If you haven’t already binged your way through Big Boys yet, what on earth have you been doing?

Jack Rooke’s autobiographical series, set shortly after the death of his father, was met with acclaim by all who saw it, thanks to it ticking… oh, just about every box going. All about two boys from very different ends of the ‘spectrum of masculinity’ becoming best friends at Brent University freshers’ week, it offered up bucketloads of warmth, laughs, emotional highs (and lows) and blindingly brilliant sex jokes.

We’d like to say that it struck a chord with viewers, but this coming-of-age tale achieved something more like a symphony. If you didn’t relate to its all-too-real account of life at a British university, you’d find yourself falling for its masterful approach to its big and meaty themes: mental health, friendship, broken homes, found family, grief, sexuality, identity… the list goes on.

The final episode left us craving more from Jack (Dylan Llewellyn) and Danny (Jon Pointing). And, thankfully, the TV gods haven’t disappointed: season two is due to hit our screens this January, like a wonderfully belated Christmas present.

Watch the trailer for Big Boys season 2 below:

Already obsessed? Of course you are.

Here, then, is what you need to know about Big Boys’s second season…

What is Big Boys season 2 about?

The second season of Big Boys picks up where the first left off, as the eponymous boys begin their second year of Brent University. It’s the heady pre-Brexit era of 2014-2015 for them, so you can expect – alongside all of the virginity hang-ups and legal/not-so-legal drug experimentations – ice bucket challenges, the birth of Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and yet more wondrous Alison Hammond moments. 

“Jack’s family continue to navigate their lives after his dad’s passing, beginning just as much of a new chapter as the gang at university,” continues the official synopsis. 

“And Danny gets to revisit his past as he learns how to better deal with his mental health issues.”

Who stars in Big Boys season 2?

Llewellyn and Pointing will both be back for the show’s second outing, and fans will be pleased to hear that Camille Coduri, Katy Wix, Izuka Hoyle, Olisa Odele, Harriet Webb and Annette Badland will all be reprising their roles, too.

They will be joined by a handful of new faces, including:

• Marc Warren as Dennis (aka Danny’s dad)
• Louisa Harland as Kerry 
• Madelyn Smedley as Sally

What are people saying about Big Boys season 2?

“When I was a teenager in the midst of [grieving the loss of my dad], I remember thinking like, no one’s told a story like this about what it’s like to lose someone at this age, and how it teaches you what mortality is at such a formative period of your life that does shape how you then become an adult,” says writer and creator, Jack Rooke. 

“It shapes your relationships and your friendships. It makes you cherish people so much more. And it does make you realise the importance of chosen family, which I think is ultimately the theme of season two, these people who are all kind of misfits, who shouldn’t necessarily all like each other, but who just find a really deep affinity and love and care. I’ve been so chuffed at how broad the response has been. So, season two was always a bit of a pipe dream and I’d like to write more. I feel like I have taken these stories from literally performing them above pubs in little theatres. That journey to me is something I’m incredibly proud of and it’s made me feel like it was worth it.”

When and where can we watch Big Boys season 2?

Big Boys season 2 lands on Channel 4 on Sunday 14 January at 10pm with two new episodes. 

Meanwhile, season one of Big Boys is available to stream now on Channel 4. Time to go and refresh our memories, we feel…

Images: Channel 4