Mr Bigstuff creator and star likens series to "Gavin & Stacey in hell"
Ryan Sampson has penned the new Sky comedy.
New Sky comedy Mr Bigstuff is set to tackle conversations around masculinity, family and brotherhood. But, as it turns out, it could very well be compared to another well-known comedy.
In an interview in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine, series creator and writer Ryan Sampson spoke of the importance of writing about family for the show, saying: "When I lost my mum, it spun our family off into different directions.
"She was this fixed point we’d been orbiting around. I wanted to write about how a family might come back together and to subvert the domestic comedy. One actor called it 'Gavin & Stacey in hell'. That’s exactly what I wanted!"
The new series sees Sampson lead the cast as Glen alongside Danny Dyer as brother Lee, two siblings who couldn't be further apart in terms of their personalities and coping mechanisms.
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Glen is described as "a nervy perfectionist and carpet salesman striving to live the suburban ideal", while Dyer's Lee is "an alpha male with a prescription drug addiction and a biscuit tin full of their dad’s ashes," according to the synopsis.
It's safe to say that the series presents plenty to observe and say about masculinity, with Sampson saying that it was important to write a show about fragile masculinity because of his own feelings of being an outsider.
When asked about why he wrote Mr Bigstuff, Sampson said: "Because I’m 5 foot 5 and as gay as the Easter Bunny, I’ve always felt on the outside looking in.
"I wanted to write about two men who have different ideas about how to be a man: one’s trying to be a nice guy but feels crippled by it; the other thinks it’s all about action, but can’t face up to his demons."
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The synopsis reads: "In the Sky Original, Glen and his fiancée Kirsty share a perfect, perfectly mundane life together. Sure, Glen’s got crippling erectile dysfunction and Kirsty (Harriet Webb) has a secret shoplifting habit, but they’re happy.
"That is until Lee comes crashing into their lives, whilst on the run from a past that’s quickly catching up with him. The trio are forced together: a perfectionist, a fantasist and an anarchist all living under the same roof in an Essex cul-de-sac. It’s not long before their ‘perfect’ lives start to unravel faster than the weave of a cheap carpet."
The cast of the new comedy includes Harriet Webb as Kirsty, Adrian Scarborough, Fatiha El Ghorri, Ned Dennehy, Victoria Alcock, Geoff Bell, Nitin Ganatra, Judi Love and more.
Mr Bigstuff airs on Sky Max and NOW on Wednesday 17th July – sign up for Sky TV here.
Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
