David Farnor | On 09, Feb 2025

Season 3 premieres on 9th February 2025. This review was published in May 2022 and is based on Season 1.

Jack Rooke becomes the latest comedian to bring his life to the screen in a semi-autobiographical sitcom, but while that might sound like a familiar starting point for a TV show, Big Boys emerges as a fully former, distinct affair.

Channel 4’s series follows Jack (Dylan Llewellyn), a fish-out-of-water at uni as he winds up starting his Fresher year a year later than planned, following the death of his dad. Unable to find a place for him in halls, he instead winds up shacked up in a shed with Danny (Jon Pointing). Danny is straight, laddish and boisterous, while Jack is nervous, shy and gay.

And so the stage is set for a double-act of awkward clashes and important life lessons. Except Big Boys is an intentionally small-scale sitcom, one that leans more into friendship than in-your-face banter. For all its talk of sex, there’s a delicate, tender tone to events, and it’s a joy to see a relationship between young men on screen that’s so supportive, warm and genuine. That puts Big Boys in the same vein as Netflix’s Sex Education – an exemplary exploration of responsibility, communication and respect, amid its hilarity and vibrant characters – and BBC Three’s The Young Offenders – a sweet, disarming tale of two friends that similar doesn’t feel the pressure to make such bonds romantic.

All this is set up clearly from the off, as we first spend time understanding Jack’s grief at the loss of his father, and that opens up Big Boys scope to balance both dark and light throughout its season. Jon Pointing is wonderful as Danny, who has his own struggles and crises to navigate, while it’s a treat to see Llewellyn, aka James from Derry Girls, take centre stage in a nuanced, heartfelt and funny lead role.

Throw in Katy Wix as a student union and Camille Coduri as Jack’s concern mother, Peggy – plus a script that drops references to Alison Hammond, S Club 7 and more – and you have an often laugh-out-loud show that’s as endearing and honest as it is entertaining. Stick it on your watchlist immediately.

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