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Big Deal is a British comedy-drama television series originally broadcast by the BBC between 1984 and 1986. The series was created and written by Geoff McQueen, who created several other major television series including Give Us a Break, Stay Lucky, and The Bill.
| Big Deal | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Comedy drama |
| Created by | Geoff McQueen |
| Written by | David Crane |
| Starring | Ray Brooks Sharon Duce Pamela Cundell James Ottaway Lisa Geoghan |
| Theme music composer | Bobby G |
| Opening theme | "Big Deal" |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 30 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Terry Williams |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 14 October 1984 – 4 November 1986 |
Starring Ray Brooks, Sharon Duce and Lisa Geoghan, the series concentrated on the ups and downs of small-time London gambler Robbie Box (played by Brooks) and the effect that his poker addiction has on his long suffering girlfriend Jan Oliver (Duce) and her daughter Debby (Geoghan).
The theme music was by Bucks Fizz member Bobby G.[1]
- Ray Brooks – Robbie Box
- Sharon Duce – Jan Oliver
- Lisa Geoghan – Debby Oliver
- Pamela Cundell – Vi Box
- James Ottaway – Tommy
- Andy Mulligan – Geordie
- Kenneth Waller – Ferret
- Deirdre Costello – Joan
- Stephen Tate – Dick Mayer
- Frank Mills – Gil Roach
- Alex Tetteh-Lartey – Black George
- Roger Walker – Kipper
- Tony Caunter – Henry Diamond
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| Series 1 | 10 | 14 October 1984 | 30 December 1984 | |
| Series 2 | 10 | 3 September 1985 | 5 November 1985 | |
| Series 3 | 10 | 2 September 1986 | 4 November 1986 | |
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Red Lady, Black Night" | Brian Lighthill | Geoff McQueen | 14 October 1984 |
| 2 | "One Good Turnover" | John Glenister | Geoff McQueen | 21 October 1984 |
| 3 | "A Ragged Run" | Carol Wiseman | Geoff McQueen | 28 October 1984 |
| 4 | "Some You Win..." | Christopher Menaul | Gawn Grainger | 4 November 1984 |
| 5 | "The Luck of the Irish" | John Glenister | Gawn Grainger | 11 November 1984 |
| 6 | "Fighting Chance" | Carol Wiseman | Anthony Couch | 18 November 1984 |
| 7 | "Video Man" | Chris Menaul | Gawn Grainger | 2 December 1984 |
| 8 | "Cash Flow" | Gerald Blake | Max Marquis | 9 December 1984 |
| 9 | "Nine Bob Notes" | Carol Wiseman | Gawn Grainger | 23 December 1984 |
| 10 | "Home An' Dry" | David Reynolds | Geoff McQueen | 30 December 1984 |
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | "Down and Under" | Jeremy Summers | Geoff McQueen | 3 September 1985 |
| 12 | "Getting Knotted" | Jeremy Summers | Gawn Grainger | 10 September 1985 |
| 13 | "What Are Friends For?" | John Glenister | Anthony Couch | 17 September 1985 |
| 14 | "Popping Across the Pond" | Carol Wiseman | Gawn Grainger | 24 September 1985 |
| 15 | "Breakthrough" | Derek Lister | Anthony Couch | 1 October 1985 |
| 16 | "Guv'nor" | Jeremy Summers | Anthony Couch | 8 October 1985 |
| 17 | "Partners" | Derek Lister | Max Marquis | 15 October 1985 |
| 18 | "The Rabbit and the Hare" | Carol Wiseman | Gawn Grainger | 22 October 1985 |
| 19 | "Windfall" | Jeremy Summers | Neil Rudyard | 29 October 1985 |
| 20 | "I Gotta Horse" | Carol Wiseman | Gawn Grainger | 5 November 1985 |
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | "The Big Sleep" | Jeremy Summers | Geoff McQueen | 2 September 1986 |
| 22 | "The Z Team" | Jeremy Summers | Anthony Couch | 9 September 1986 |
| 23 | "Deals on Wheels" | Jan Sargent | Gawn Grainger | 16 September 1986 |
| 24 | "Tuppence Coloured" | Laurence Moody | Anthony Couch | 23 September 1986 |
| 25 | "The Chicken and the Egg" | Jeremy Summers | Gawn Grainger | 30 September 1986 |
| 26 | "Panel Money" | Jan Sargent | Geoff McQueen | 7 October 1986 |
| 27 | "Following in Father's Footsteps" | Laurence Moody | Gawn Grainger | 14 October 1986 |
| 28 | "Playing the Ace" | Jeremy Summers | Anthony Couch | 21 October 1986 |
| 29 | "The Biggest Deal" | Laurence Moody | Geoff McQueen | 28 October 1986 |
| 30 | "Innocent, OK?" | Jeremy Summers | Gawn Grainger | 4 November 1986 |
Series 1 of Big Deal was released on DVD by the BBC on 24 July 2006.