The Big Knights

The Big Knights is an animated programme about two knights, Sir Borris and Sir Morris. They live in the imagined world of Borovia, next door to their rival Mordovia. They serve their fairly useless leader, King Otto, as well as the two princesses, Lucy and Loretta. Sir Horace the dog and Sir Doris the hamster, the Big Knights’ pets, offer more comedic relief from an already fairly funny plot.

The world of Borovia is a mix of the medieval and modern world, where the King lives in a castle, but also has a team of scientists to warn him of impending doom when a meteorite is about to strike Borovia.

Incompetency and stupidity are the main themes of The Big Knights, although everything always manages to work out in the end. Sir Boris and Sir Morris make a multitude of mistakes, from falling for a trap set by the Queen of Mordovia and her sorcerer to going on holiday in a land filled with vampires – Sir Morris’ garlic breath manages to save the day.

Although made for children, the ten-minute episodes are tolerable for parents as they allude to problems of modern day – using satire to, for example, poke fun at leaders who waste money on luxurious items and try to justify it to their constituents, who are fully aware its ludicrous nature. The show is not above slapstick humour, which older and younger viewers can both appreciate but does seem, however, a little outdated. Random characters have Russian accents that are supposed to be comedic, but seriously fall flat.

If you take The Big Knights too seriously, you’ll drive yourself mad. The episodes can be tiresome, but they’re appropriate for kids. This isn’t groundbreaking television – in terms of design or plot – but offers a break from everyday seriousness. If you’re looking for more sophisticated programming for your children, The Big Knights definitely isn’t the show to turn to. If this programme avoided always trying to be witty and relevant, it would achieve this goal much more naturally.

Gioia Kennedy

The Big Knights is released in select cinemas on 23^rd October 2015.

Watch the trailer for The Big Knights here: