Critic Reviews

To highlight just how gorgeous and poignant Big Boys is almost feels like a disservice to the comedy. There are plenty of knob jokes too. But it is a beautiful blend, and it deserves all the success it has had.

It remains one of the most joyous, heartfelt shows out there.

It’s heartbreaking, it’s beautiful, it’s a valuable companion in itself: sitcoms don’t get much more deep and meaningful than this.

At times, great television can arrive at truths that feel like existential answers. And this last goodbye to Big Boys – one of the finest British comedies of the past decade – feels like one of those moments.

Although it is gentler and less frenetic, Big Boys’ combination of frankness, heart and wit – and the seriousness with which it treats young people and the problems they face – evokes the mighty Sex Education. At the same time, Rooke makes it entirely its own thing – and one that can pierce your heart when you least expect it.

Big Boys borrows its plot tropes and supporting cast – the swot, the posh girl, the wise gay elder – from a host of sitcom classics set within universities, The Young Ones and Fresh Meat among them. But .... Rooke’s perspective adds further flavours to the mix.

Following on from Derry Girls is no small feat, but Big Boys holds its own. It's warm, chock-full of personality and very funny.

There are plenty of laughs, but at its heart this is the story of a friendship that you dearly hope will work out.

It’s one of the most funny, tender, profound sad-happy comedies I’ve seen this year and is worth anyone’s time, not just because it tackles the themes of grief, coming of age and sexuality with a beautifully light touch, but because the cast give the impression that they love performing it.

The return of Big Boys is perfect January TV. It’s heartwarming and hilarious – you won’t want to leave its colourful cocoon.