Mammoth is a British sitcom, written and conceived by Mike Bubbins. Bubbins gave up his teaching job to forge a career in comedy[1] and plays PE teacher Tony Mammoth.[2]
The pilot episode was released on 5 November 2021, one of six trial shows commissioned by BBC Wales.[1] Three further episodes were announced as a joint production by BBC Wales and BBC Studios in 2023.[3]
Episode one debuted on BBC Two on 17 April 2024, along with the full series on BBC iPlayer. A second series was commissioned in May 2024, with filming due to begin in June 2025.[4]
Concept
Welsh P.E. teacher Tony Mammoth is skiing on New Year's Eve, 1979, when he is trapped by an avalanche. Perfectly preserved, he is recovered and brought back to life on New Year's Day, 2024.
After his initial period of fame ends, Mammoth - technically a man in his nineties, but with a body of a man in his forties - returns to his job at the school.
In 2024, creator Bubbins told comedy website Beyond The Joke that Mammoth was an idea he had "around ten or twelve years ago".[5] He later elaborated, telling Rob Brydon:[6]
I had those teachers [like Tony Mammoth] in my life growing up. I loved Buck Rogers. Sci-fi stuff like Blake's 7 and Logan's Run. But Buck Rogers stuck in my mind. He's frozen in his a space shuttle and brought back to life in the far future. I wanted a way to portray a decade I love in a modern context. How can I get him [Tony Mammoth] into the present day.
Full series
Following the 2021 pilot, three more episodes were ordered as a joint project between BBC Wales and BBC Studios. Paul Forde, commissioning editor for comedy with BBC Wales, said: "It’s a great premise for a show and we know that audiences will love watching Tony Mammoth struggling to come to terms with his predicament."[7]
Paul Doolan joined Bubbins for the full series, with Bubbins saying Doolan does much of the actual writing.[8]
I did the pilot on my own but I'm more of a procrastinator. More of an ideas man. Paul came on board, who's written a lot of stuff. He loves the stuff I don't. He’ll go away and write 25 pages. I joke that he's my typist but it's a lovely relationship.
Sian Gibson was added to the cast to play Mel Jones, "the mother of one of [Mammoth's] pupils".[9] She said: "This is a comedy, but its also got plenty of heart with family and friendship at its core. Mike is a joy to work with on set, he is so generous and kind and really pulled the cast together."[10]
After appearing in the pilot, Mali Ann Rees was re-cast as fellow teacher, Lucy Manford, saying: "I really enjoy working with Mike, he’s been working on this for many years so seeing his vision come into fruition has been very inspiring."[11]
Recommission
In May 2024, following the broadcast of the first three episodes, it was announced at the BBC Comedy Festival that the show had been recommissioned.[4]
Bubbins said: "They [the BBC] sort of half believed in me. Gave me half of a run. Gave me three eps for the first series. But the reviews were very good and the ratings were very good - so they gave us nine for the second series, with a Christmas special."
Filming is due to take place in Cardiff through June and early July 2025.[12]
Episodes
Episode
Plot
Writers
Director
Air date
1
Tony Mammoth has been found perfectly preserved in the Alps, 45 years after going missing. After a period of initial fame, he returns to his job as a PE teacher. Despite confusion surrounding his new boss, he is looking forward to parents' evening.
Mike Bubbins & Paul Doolan
Simon Hynd
17 April 2024
2
After the revelation at the end of episode one, Mammoth is determined to spend more time with family. Unfortunately, that family isn't so keen on him. That is especially the case when he encourages Theo to stand up for himself.
Mike Bubbins & Paul Doolan
Simon Hynd
24 April 2024
3
Following the death of pub landlord and old mate, Barry, Mammoth has a few ideas of where to spread the ashes. That's if he has enough time, because, with the help of Lucy, he also decides to give online dating a try.
Mike Bubbins & Paul Doolan
Simon Hynd
1 May 2024
Ratings
Episode one was watched by 430,000 people, a 3.9% audience share, according to industry website, Broadcast Now. It added: "Excluding BBC1 and ITV1’s news bulletins, the sitcom attained the biggest audience share across the main channels in its slot."[13] That figure was in line with BBC Two's average for the same slot - and excludes catch-up viewings, plus figures from BBC iPlayer, on which all of series one launched on the same day.
Episode two had 421,000 viewers, a 4.3% share, and was described by Broadcast as holding "steady on the opener", just shy of the 460,000 (4.4%) slot average.[14]
A BBC media release said: "The first two episodes of Mammoth have so far seen an average 7-day audience of 1.2M, above the average for BBC Two comedy and with strong performance for Welsh audiences."[15]
Reception
Nicola Ryan praised the pilot, writing for Wales Arts Review, "Mammoth is a perfect watch for lovers of warm and fuzzy feelings with a few laughs along the way."[2]
The full series was also well-received, with Chortle reviewer Rhys Jon Edwards writing: "Bubbins carries this show with a performance that is genuinely a joy to watch [...] Bubbins may find he has created one of the great all-time sitcom characters."[16]
In The Daily Telegraph, Anita Singh wrote: "At a time when every television comedy seems to be exploring issues, from mental illness, menopause or alcoholism, it’s nice to have a show that offers uncomplicated fun.[17]
In The Guardian, Rebecca Nicholson wrote: "Mammoth has plenty of warmth to see it through any potentially choppy waters. Bubbins underplays it in a way that shouldn’t work, but does... there is something about his brashness, delivered in a minor key, that really lifts it."[18]
Ed Power, writing for The Irish Times, said: "...Bubbins makes it work through sheer commitment to the idea that few things are funnier than a middle-aged man cocooned in corduroy swaggering around to groovelicious tunes."[19]
Virgin Media named the show as one of the top-20 programmes to watch on BBC iPlayer.[20]
As well as accolades for the show, Bubbins was also nominated as Favourite Actor (Comedy) at the TV Times Awards 2024 for his role as Tony Mammoth.[23]
Bubbins told Chortle: "I interviewed the king of theme tunes, Mike Post, for a BBC Wales radio show, and we hit it off. He told me to get in touch if the TV show I was writing ever got commissioned. So I did."[24]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
