As with Series One, Rooke beautifully balances effervescent comedy with discussions on childhood trauma, loss, identity, and social anxiety. Watch Big Boys series two now on Channel 4.
I concluded my episode blog of Big Boys series one by saying, “I can’t wait to see where Rook’s story takes us next because this is one coming-of-age comedy that already has the word ‘classic’ written all over it.” But I concede that I was also worried about a second series; after all, series one was so perfect, beautifully written and performed that any second outing would have a mountain to climb in matching its brilliance. I need not worry because Big Boys series two is a hilarious and heart-warming televisual delight.
It’s Autumn 2014, and Alison Hammond is about to take to the Strictly dance floor (much to Jack’s delight). Following a summer with Peggy, Shannon and Nanny Bingo, the now out-and-proud Jack (Dylan Llewellyn) is looking for love and sex in all the wrong places (including a glory hole at the local pub, where a cock nearly takes out his eye). At the same time, Danny (Jon Pointing) is determined to ensure Jack loses his V-plates to someone, hell, anyone, while hiding his own attraction to Corinne beneath a swathe of jokes and banter. Meanwhile, Jack’s gay guru, Yemi (Olisa Odele), is earning cash through a saucy webcam show, and Corinne (Izuka Hoyle) is unsure how she feels about Danny or her new poetic boyfriend back in Scotland.
As the second year of studies at Brent University comes into view, all four are looking for a house to share, ideally one that is aesthetically pleasing and spacious; however, they are about to discover just how challenging the student housing market can be. Thankfully, the overenthusiastic Student Union leader, Jules, is on hand to help them out in their hour of need by reopening the blue cabin where Jack and Danny were stuck during their first year. But as Jack and Danny’s chosen family grow in confidence, a ghost from Danny’s past is about to resurface.
While Rooke’s writing focuses more on the friendship groups and families surrounding Jack and Danny in this second outing, he also ensures that the boys’ friendship remains centre stage. Their loving bond of mutual support, understanding, and love is the cement that holds the show, its laugh-out-loud comedy, raucous energy and emotional undertones together. As with Series One, Rooke beautifully balances effervescent comedy with discussions on childhood trauma, loss, identity, and social anxiety. Few writers have managed this challenging balancing act over the years, and in doing so, Rooke joins the likes of Alan Bennett, Jonathan Harvey, and Lisa McGee in lacing sublime comedy with heartfelt emotion.
But the success of Big Boys isn’t all down to Rooke’s exceptional writing; it’s also about the performances that help bring his characters to life in vivid technicolour. Llewellyn and Pointing are outstanding, bouncing off one another while hitting every comedic and emotional note. But it is within the show’s quieter moments that they both excel, allowing Jack and Danny to express their vulnerability through a tender, loving friendship of unshakable trust. Watching them tear down the damaging social stereotypes surrounding male friendship and love is truly incredible and heart-warming, and it’s what makes Big Boys tick. Add a fantastic ensemble cast, featuring Camille Coduri, Marc Warren, and Harriet Webb, and Big Boys becomes a delightful cocktail of heartfelt emotion, belly laughs, and beauty.
A second series rarely matches the beauty of the first, but Big Boys pulls it off, and as the credits roll on the final episode, you, like me, may find tears running down your cheek – tears of laughter, sadness and joy at just how perfect this fabulous show is.
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