Jack Rooke

Jack Rooke
Born	(1993-07-29) 29 July 1993 (age 31) Watford, England
Nationality	English
Occupation(s)	Comedian, writer
Known for	Big Boys

Jack Rooke (born 1993) is an English comedian and writer. His work often explores issues surrounding grief and loss, using humour and documentary film to explore the awkwardness of death.

Early life

Rooke was born in Watford, Hertfordshire in 1993. ^[1]

Works

Stage

His debut show Good Grief, ^{[2] [3] [4]} which played at the Soho Theatre, earned Rooke a nomination for Best Show by an Emerging Artist in the Total Theatre Awards 2015 and a mention in The New York Times' Top Theatre highlights of the Edinburgh Festival 2015. ^[5] The show protested ^[6] against government proposals to cut Widowed Parents Allowance, a basic weekly welfare payment for bereaved families in Britain. In collaboration with the Childhood Bereavement Network, the show aimed to raise awareness of these cuts.

Good Grief headlined Soho Theatre's first ever #SohoRising season, aiming to showcase the best 'emerging companies, young people and brave new writing.' ^[7] BBC Comedy commissioned Good Grief for a Radio 4 adaptation, broadcast in March 2017. ^[8]

His second show Happy Hour was commissioned by Soho Theatre and premiered at the Edinburgh Festival 2017 to critical acclaim and a nomination for The Scotsman 's first ever Mental Health Arts award.

Television

His debut BBC Three series Happy Man was broadcast in April 2017, a documentary exploring alternative solutions to the male mental health crisis, which was nominated for Best Factual in the iTalkTelly Awards 2017 and earned Rooke a place on the BBC New Talent Hotlist 2017. He also received Broadcast magazine's TV Writing Hot Shot 2017.^{[ citation needed ]}

Rooke later created and wrote Big Boys , a semi-autobiographical comedy for Channel 4, ^[9] based on his Edinburgh Fringe shows. Broadcast in 2022, it revolves around a fictionalised version of Rooke (played by Dylan Llewellyn) attending university and exploring his sexuality while grieving for his father, helped by his friendship with his more extroverted flatmate. The show ran for three series. Rooke is a four-time BAFTA Award nominee for the show, winning in 2024 for Best Writer: Comedy. ^[10]

Publications

He is an ambassador for male suicide prevention charity CALM and deputy edited their free lifestyle publication The CALMzine from 2013 to 2015.^{[ citation needed ]} He picked up the 2016 Mind Media award for Best Publication. In 2020, Penguin Books published Rooke's memoir Cheer the F**k Up. It campaigns with wit and candour for recognition of the mental health struggles of young people.

Personal life

Rooke is gay. ^{[11] [12]}

He told The Guardian newspaper that the above statement should be deleted, but it's not clear if he was serious. ^[13]

References

1. Fox, Killian (17 February 2024). "On my radar: Jack Rooke's cultural highlights". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 1 December 2024.
2. "Gay Times - Good Grief review". Gay Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015.
3. "Broadway Baby - Good Grief review". Broadway Baby. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016.
4. "Scotsman - Good Grief review". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016.
5. McElroy, Steven (28 August 2015). "New York Times Theatre Edinburgh Highlights 2015". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
6. "Childhood Bereavement Network - Benefit Reform Recommendations" (PDF). Childhood Bereavement Network UK. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2016.
7. "Soho Theatre announces first ever #SohoRising season". Soho Theatre. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016.
8. "Jack Rooke: Good Grief". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
9. Ryan, Anya (25 May 2022). "Jack Rooke on his new Channel 4 comedy Big Boys: we never see straight/gay male friendships on screen". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
10. Yossman, K. J. (20 March 2024). "'Black Mirror,' 'Silo' and 'The Last of Us' Among Winners at BAFTA TV Craft Awards". Variety . Retrieved 29 April 2024.
11. "Jack Rooke on his new Channel 4 comedy Big Boys: we never see straight/gay male friendships on screen". Yahoo!. 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
12. "Big Boys creator Jack Rooke on celebrating naffness and finding beauty in grief". PinkNews. 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
13. Cragg, Michael (16 February 2025). "'I spent a lot of time crying on the tube': Big Boys creator Jack Rooke on saying goodbye to his comedy hit". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 16 February 2025.