Cannon and Ball are back at their best in this new version of the 1970s farce Big Bad Mouse.

Amazingly, by putting a pair of veteran comedians - shunned by television because their act was too old - into a dated comedy with a feeble story line, Paul Elliott and Chris Moreno have hit upon a great format.

Big Bad Mouse allows the ad-libbing Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball to repeatedly interrupt the script to banter.

Cannon lectures the audience for not wildly applauding his entrance and tells latecomers they can sit anywhere because there are so many empty seats.

Ball checks one lady is with her second husband and jokes: "He wouldn't be my first choice, either."

Ball plays a meek office worker who becomes an object of desire amongst female colleagues after being mistaken for a deviant who chased a girl across Manchester Common.

With Cannon playing his bossy manager, they revive their variety act relationship but with better material.

Allo Allo's Sue Hodge lacks conviction as their boss, but Emily Trebicki and Anne Smith are superb as the office dolly bird and straight-laced secretary.

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