Big Train

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Big Train
Created by Graham Linehan
Arthur Mathews
Starring Simon Pegg
Mark Heap
Kevin Eldon
Amelia Bullmore (series 1)
Julia Davis (series 1)
Rebecca Front (series 2)
Tracy-Ann Oberman (series 2)
Catherine Tate (series 2)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes12
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production company Talkback
Original release
Network BBC Two
Release9 November 1998 (1998-11-09) 
11 February 2002 (2002-02-11)

Big Train is a British television sketch show created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan. The first series was broadcast on BBC Two in 1998, while the second, in which Linehan was not involved, aired in 2002.

Contents

Overview

The series starred the actors Kevin Eldon, Mark Heap, and Simon Pegg in both series one and two, with Julia Davis and Amelia Bullmore in the first series (Nick Frost also appeared in two episodes), and Rebecca Front, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Catherine Tate in the second series. All starred in a variety of other comedy shows including I'm Alan Partridge , Look Around You , Spaced , Smack the Pony , Brass Eye , and Green Wing. Catherine Tate went on to get her own show on the BBC, The Catherine Tate Show . The first series was directed by Graham Linehan and other series contributors included David Mitchell and Robert Webb.

The pilot episode was directed by Chris Morris but was never broadcast in full. Some sketches from the pilot are scattered through the series. Apart from Pegg, all of the first series regular cast members subsequently starred in Morris' sketch comedy Jam (2000).

The title of the show is derived from the song run during the credits, "Big Train", which was recorded by Max Greger and his Orchestra. The writers were fond enough of the song to name the show after it. The song has since been adopted for a commercial for Virgin Trains.

Both series were shot entirely on location (series one on 35 mm film and series two on DigiBeta) and later shown to a live audience so that a laugh track could be recorded.

Comedy style and notable sketches

Following in the tradition of Monty Python, the comedy of Big Train is based on the subversion of ordinary situations by the surreal or macabre. For example, one scene features a bad-mannered man casually stabbed to death by his embarrassed wife at a dinner party. In a recurring sketch from the first series, an animated staring contest is accompanied by commentary from BBC football commentator Barry Davies and comedy actor and impressionist Phil Cornwell. The Stare-out Championship was based on a self-published comic book by Paul Hatcher and was animated by Chris Shepherd. The championship is portrayed as a huge event akin to the World Cup and the anecdotes told by the commentators often echoed those from real sporting events, such as performance enhancing drugs, streakers and the theft of the trophy. [1]

Some other notable sketches included:

Transmission details

Big Train originally aired on BBC Two on Monday nights during the following periods:

Reception

Despite running for two series, Big Train attracted only a limited audience. Even so, the series was well received by critics, with the first series voted "Best 'Broken Comedy' Show" at the prestigious British Comedy Awards in 1999. The Independent called the show "divine". [2] Reviewing the DVD, The Guardian wrote: "Like most sketch shows, Big Train is not without its misses, but as a breeding ground for comedy talent and a forefather to such modern-day hits as Little Britain and That Mitchell and Webb Look , it remains a gem, boasting some of the finest performances Pegg, Davis and the rest have ever delivered", [3] whilst another author of the same publication called it "one of the most original and most consistently funny sketch shows in years". [4]

Home media

The Complete Series 1 and 2 has been released in the US and the UK.[ citation needed ]

From March 2021, both series became available on Britbox.

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References

  1. "1966: Football's World Cup stolen". 20 March 1966.
  2. Mackesy, Serena (10 November 1998). "Television Review: Big Train | Culture | The Independent". The Independent . Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  3. Renshaw, David (25 April 2013). "Big Train – Box Set Review | Television & Radio | The Guardian". The Guardian . Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  4. Gooch, Victoria (26 April 2012). "Big Train: A Cult Comedy That Proved an Early Platform for Top Talent | Television & Radio | The Guardian". The Guardian . Retrieved 4 May 2016.