Big Boys character Jack Rooke (played by Dylan Llewellyn) finally came out to his mum Peggy in tonight's episode (June 9), after gearing up to it for the whole series.
While the emotional chat was praised by viewers, writer Jack Rooke admitted that it didn't come to him easily as he was writing the biographical series.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, Rooke explained: "I found it really hard to write it, actually.
"It was an idea that I've had for the show from the very beginning, from 2017 when I first started writing Big Boys – I always knew what I wanted the ending to be. I just had to figure out the middle.
"To most people watching the show, it's kind of obvious that Peggy loves Jack so much, she's never going to reject him.
"At the same time, I still grew up with a lot of homophobic things being said around me – even if they weren't being said at me, which they never were. I mean, my family love and support me. But I still heard it in the pub, or the playground or whatever."
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He added: "There's a line in ep one, where it's like, 'I haven't told my mum I'm gay, because I remember she once winced watching Todd Grimshaw kiss Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street.'
"I said this to my mum, because I felt really conscious that… you know, my mum has gay family members other than me, and she's a true ally in every sense. But I was like, 'Mum, you did do that.'
"And she was like, 'I wince when anyone kisses on TV.'
"I was like, 'To be fair, she does.' And in my mind, it was more my reaction to watching two gay men kissing when I was 11 years old on Coronation Street. It affected me because I was scared. I found it nerve-wracking."
Rooke continued: "What I really like about the coming out scene is, I feel like we know that Peggy is going to love him. It's just: how is she going to figure out a way of convincing him that it's okay?
"It's the convincing on the other side which is what I love about it as a scene. It's not a gay child trying to convince a parent to love him. It's a straight parent trying to convince a gay child that they don't give a shit.
"I also hadn't seen a coming out scene like it before.
"I wanted it to feel really funny, still, and really sort of Big Boys. I think Big Boys has got quite a nice tone of making those big, scary moments feel quite accessible and silly, and talking about Gamu from X Factor in the middle of it."
The whole series of Big Boys is available to watch on All 4.
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Catherine is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, and was the site's News Editor between 2018 and 2024. Prior to that, she worked at OK! Online, and has interviewed a slew of celebrities across her career in entertainment news, including Tom Hanks, Cheryl and Noel Fielding. Catherine also has specialist knowledge in all things drag, interviewing a huge portion of RuPaul’s Drag Race stars, and getting her own drag makeover for Channel 4's show Drag SOS. LinkedIn
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
