Big Show returns for its eighth series this weekend, filmed for the from Theatre Royal on Drury Lane.
We’re in for yet another Unexpected Star of the Show. More Send to All hijinks. A midnight gameshow in the form of Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott rudely awoken in the middle of the night to be asked inane trivia questions.
I, for one, am bored of it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Michael McIntyre. I’ve followed him from his earlier days of stand-up, and his latest special had me giggling. But for me, the joy comes from the variety – of anecdotes, of jokes.
His Big Show is the opposite of that. Bound by time constraints and a rigid structure, McIntyre – usually a comedic force to be reckoned with – is relegated to the role of genial host, much as he is on his quiz show
Michael McIntyre’s Big Show has had its day… it’s time for the chop (Image: BBC)
(Seriously, if he lies down and says he’s going to be the arrow one more time, I might riot.)
It was funny, even surprising, the first few series. Send to All saw celebrities shocked as an embarrassing text was forwarded to every single one of their contacts. Other celebs were woken up in the middle of the night by a camera crew bursting into their bedroom.
Meanwhile, audience members were left speechless as Michael uncovered footage of them singing bad karaoke, and an unsuspecting member of the public, usually after doing something nice for charity, gave a powerful performance at the end.
Michael is relegated to the role of genial BBC presenter (Image: BBC)
But eight series in, the audience understands just how manufactured this all is. Are those text responses authentic? Haven’t they been warned in advance that their B-lister pal is going on the programme to have their phones confiscated by the bubbly comedian?
And how many times can a person walk into a shoddily erected set to be presented with a truly bizarre menagerie of people exuding equally strange behaviours without realising they’re going to be surprised on telly?
It might be an easy money maker for McIntyre, but he’s capable of so much more than this tired format.
The Big Show has had its day, . It’s time for the chop.