Big Boys is a show that refuses to over-explain. It’s a show that expects its audience to remember the specific Visa-related woes of 2010 X Factor contestant Gamu Nhengu. That River Island shirts once served as code for the chronically uninspiring. And that a pet goldfish isn’t named after the This Morning presenter Alison Hammond for the sake of it, but because Hammond is an adored gay icon and inspirational beacon of positivity who once played Connect 4 with Beyoncé. It’s the secret language smuggled into this sprightly coming-of-age Channel 4 comedy, partly because of when and where the show is set – at a university on the outskirts of London in the autumn of 2013 – but primarily because it’s the vocabulary of being queer and online in the 21st century.
That’s the genius of comedian and writer Jack Rooke. His work, from his stand-up shows to his recent memoir Cheer the F**k Up, has always cross-stitched themes of grief and insecurity with nicher-than-niche pop culture. It’s a bit like eating candy floss in a therapy session. Mirroring much of Rooke’s earlier material, Big Boys is semi-autobiographical; the sitcom begins in 2013 with his arrival at the fictional Brent University. Here he’s played by Derry Girls’ Dylan Llewellyn, with Rooke himself adding a jaunty voiceover. “If you can’t cast yourself as better-looking in your own life story, then what’s the point?” he quips.
