 TheBigipedia logo | |
| Other names |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Sketch/Spoof Show |
| Running time | 28 minutes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring | Nick Doody Ewan Bailey Sam Battersea Margaret Cabourn-Smith Neil Edmond Pippa Evans Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Melanie Hudson Lewis MacLeod Gareth Tunley |
| Created by | Nick Doody |
| Written by | Nick Doody Matt Kirshen Carey Marx Sarah Morgan Margaret Cabourn-Smith Neil Edmond |
| Directed by | David Tyler |
| Produced by | David Tyler |
| Original release | 23 July 2009 – 2 August 2011 |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Website | Bigipedia homepage |
Bigipedia (stylised as "βIgiPεðiA") is acomedysketch show broadcast onBBC Radio 4 that first aired between 23 July and 13 August 2009. A second series of four episodes began on 12 July 2011.[1] The show's storyline revolves around "Bigipedia", a fictional website broadcast on radio and parody ofWikipedia, the onlineencyclopedia. The series mocks Wikipedia and other aspects of the Internet.[2] The BBC Press Office described the show as "a unique experiment in 'broadwebcasting'".[3][4] The series was created by co-starNick Doody, who also co-writes the show withMatt Kirshen and a wider team of writers. It is produced byPozzitive Productions.
Critics have givenBigipedia positive reviews. The series was marketed by theBBC as "The Sunday Format for the online age",[4] and critics have givenBigipedia favourable comparisons with its predecessor.[2][5] The quality of the writing has also been praised.[5] However, a few critics have expressed reservations about the way the show is presented.[6] The first series ofBigipedia was made available to purchase as adownload fromAudible.co.uk from 1 December 2009. The second series was made available onAudioGo from 5 December 2011.[7]
Bigipedia is a website broadcast on the radio. Like Wikipedia, it contains articles and discussion pages about a range of different subjects, which can be edited by anyone. Among the similarities arearticles,discussion pages,disambiguation pages,featured articles, anews section and a "Did you know?" section for new articles.[8][9] The articles cover a range of fictional celebrities, bands, films, television series, products and arunning gag series of articles onanthropomorphic animal characters fromUruguayan safety campaigns.
Bigipedia differs from Wikipedia in some ways. For example,Bigipedia includespuzzles andcompetitions, sells its ownsoftware,[8][9] has a range ofscreensavers,[10] and a section for children calledBigikids, which has had different names in the past which have all had to be changed for different reasons. For example, the name changed fromKidipedia "due to a misunderstanding",[2][8]Hanging at the School Gates "for reasons you may have seen in the news"[10] andUnderage Fun "due to a copyright infringement".[9]
Also, while Wikipedia does not haveadvertising,Bigipedia does and is also sponsored by a fictionalwine-like drink called "Chianto" which is referred to as "this horrific drink".[3] TheBigipedia article on Chianto says: "Over the years it has been sold as a hair remover, self-defence spray, hair restorer, and to farmers as a humane way of killing chickens – by putting it into the pig's feed and leaving the gate open. By morning not only were the chickens killed, but often plucked, too."[8]
The first series ended withBigipedia attempting to take over the world, having crushed a rebellion in thePhilippines and feeding nanobots into the heads of anyone listening to the programme.[11] At the start of the second series,Bigipedia acknowledges that the originalBigipedia, dubbedBigipedia 1.0 suffered from "security and sentient omniscience issues" and apologises for, "the temporary cyber enslavement of 88% of mankind and the forming of aBigiHuman hybridhivemind centred in the Philippines", in an incident they refer to as "The Glitch". The site has been updated and is now known asBigipedia 2.0.[12]
The second series begins with reports of a gigantic Chianto slick in theGulf of Mexico, a parody of theDeepwater Horizon oil spill. At the end of the series, a mix of white and red Chianto in the slick result in the creation of a Chianto "ovum", which hatches at the bottom of the sea as a monstrous party-animal being called the Chianto Leviathan, which makes its way to theBigipediaservers in Mexico. The Leviathan attempts to gain all the world's knowledge by accessing the system. The programme ends withBigipedia playing "prerecorded programmes" while they attempt to stop the Leviathan.[13]
The series was originally conceived by Doody, who was working with producerDavid Tyler on another BBC Radio 4 comedy series,Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive. Doody attended a meeting where people were discussing new ideas for radio shows, and Kirshen suggested the idea, and both he and Kirshen wrote the full proposal. Radio 4 liked the idea and a pilot was made.[3] Tyler went on to produce and directBigipedia.
