Big Boys is a British television sitcom created and written by Jack Rooke, first broadcast on Channel 4 and available on All 4 from 26 May 2022. It stars Dylan Llewellyn and Jon Pointing as first-year university students who live together, set in 2013, told from the point of view of Llewellyn's character Jack—a semi-fictionalised version of Rooke, who narrates the series—as he recovers from his father's death and explores his sexuality for the first time.
The show was renewed for a second series in August 2022 and began filming in May 2023, it is set for a 2023 broadcast.
Cast and characters
Main
Dylan Llewellyn as Jack, a closeted, shy 19-year-old student on a journalism scholarship, who is grieving over his father's death and unused to the heavy social life of university, having been cooped up at home for the past few years with his mother Jon Pointing as Danny, a 25-year-old mature student, who is keen on nights out and trying to chat up female students, while dealing with mental health issues for which he takes antidepressants Katy Wix as Jules, a former Brent Uni student-turned-student union officer, possessing an overenthusiastic and zealous approach to integrating new students Camille Coduri as Peggy, Jack's mother, who hides her struggles over sending her son away to university, having had him to rely on for the past couple of years. Jack has hidden his sexuality from her, expecting a bad reaction. Izuka Hoyle as Corinne, a studious and serious Oxbridge reject, who is also eager to let her hair down Olisa Odele as Yemi, a gay fashion student who accompanies Jack as he tries to explore his sexuality at university
Recurring
Kristy Philipps as Leisa, a feminist student initially hesitant to Danny's charms, but get together down the line Callum Mardy as Ash, a student union representative who deals drugs to new students on the side Rhiannon Clements as 'Mad Debs', a first-year student from Newcastle upon Tyne who drops out in the first week Harriet Webb as Shannon, Jack's effervescent cousin, whose job running children's parties is not fulfilling her aspirations as she would like Annette Badland as Nanny Bingo, Jack's grandmother Ian Burfield as Laurie, Jack's father, who passed away from cancer two years before Jack started university Sheila Reid as Iris, Danny's grandmother, whose Alzheimer's is slowly worsening. Robert Gilbert as Tim, a young journalism lecturer who readily deals in caustic language when approaching student queries. Lucia Keskin as Kelly, a student union representative who apathetically assists Jules Mark Silcox as Dhru 'Ru' Pal, a security officer at the university halls
Episodes
All episodes were made available on All 4 prior to broadcast on 26 May 2022.
Production
The show's commissioning was announced in November 2020, following a pilot that was shot around 2018.
The series is based on Rooke's comedy stage shows Good Grief, Happy Hour, and Love Letters. Rooke said that the series is semi-autobiographical; when asked "how truthful to his life" the show is, Rooke commented it was "[a]bout fifty-fifty".
Reception
Viewership
Over the six episodes, the series averaged 410,000 viewers including catch-up within seven days post-broadcast. Including viewership prior to broadcast - through the series being made available in full on-demand on All4 following the broadcast of the first episode - and all viewership on devices aside from televisions (smartphones, laptops and tablets), the series averaged 669,000 viewers.
Critical reception
Big Boys has been critically praised. Carol Midgley in a four-star review for The Times, wrote that it is "one of the most funny, tender, profound sad-happy comedies I've seen this year and is worth anyone's time, not just because it tackles the themes of grief, coming of age and sexuality with a beautifully light touch, but because the cast give the impression that they love performing it."