Big Deal

Big deal is a comedy drama in the guise of Only fools and horses and Minder about a London based professional gambler . Ray Brooks is Robbie Box and plays the main character in cheeky chappy mode making him almost impossible to dislike. He always seems to be in scrapes either with his long suffering mum or girlfriend or the local criminal underworld usually linked to back street poker wins or defeats. The action is played out mainly for laughs although there are one or two poignant scenes in the series. The characters in the series are usually set around a local bookmakers but the camaraderie and friendships of this little group set up some wonderful comic scenes. The gangsters also are usually crombie clad Arthur Daley types with the usual heavy in tow b And again most of this is played tongue in cheek by the actors. Some great performances from a very strong cast and good interweaving storylines run throughout this drama series which was an underrated gem from the eighties.

Big deal is a rarety, the BBC make rubbish political correct brain wash rubbish these days. Their guts are gone, but back in the 80s there were a few programs and series that were good. Big deal is one such show, written by the same writer as Minder it is entertaining and believable, watchable and enjoyable. The cast do a great job and the story lines are entertaining. You notice loads of faces from past shows like EastEnders, Grange Hill, The Sweeney. Stepping back in time when you watch this you realise how bad and rubbish shows these days have become. Shame only series one is on dvd. It was a great entertaining bit of TV gone but not forgotten.

Robbie Box is a heavy gambler, whose luck goes from the highs to the lowest depths. His girlfriend, Jan and daughter Debby stick by him for much of the way, but eventually leave for Australia only to come back. Robbie wins a club in a card game which itself is lost also in a card game. This is classic British comedy/drama at its best.