Doody and Kirshen describe the show as "writing-heavy". Doody said in an interview with theBritish Comedy Guide: "Compared to most radio shows, it's incredibly dense, material-wise, and very fast-moving. I think Matt and I would like some of it to be even faster, but sometimes people who've heard the pilot say things like, "It's almost too much." I really like that. I like that it's something you kind of need to hear twice to catch everything. When we got the series, I honestly didn't know where we'd come up with the material of the quality we were determined to keep up."[3]
Some of the sketches inBigipedia are inspired directly by articles on Wikipedia. Kirshen said in the same interview: "There's a 'Bee Whisperer' in Episode 3 that came from clicking the "Random article" link on Wikipedia. I don't remember what the page we got was, but about three logical leaps later we landed on that idea."[3]
It was revealed by Doody on hisDoubling Uppodcast with Rob Heeney that there was an extended edition of "The Line" sketch, which he broadcast on the show.[14]
The reviews ofBigipedia have been mainly positive. Before the series began, Scott Matthewman inThe Stage comparedBigipedia toThe Sunday Format, saying: "Indeed, the comparison even makes it into the BBC's own press notes. Will this version, which takes the mickey out of online communication, deserve the comparison? That's something we'll have to wait and see."[15] Chris Maume inThe Independent on Sunday also commented that there are references toSpinal Tap,On the Hour andBrass Eye.[2]
Elisabeth Mahoney inThe Guardian said that she liked the Chianto running gag,[5] whileGillian Reynolds fromThe Daily Telegraph commented positively onBigipedia saying it was, "the first late-night comedy in ages that has made me laugh, about computers and why I'm scared of them, about vile TV shows and meaningless commercials. Written by Nick Doody and Matt Kirshen, performed with zest by a sparkling cast. Bound to become a cult."[16] Reviewing the second seriesElizabeth Day inThe Observer describedBigipedia as, "a hilariously mad portrayal ofinformation overload in the computer age."[17]
Clare Heal in theSunday Express gave a mixed review, saying that while she found it amusing, it was too similar to the Internet saying, "The programme's only failing was that on occasion it was a little to [sic] reminiscent of the real Internet, ie a virtual ocean full of morons willing to shout loudly about things even (or perhaps especially) if they know nothing about them. You wouldn't want more than half an hour ofBigipedia, no matter how amusing it is."[6]
| No. | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–1 | "Episode 1" | 23 July 2009 (2009-07-23) | |
Bigipedia looks at the original and disturbing origins of the song "Teddy Bears' Picnic"; the featured article on "Fragrant Slab", a band most famous for a song that sounds like theMicrosoft Windows start up music;Bigikids teaches children how to makefish fingers; and there is an article about the most boring collection ofmessages in bottles in history.[18] | |||
| 1–2 | "Episode 2" | 30 July 2009 (2009-07-30) | |
This week looks at the featured article aboutThe Line, the greatest TV series ever made; a selection ofBigipediascreensavers including one featuring ducks; a debate on whether an actress isnotable enough to get her own article; and a look back at Chianto'spolitically incorrect adverts of the 1970s.[19] This episode starts with an extract from Fiona Renfrew'sInterviews with the Poor Poor Elephant Man.[20] | |||
| 1–3 | "Episode 3" | 6 August 2009 (2009-08-06) | |
Bigipedia receives a collection ofpersonal ads,Bigikids looks at how to be aspy; there is a tutorial about how to make music usingBigiband software; and there is a featured article on "The Bee Whisperer", aWelshman who was the only person to keepbees for their company and not theirhoney.[21] | |||
| 1–4 | "Episode 4" | 13 August 2009 (2009-08-13) | |
Bigipedia becomes more sinister with its new street mapping serviceBigiStreetWatch and develops technology in an attempt to take over the world. Also there is a new article about amagician who was best known for his skills inmisdirection; and a series of disastrousUruguayan safety adverts.[22] | |||
| No. | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2–1 | "What's New In Bigipedia 2.0?" | 12 July 2011 (2011-07-12) | |
At last, the long-awaited release ofBigipedia 2.0 – the infallible, ever-present cyberfriend is back! Now with all errors mistake.Bigipedia looks at the history of the confusing educational children's programmePlinky; a singingparasite called the "Segmented pip worm"; andBigikids covers the subject offear.[12] | |||
| 2–2 | "The Wisdom of Crowds" | 19 July 2011 (2011-07-19) | |
Bigipedia demonstrates the effectiveness of thewisdom of crowds by having an article written by everyone instead of anyone; we learn about the "Portwick Prison experiment" in which the inmates and wardens switched roles;BigPromise which completely deregulatesBigipedia's advertising policies; and we read the 1908Bigipediaalmanac.[23] | |||
| 2–3 | "BigiBuzz!" | 26 July 2011 (2011-07-26) | |
Bigipedia brings us thesocial networking websiteBigiBuzz; we learn about thetalent showBritain's Got Butchers and the "Cacophony" – the world's worststealth bomber; and easily-scared paranormal investigator Felix Richards visits Britain's least haunted stately home.[24] | |||
| 2–4 | "BigiHype!" | 2 August 2011 (2011-08-02) | |
Bigipedia covers the ever growing Chianto slick of the Gulf of Mexico, as the red and white versions mix to create a Chianto ovum.Bigipedia launchesBigiHype, a sure-fire way of raising the profile of anything from a new event to an unpopular charity.Bigipedia articles covered include "Pandoratane", the most adhesive substance known to man; and a look at clouds which form the shape of words. Guest starring chess grandmasterJonathan Tisdall.[13] | |||
