Plaza Patrol (1991– ) User Reviews

Its exactly what you would expect.

[torrascotia · 6/10 · 8 April 2023]

Its interesting that this has an average rating when its 100% a Cannon & Ball show. While I had heard that this was supposed to be terrible on watching it myself that is simply not the case. The humour that Cannon and Ball are known for is well on show here, its basically a vehicle for their double act and it works quite well. The conversations the characters have is very much like the to and fro they are known for in their stage act.

The premise is simple, they are two security guards who work at a shopping mall with Cannon as the straight man boss and Ball as the silly side kick playing for laughs. Almost 100% of the screen time is them bickering in the same office, rarely are they seen out and about on the job.

While it may seem like an odd premise for a show it makes perfect sense when you consider that their Boys In Blue movie was a hit with their fans. This is basically more of the same. It obviously doesn't have the same Val Guest production values but the humour is on par.

If there is a reason why this show is rated low it simply because their style of humour has fallen out of fashion with a younger audience. Fans of their act will find plenty to engage with here.

While it doesn't appear to be available on any streaming platforms or to buy, it is on YouTube at the time of writing.

One for the Boys In Blue fans, of which there are still a few around.

The end of the the road for 'Cannon & Ball'!

[Rabical-91 · 7/10 · 9 May 2023]

By the late '80's, double act 'Cannon & Ball' found their popularity was starting to wane. Their long running LWT sketch show came to an end after nine seasons. After it ended, the two tried fronting a game show entitled 'Casino' but it was not a success and was dropped after only one season. Undeterred by this setback, the pair decided to give sitcom a go. In 1991, Yorkshire Television commissioned 'Plaza Patrol', a vehicle especially written for the duo by Richard L. Lewis and Louis Robinson, which cast them as bungling security guards who patrolled the deserted Margaret Thatcher Shopping Precinct. Cannon played Bernard Cooney, a hard working, smart thinking, devoted to his job kind of bloke whilst Ball was Trevor Purvis, a dim-witted, lazy, clumsy idiot who was about as useful as a teapot made of chocolate. Sadly, 'Plaza Patrol' did not make the earth move and, like 'Casino' was dropped after a single season. Audiences were unamused by the predictable plots, outdated jokes and poor characterisation.

There were some amusing moments in the show to be fair but alas it suffered not just because of the mediocre scripts but also due to the fact that 'Cannon & Ball' are no great shakes as actors. This was the final nail in the coffin for their television career together and apart from guest appearances and commercials, the two never appeared on television together again after this.

Bobby Ball did another sitcom in 2019, playing Joe Wilkonson's step father in 'The Cockfields' but sadly he died due to Covid-19 complications in 2021. Not a great show by a long chalk but amusing enough and a decent attempt by the two to try something different.