Big Bad Mouse

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Big Bad Mouse
Original 1967 London programme cover
Written by	Phillip King and Falkland L. Carey
Characters	Mr Price-Hargreaves (boss) Mr Bloome (assistant) Miss Spencer (secretary) Lady Chesapeake (company owner) + minor supporting cast of police detective, female victim and another secretary
Date premiered	1964
Place premiered	United Kingdom
Original language	English
Genre	Farce
Setting	The offices of Chunkibix Ltd

Big Bad Mouse is a British stage play and theatrical comedic farce by Phillip King and Falkland L. Carey. Although not specifically written for Jimmy Edwards and Eric Sykes, it became a vehicle for the British comedy actors and has been revived many times with other stars right up to 2008.

Based on an original idea by Ivan Butler, Big Bad Mouse was first staged in 1964 but did not become a box office hit until Edwards and Sykes took over the lead roles and toured the show across the UK in 1966 and 1967. It was also a top attraction in London's West End for three years between 1967 and 1970. The anarchic pair brought their own talents to play and twisted the plot and dialogue out of all recognition.

No two shows were identical and it became an increasingly fluid experience, including audience participation and regular breaking of the 'fourth wall' between the stage and the audience. The role of the supporting cast quickly became one of trying to keep straight faces while steering the show on track and somewhere close to the original script, while the show's two stars generally played the fool.