Big Boys series three is streaming now on Channel 4.
Jack Rooke’s Big Boys is back for one last series. It is year three for our gang at Brent Uni as the final days of University life come into view, with all the ups and downs of dissertations, deadlines, dating and the devastating departure of Louis Walsh from The X-Factor (for Jack anyway!) As the finality of the year dawns, Jack and Danny’s friendship is tested to its limits, and adult life comes knocking. Will the boys still choose each other like before, or will this be the end of the road?
Q: Dylan, how much pride did you take in bringing creator Jack Rooke’s story to life in Big Boys? It must’ve come with a bit of pressure…
Dylan – Oh, definitely, so much pride. It’s been a beautiful symphony of people orchestrated together. Jack is the root of it, and he’s just created something so special. We’re all so proud of it.
Q: Jon, Danny is a cheeky chappie with a heart of gold. Where would you say his head is at this series?
Jon – The pressure really comes on in the third year. It’s the leaving [university] and deciding what you’re going to do with your life afterwards, that’s playing on his mind. Uni is this little bubble you can exist in, and his life outside of that is, obviously, tumultuous. His relationship with Corinne is also a big part of where his head is at. That plays a big part in his behaviour. But just like the other series, he is still quite scrambled.
Q: Actors often say they take parts of a character away with them. What have you learnt from playing Jack and Danny?
Dylan – I think Jack’s mix of bravery, passion, and feistiness, but also vulnerability and sensitivity. It’s something to definitely keep hold of. He’s such a strong, beautiful character. He creates a lovely, safe space for other people around him, for them to open up to him, or vice versa, for him to open up to them.
Jon – It’s often something superficial, like how you might say or do something. Sometimes I’ll make a joke and be like, ‘Ah, that’s a Danny joke.’
Q: How did you find filming in Malta?
Jon – We had four, five days out there. It shouldn’t really be called work. It was so much fun, a little holiday. We had quite a bit to film, but it was well spread out between the cast, and we had lots of time off. We used the hotel for most of the locations, so you’d finish work, and people would go straight to the pool in between scenes.
Q: So Dylan, let’s discuss Jack’s extreme sunburn in the opening episode of series three when the gang escape to Greece (Malta). How long did you spend in the makeup chair to achieve this?
Dylan – It wasn’t fun putting that makeup on. It took a while as well, a good 40 minutes to get it all on. It was earlier call times, so I didn’t get a lie-in, but luckily, there were only about four scenes of sunburn. Each time, I was dreading it, and I think the makeup team were dreading it as well [laughs].
Q: In the same episode, you also get to perform an on-screen slap. Did that go smoothly?
Dylan – It was fun! I wonder if that’s the first slap I’ve done… oh, in series two, I punched Danny’s dad. But yes, the slap was great. The actor who plays the Greek character, Alex, said, ‘Just go wild, it’s all good.’ There’s one, maybe two takes where I actually slap him, and then the others, I’m just faking it. [I was like], ‘I don’t want to hit you, man.’ I accidentally hit him a little hard at one point and was like, ‘I’m so sorry!’ He was a great sport. I’m happy with the slap!
Q: Jon, things seem to be going fairly well for Danny and Corinne. We see Danny’s romantic gesture in episode one when he erects a tent outside the luxury hotel in Greece.
John – He did! Although it was hot stood outside the tent. It’s a nice gesture to do a bit of wild camping, but the reality would be hell. That’s Danny all over, isn’t it?
Q: The beating heart of the show remains the bromance between Jack and Danny, with creator Jack successfully subverting the TV trope of the ‘gay best friend.’ What thoughts do you have on that?
Dylan – It’s something you don’t see enough of. There is stuff out there, but it’s not as prominent, and it needs to be prominent. The friendship is there, no matter their sexuality. If people love each other, they love each other, you know. It’s the second family vibe, and it’s so important that we’re showing things like that on TV.
Jon – For too long, there weren’t enough people with those stories that were actually writing them… on the one hand, it feels fresh and a new kind of thing we haven’t seen before, but actually, it also feels completely familiar. That’s what that relationship and the ‘straight best friend’ thing that Jack’s written is; it’s immediately recognisable, and for a lot of people, that’s their reality. They’re like, ‘Of course I know that, but I’ve never seen it represented on telly before.’ It’s mad to think that hasn’t really been shown in any big way before.
Q: Big Boys shines a light on the subject of grief and how people come to terms with loss. Do you ever think about the impact the show has had on those who have lost loved ones?
Dylan – Laughter can be medicine. Grief and loss – that is worldwide. Everyone has dealt with it or will deal with it. It’s all about how we support each other, whether that be [through] laughter or crying. Big Boys shows that in abundance, the vulnerability and the emotion, but at the same time the laughter, the happiness, the fondness of remembering.
Q: Throughout Big Boys, we have seen Danny struggle with his mental health. Do you hope the show has encouraged young men, in particular young straight men, to speak about their struggles?
Jon – Unfortunately, terms like ‘toxic masculinity’ can make people eyeroll… that is the problem. Maybe there are straight men who are lucky, for some reason or another have found a way to open up and talk. It is a generalisation, but they do find it hard to talk. There are lots of charities and lots of blokes saying, ‘It’s important we talk,’ and it is. I don’t know if they’re actually doing it or whether they’ve just got a pin badge saying, ‘We should do it.’ There’s a long way to go…
When I think about my group of friends who identify as gay or queer, it feels like much more of a supportive network. They’ve had to come through something that means they understand that it takes more than yourself to get through things. But for [Straight] men, quite often – and I include myself in this – it’s a work in progress. Somehow, it’s the sort of makeup of society that you go off and deal with your problems on your own… because it’s this, I guess, weakness.
It’s been really interesting to think about and talk about it a lot because of this show. So many people reach out to me, and it’s very touching. It’s also apparent that it’s still such a big issue because there are so many people, men, that are struggling.
Q: Did you pinch any props from the set as a memento?
Dylan – There are some nice Dr Martens that I got from series one and a few funky shirts from Jack’s wardrobe – the character Jack, not Jack Rooke! [Laughs]. The camera crew, bless ’em, they gifted me and Jon the clapper boards from the show. I’ve never had one. It’s on my shelf.
Q: Can you share a particularly memorable behind-the-scenes moment?
Dylan – One evening after work, me, Jack, Izuka, Jon, and Jim the director went bowling and ate at TGI Friday’s. It felt like an episode in real life.
Jon – Malta was amazing. It was the last day of filming. I finished early and was sat on the beach having a drink. Then Haz [Harriet] came and sat with me. One by one, the cast started joining us, and we were like, ‘This is probably the last time we will all do this together.’ Then, randomly, loads of fireworks started going off.
Q: What do you hope the legacy of Big Boys will be?
Dylan – That it’s a show that brought people to tears one minute and laughter the next. Jack’s writing shows that show us how life can be hard and amazing at the same time. It’s all about showing love for yourself and the people around you.
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