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.

I've forgotten the last time the BBC did an amusing comedy , as has the majority of viewers in Britain , so I'm guessing BIG TOP with its large ensemble cast playing a circus troupe is a throw back to the days of DADS ARMY , HI DE HI and ARE YOU BEING SERVED . It also features Tony Robinson best known for Baldrick one of the truly great comedy characters from the classic BLACKADDER series , and there's John Thomson from THE FAST SHOW fame . That said the cast also features Amanda Holden at the top of the cast list who is so untalented she strikes me as someone who'd have a problem playing herself . If the omens weren't good the reality is far worse than can be imagined As has been pointed out the jokes are lamer than a horse that's had its limbs amputated . This is only be expected from a BBC comedy from the 21st century . That's not the main problem . One episode centres around the immigration bureau investigating one of the circus acts who might be an illegal immigrant . Being a BBC show there's not much call for racist gags - which might have raised a chortle if only for nostalgia's sake - but no the real offence comes with Holden's character thinking about whoring herself to the immigration investigator ! This in a show broadcast at 7.30 pm ! It's amazing the amount of sexual references and innuendos there is in a sit-com that on the surface considers itself a family show . In fact if you can imagine a children's show with sexual references this is what it looks like - a kind of TORCHWOOD with canned laughter

I just caught an episode of this dreadful "sitcom". The writing, acting, sets and costumes can only be described as appalling and dated. You'd think it was a repeat of something made in the early 70s. I agree with the other reviewer who couldn't believe our licence fee was spent on this. I also can't believe that people like John Thompson (of Fast Show fame), Tony Robinson (of Blackadder and Time Team fame) and Sophie Thompson (who was amazing in the film version of Emma) got involved in this tripe!Even Amanda Holden is above this. She should clearly stick to Britain's Got Talent. Even if this is a classic example that it clearly has not.

Having just watched an episode of Big Top, I was moved to write my first IMDb review in years! What a piece of ****!!Some of the best comedy ever penned has been for the BBC so it amazes me that they could commission something as banal and witless as Big Top.The gags are obvious, clumsy, and devoid of any humour and I was constantly reminded me of the spoof Ricky Jervais comedy, 'When the Whistle Blows'.Got to be seen to be believed.PS. If you are someone who enjoyed this show (statistically there must be some), I suggest you check out Ballamory and Mr Tumble on Cbeebies.