentially it was a race against time mission to keep the power reading in the green at all times and steer clear from the red, where a blackout would be imminent.
To their credit the team managed to sustain power for nearly the entire day, although things got a bit too much when nearly every appliance in the house was turned on or left in standby mode. It is a simple message. We need to be careful about the amount of power we use and the effort that goes into providing the energy needed to make a simple cup of tea.
The show was very entertaining, edge-of-the-seat TV, as tension built every time the family turned an appliance on. Aside from the pedal power action, the team gave us a number of experiments to demonstrate how much energy we waste. One of the highlights had to be when they cooked a chicken using the wasted heat energy of two light bulbs in 90 minutes.
What it didn't need though was an hour to preach a simple message many of us are already too familiar with. However if TV can be as fun and educational as this and capture the whole families attention, then the BBC are onto a winner with Bang Goes The Theory. I'd be amazed if we don't see a second series of even loopier experiments next year.