Written by Sylvain Chan and Suchita Thepkanjana
Content Warning: Mentions of Depression and Suicide
On 13 March 2025,, The Beaver attended an exclusive screening of the finale of Big Boys, hosted on University Mental Health Day. Big Boys is a Channel 4 comedy series that explores university students’ mental health struggles. The event was held at Regent Street Cinema in collaboration with suicide prevention and mental health charities Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and Student Minds.
The event featured a panel with the show’s creator Jack Rooke, cast members Katy Wix and Jon Pointing, and charity representatives Dr Wendy Robinson, Dr Dom Thompson, and Taj Donville-Outerbridge. The Beaver had the opportunity to interview Rooke himself, and Rosie Tressler OBE, the CEO of Student Minds, about mental health among university students.
Big Boys is a sitcom that follows university students Jack (a semi-fictionalised version of Rooke played by Dylan Llewellyn) and Danny (played by Pointing) whilst they attempt to navigate identity, grief, relationships, and a battle with depression. Rooke described to The Beaver how the story is essentially “about friendship and about two boys from very different ends of the spectrum of masculinity…coming together and choosing each other”. Yet there is a constant theme of mental health struggle running through all three seasons of Big Boys, which eventually culminates in a powerful message about awareness, prevention, and support.
“I always knew [Big Boys] was going to lead somewhere whereby it was going to tell a story about young male suicide”, Rooke explains. “.As somebody who’s been bereaved by suicide, [there’s the feeling that] it could have been so different so easily. It could have been so different if only he had waited to see what potential and what other opportunities were there.”
“I kept that idea very close to my chest because suicide is still a topic that I think is very complicated for people to talk about,” he says.
The panel discussion spotlighted how university students are often vulnerable to serious mental health struggles. Dr Robinson, Director of Services at CALM, states that 7,000 young people have ended their lives in the past 10 years. Dr Thompson, GP and young person’s mental health expert at Student Minds, explains how this can be due to the “pressure” for young people to come into their own and make lots of friends at university, hence it can be isolating when these expectations differ from reality.
When inquired about the support students can get at university, Donville-Outerbridge, Student Minds ambassador, suggests there is much to be done at the institutional level, as the difficulties in navigating bureaucracy can stifle students’ attempts at reaching out. They also state there needs to be more targeted mental health programmes, citing experiences unique to LGBTQ+ individuals as needs that are not looked into as deeply.
Still, Pointing cites how over 80% of survivors of attempted suicide believe it was completely preventable, which is why it is imperative to normalise conversations around suicide and take away the shame holding people back from seeking help.
“The reasons [suicide] happens are complex. But these are the things that we can prevent. There are things we can do,” Tressler emphasised to The Beaver. In fact, University Mental Health day is a great occasion to be “shining a light on this and really encouraging every student to look at the support that’s available to them, whether it’s speaking to their tutor, or looking at what the mental health services at the university provides”.
“The first thing we can do [for someone struggling with mental health] is to be available, is to show [up], to listen, to not judge somebody with whatever it is that they’ve got going on” and, furthermore, to still be there as a friend, Tressler explains. “Don’t lose that [friendship]…You’re a friend and you need to keep that friendship going in spite of what people will be dealing with in their own lives as well”.
Rooke suggests that in an ideal world, mental health services would be permeated by the feeling that no problem is too big or small to be heard, dissipating the fear of burdening others. This is prompted by how Danny — a straight, white male character — struggles to articulate himself in ways that the show’s queer characters are capable of.
Wix, who plays an enthusiastic student union officer named Jules, adds that accessing support is a matter of sticking with the process as it will get better. She suggests that it may be beneficial talking to a benign, neutral third party, recognising speaking with closer people may complicate relationships or introduce more anxiety.
Being encumbered by stress due to academics, grief, or identity is a valid university student experience. However, it is important to bear in mind that, as Rooke emphasises, “you have to remember that people actually want to support you…keep being persistent and knowing that your problems are valid.”
A new leaf is always around the corner, even if it may take some patience and resilience.
If you , or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, please reach out to a trusted friend, family member or professional.
- Samaritans – 116 123 (24 hour)
- CALM – For support and advice for men and preventing male suicide – 0800 58 58 58 (5pm – 12am)
- National Suicide Prevention Helpline – 0800 689 5652 (6pm – 12am)
- Papyrus – Prevention of Young Suicide – Provides confidential advice to young people about suicide prevention, and offers advice to anyone concerned about their peers – 0800 068 41 41 (24 hour)
- The LSE provides Student Wellbeing Services including counselling, peer support, and workshops.
