It’s 2014: the mysterious age of the ice bucket challenge, the Scottish independence referendum, and Alison Hammond on Strictly. It’s an era of “misogyny disguised as banter”, and a dress that might be gold and white but might be blue and black. It’s also the world of Big Boys, a Channel 4 comedy about misfit students at the fictional Brent University, which is returning for a sweet, sensitive second season.
The big boys (both literal and metaphorical) are back: Jack (Dylan Llewellyn) – a fictional proxy for the show’s creator, Jack Rooke –who is now “out” to his family, and his best friend Danny (Jon Pointing), a mature student who is recovering from a mental health episode that derailed his studies. And we are also reunited with their cohabitants in crummy university accommodation – Yemi (Olisa Odele), a flamboyant fashion student, and Corinne (Izuka Hoyle), a cynical, intellectual Scot drifting into a “will they, won’t they” relationship with geezer Danny. Together they form an ad hoc family unit, compensating for the deficiencies (or excesses) they experienced at home.
