Mammoth (TV series)

Mammoth is a BBC One television series. Mike Bubbins, who gave up his job as a PE teacher to make a career in comedy,[1] conceived of the show in which he stars and serves as a writer.[2] The show is one of six pilots, tasters etc unveiled by BBC Wales.[1] The pilot episode was released in 2021.[2]

Three further episodes were announced by the BBC in 2023.[3]

Plot

The programme[4] opens with a slightly out of focus old video of a ski resort including special effects indicating an avalanche. A voice over gives the background to the set up:

"In 1979 on a school skiing trip, PE teacher Tony Mammoth is engulfed by an avalanche. Perfectly preserved he remains hidden under the snow until he’s found and miraculously brought back to life, forty-two years later."

The scene switches to the present day with Mammoth in his 1970s splendour emerging out of his Ford Capri II in the school car park, with a couple of slightly bemused pupils looking on. The narration continues:

"Nine months have now passed, a lifetime in the world of twenty-four-hour news. Mammoth’s celebrity has faded, and his life can finally start to return to normal."

He has returned to his job as a PE teacher at the same school. He seems a perfectly preserved man in his forties, though one born eighty six years ago.

Events get underway with him giving his 1970's friend Roger, now seventy, some tickets to a Hot Chocolate concert as a birthday present – “I don’t do cards!”. He's currently staying with Roger, sleeping on a mattress in Rogers Old Peoples apartment.

The school's headmaster, Kane, is the son of the schools 1970's headmaster, they both think little of Mammoth. Mammoth is equally dismissive of them, including Kane jnr's hobby of marathon running, which Mammoth says is just training for real sport.

Mammoth's heroes include Huggy Bear, Starsky and Hutch, Burt Reynolds and Evel Knievel – other cultural references to the seventies include Jonathan E from Rollerball, CB radio, piña colada, Dickie Davies, playing shirts against skins football ....

Other than Kane, most other people are won over by Mammoths easy charm - his colleague Lucy, his psychiatrist Claire, Liberty one of his troubled pupils, Miss Ronson the chair of governors and Kirsty from the pub. Judy Jones suggests he or Roger pop round to see her.

Cast
  • Tony Mammoth - Mike Bubbins
  • Roger Buck - Joseph Marcell
  • Richard Kane – Dyfan Dwyfor
  • Lucy Manford - Mali Ann Rees
  • Liberty Curtis - Darryl Mundoma
  • Claire Deering - Caitlin Richards
  • Judy Jones - Olwen Rees
  • Kirsty - Janina Anderson
  • Diane Ronson - Catrin Powell

Soundtrack

Reception

Nicola Ryan praised the show, writing for Wales Arts Review, "Packed with 70s reference points and a killer soundtrack, Mammoth is a perfect watch for lovers of warm and fuzzy feelings with a few laughs along the way."[2] In his review of the show for Chortle, Steve Bennett said, "if you prefer a little grit in your sitcoms or big exaggerated gags, look elsewhere, but for coridal smiles from an engaging character, Mammoth might be your man."[5]

References
  1. Jones, Tony. "mammoth-and-other-comedy-for-bbc-wales-thanks-to-the-mandalorian". Cultbox. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  2. Ryan, Nicola (2021-11-30). "Mammoth: TV". Wales Arts Review. Archived from the original on 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  3. "Jon Petrie announces new and returning series featuring stellar talent and rising stars at the BBC's Comedy Festival in Cardiff". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  4. Guide, British Comedy. "Mammoth - BBC1 Wales Sitcom". British Comedy Guide.
  5. Bennett, Steve (2021-11-05). "Mammoth: Review of Mike Bubbins's new BBC Wales sitcom". Chortle. Archived from the original on 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
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