Big Boys ends but are enough loose ends left dangling for a third series?

He says: “I’m a real sitcom, comedy-drama fan. Growing up me and my dad would just constantly watch sitcoms, whether that be Father Ted, or the Vicar of Dibley or Only Fools and Horses. Comedy was such a huge part of my cultural experience growing up.

“I never went to the theatre. I never watched plays, or opera or dance, never went to art galleries, never went to museums, but I saw every sitcom. And to me that’s just as culturally important and relevant, and I felt like it’s such a good space to bring difficult topics into the forefront and to bring things that are almost quite polarising.”

So, that’s how his semi-autobiographical sitcom Big Boys was born. For newcomers, the show, which finishes its second run tonight, is set in 2014 and stars Dylan Llewellyn and Jon Pointing as Jack and Danny, who strike up an unlikely friendship when they find themselves at university together.

Rooke always believed his idea had potential, but he was still taken by surprise by the critical response to the first series, which included rave reviews and six Bafta nominations.

He says: “I love when people I’ve really admired in comedy are writing about their love for the show but really my favourite reaction is just from geezers that are so happy to see themselves in Danny [and] those sorts of struggles being articulated in a way that’s funny.”

And while Big Boys is frequently touching, the gags are very important. Rooke explains: “I felt like the only rule I really had with Big Boys was that if I was going to do something that was very emotionally charged, or potentially dealing with traumatic themes, that there still had to be loads of jokes in there. That for every sad moment, it had to have a massive gag after it, because I still want to write a comedy.”

This series has also seen the jokes being spread around Rooke has been making the most of the ensemble.

“Dylan and Jon did such a phenomenal job with Jack and Danny in series one. I didn’t just want to repeat the same dynamic. I felt like we had such brilliant supporting cast and supporting actors and I wanted to build those stories.

“I also want to mention Camille Coduri and Annette Badland who play Peggy my Mum and Nanny Bingo because for me, they give such a beautiful portrayal of loss and grief and being women of a slightly older age who perhaps at times feel quite invisible, but they’re so present.

“Annette Badland in episode six, I think gives maybe the performance of the series! I think she is one of the classiest actors I’ve ever worked with.”

We’ll get to see that performance tonight as everyone arrives at Watford hospital for a long night in the maternity ward. As you would expect, it’s a time for the uni pals to look to the future and thinking about new beginnings, but it’s also a chance for Jack’s family to confront some past tragedies.

Let’s just hope that after all that, there are enough loose ends left dangling for a third series.