Its sad that a whole new generation only knows Jasper Carrott as the host of I.T.V.'s 'Goldenballs', a daytime game show that makes no demands on his comic talents whatever. In 1990 and 1992, the Birmingham comic starred in this very funny show, which like 'Carrott's Lib' and 'Carrott Confidential' before it, was a combination of stand-up and sketches. The title sequence had Jasper's face on the label of a dog food tin, which was then opened by a housewife and the contents fed to a Jack Russell terrier. Several regular items developed; 'Wiggy' had Carrott as a badly-wigged man clowning his way through silent adventures reminiscent of 'Mr.Bean' ( though funnier ). There were spoof commercials, but unlike those seen in say 'The Goodies', these were the originals with Carrott inserted into the action. 'The Detectives', a police spoof with Carrott and Robert Powell ( the late George Sewell played their boss ) as incompetent cops 'Louis' and 'Briggs', was later spun-off into a separate show. Hugh Dennis and Steve Punt ( from 'The Mary Whitehouse Experience' ) had their own regular spot, in which they commented wryly on then-topical issues such as the salmonella scare and the boom in home video rentals. The director was Ed Bye, original producer of 'Red Dwarf', and Ruby Wax's husband ( she guested in a 'Detectives' segment one week ). Jasper's routines were wonderfully sharp as ever, including one about a recently published sex survey: "What I want to know is 'who's getting my share?'". Several compilations went out a year later under the title 'Best Of Canned Carrott'.
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