Big Boys creator Jack Rooke: “I’m bored of mental health shows”

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Okay, so this might surprise some people, but I recently heard from Jack Rooke – you know, the brilliant comedy writer who’s won a couple of Baftas – that he actually doesn’t enjoy the process of writing! He says it feels really slow and dull to him, and honestly, he finds most writers to be a bit…intense. He’s a stand-up, through and through! He’d much rather be up at the Edinburgh Fringe, performing in some small, crazy venue – even if it means sharing a dressing room with a dozen drag queens – than stuck in a writer’s room. It just isn’t his thing, and I totally get it!

It’s tough being exceptionally skilled at something you don’t enjoy. At 32, the writer has already received two Bafta Craft Awards for Big Boys, a humorous take on his college experiences. The show stars Dylan Llewellyn as a younger version of himself, ‘Jack,’ and Jon Pointing as his friend Danny.

This year, Big Boys and its star, Jon Pointing, have received nominations at the Television Awards. Big Boys is up for best comedy, and Pointing is nominated as best actor in a comedy. Plus, a special scene featuring both actors – where Pointing plays a character receiving advice from a past version of himself – is nominated for “memorable moment.” It’s quite a success story considering how the series began.

Before finding a home, ‘Big Boys’ faced a lot of rejection. According to creator Jack Rooke, the show was turned down by previous networks not once, but twice! They filmed a pilot that didn’t get picked up, then after taking it to another broadcaster, the project stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to a second cancellation.

We created that show with very limited funding. The first series was partially financed by the Young Audiences Content Fund through the BFI, and it was almost cancelled. Initially, it was hard to get anyone fully on board with ‘Big Boys.’ Luckily, Fiona McDermott, while at Channel 4, really believed in it. She envisioned it as a special kind of comedy – one that was both funny and relatable to families.

Getting nominated fourteen times across three seasons of the show is a fantastic achievement, and I’m incredibly pleased with it.

During his recent Bafta Craft award acceptance speech, Rooke emphasized the importance of early investment in comedy and highlighted how social background can prevent people from entering the industry. He explained that creating comedy in the UK is currently difficult, largely because it’s consistently undervalued compared to dramatic programming. This results in less funding and significantly less marketing support, particularly from public service broadcasters.

I’ve been thinking about brilliant shows like Gavin & Stacey, and incredible writers like Michaela Coel, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Jesse Armstrong – they all started in comedy writing. It strikes me that we’re not really creating the same opportunities for new talent to get their break and build careers like theirs anymore, and it feels like a real loss.

He points out a major problem: comedies with a strong regional focus – like “Alma’s Not Normal,” “Smoggie Queens,” “Juice,” “The Change,” and “Things You Should Have Done” – struggle to find an audience in the US. This makes it harder to get the funding they need compared to stories with broader appeal.

I’ve always thought it’s fascinating how international investment changes things. It just opens up so much more money, which naturally attracts bigger stars and allows for really impressive marketing campaigns. But what worries me is that it often means we end up seeing a lot more stories that appeal to a broad, already-established audience, and fewer stories that are truly unique to our own culture and experiences – the ones that feel really special to us here.

Rooke is naturally funny, both when he’s performing and just being himself. It’s surprising, because many comedy writers aren’t necessarily known for being hilarious, and considering his serious subject matter – he often writes about grief and suicide – you’d think he’d be more serious. Instead, during our photoshoot, he was constantly joking with the photographer, playfully making fun of himself, and even comparing his work to classic sitcoms like ‘Only Fools and Horses,’ suggesting he wasn’t quite up to their standard.

He feels nothing will ever be as hilarious as the scene with the bar falling down, and he also loves the moment when the Vicar of Dibley falls into a puddle. He believes those are genuinely funny moments, especially when he remembers watching them as a child. He’s tired of the current trend of shows focusing on male mental health and wishes there was more physical comedy – more people tripping, falling, and even getting seriously hurt for laughs.

He chuckled, getting more enthusiastic. “Honestly, I’m tired of all the mental health programs on TV. We’ve had enough. The simple solution is to see a therapist and get some vitamin D – go outside for a walk. That’s all it takes, okay?”

Rooke is currently working on the script for the television adaptation of David Nicholls’ Adrian Mole, and he’s also planning to get back to doing stand-up comedy. However, fans are wondering if we might see another season of his show, Big Boys?

I’m glad we finished after three seasons, as that was always the plan – it mirrored a typical university experience. It’s important to end a show at its peak, and these Bafta nominations prove we did just that.

I’m really excited to see that Jon Pointing, who I absolutely loved in Big Boys, is up for Best Actor in a Comedy at the 2026 Bafta Television Awards! He’s brilliant in that show, and totally deserves the recognition.

Jack wrote this character for you, Jon — does that give you more leeway to tinker with the script?

With this show, I believe Jack specifically asked me to be involved because he felt I had the right qualities for the character of Danny. I took that as encouragement to really make the role my own. However, it’s easy to get carried away with improvisation. You can get so focused on getting a laugh from everyone present that you lose sight of the scene’s purpose.

I recently saw ‘Small Prophets,’ and it got me thinking about the writing. It’s a really funny show, and I was curious about the differences between Mackenzie Crook’s style and that of Jack Rooke, who wrote the show. They both have a knack for comedy, but their approaches feel quite distinct, and I’ve been pondering how that translates to the screen.

Is it better described as ‘Crook’ or ‘Rooke’? That’s what I’ve been thinking about. ‘Big Boys’ feels fast-paced, like you’re experiencing years alongside the characters. ‘Small Prophets’ is different – it’s as if Mackenzie is trying to make everything slow down and take a breath.

What’s your favourite classic sitcom quote?

Authors

Huw FullertonCommissioning Editor

Huw Fullerton works as a Commissioning Editor at TopMob magazine, where he focuses on content related to entertainment, comedy, and specialized dramatic programming.

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2026-05-04 18:05