Jack Rooke’s comedy Big Boys has been renewed by Channel 4 for a second series.
The programme, about two mismatched young men who strike up an unlikely friendship at university, stars Derry Girls actor Dylan Llewellyn alongside Jon Pointing.
It will return to screens after the original six-part series, based on an autobiographical stage show by Rooke, won praise for its handling of bereavement, love and male friendship.
Creator and writer Rooke said: “The response to Big Boys series one has been so phenomenally kind, heartwarming and beyond anything any of us could have hoped for, the fact we got onto Gogglebox is probably the proudest moment of mine and my mum’s lives (she got over 100 likes on Facebook for it!).
“And so after a huge spitroast at Harvester, I decided I probably do have some more embarrassing stories about me and my mates to mine for comic material so get ready for an even more cringe second year at Brent University.”
Charlie Perkins, head of comedy at Channel 4, said: “I’m so happy to confirm that Big Boys is returning.
“This is one of my first commissions as head of comedy at Channel 4 and it fits squarely into what I think makes the greatest comedy; so much heart blended with so much silliness.
“Jack is a very special person I can’t wait for what’s to come in series two.”
It comes as Channel 4 announced two new competition format TV shows.
From Studio Lambert and Motion Content Group, Rise & Fall is described by the broadcaster as a “major new social experiment that explores the gap between the haves and the have-nots” and will see members of the public living in a glamorous “Succession-like” world.
They will be divided between an opulent penthouse and a basement workplace, and compete across 18 episodes to rise up the ranks to claim a cash prize.
Alf Lawrie, head of factual entertainment at Channel 4, said: “Society is made up of the haves and the have nots, those who have power and those who don’t.
“In this fascinating new reality format, we’re going to see how power is gained, what happens when power is lost and how the quest for power can bring out the best or worst in people.”
Six-part series Alone, meanwhile, will see 10 contestants dropped into the remote northern Canadian wilderness, where each must survive entirely alone.
Made by The Garden, the series will see see the contestants equipped with only a handful of basic tools.
They will face the elements and wild animals including bears, moose and wolverines, all while filming their adventure themselves, and whoever lasts longest will win £100,000.
Ian Dunkley, commissioning editor of factual entertainment for Channel 4, said: “In one of the most inhospitable locations on earth, the cast will not only have to battle the elements and hostile wildlife, but also themselves, facing adversity with no camera crew, no producers and no catering trucks on standby.
“It will provide a fascinating insight into the human spirit and what it takes to survive against all the odds.”
