Mr Bigstuff is back and bigger than ever on Sky Max

It's been said many times: you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. So when unsuspecting couple Glen (Ryan Sampson, Brassic) and Kirsty (Harriet Webb, Big Boys) found Glen’s estranged brother Lee (Danny Dyer, Rivals) – an alpha male with nothing more than a biscuit tin of their father’s ashes to his name – on their doorstep, their mundane life was never the same again.

What ensued was a whirlwind adventure as Lee’s past quickly started to catch up with him and the trio’s lives began to unravel faster than the cheap carpet that Glen sells for a living. Now, one BAFTA TV award for Dyer later, the rabble are back for all-new shenanigans in suburban Essex. Cushty.

Whether you’re new to the show or you’re already a seasoned geezer, we answer all your burning questions on Mr Bigstuff, and you can tune into the new series every Thursday at 9pm on Sky Max HD (CH 111) and Sky Showcase (CH 109) as well as in Sky Max on demand now. Plus, scroll to the end of the page for our Danny Dyer quiz.

Mr Bigstuff is a Sky Original comedy about the troubled relationship of two brothers who couldn’t be more different. Glen is a nervy perfectionist striving to live a picket-fence life in the suburbs with his fiancée, Kirsty, while Lee is an alpha male wannabe with a prescription drug addiction (and a biscuit tin of his Dad’s ashes).

What’s made the show such a big hit is that it’s more than just comic high jinks. The show explores modern masculinity, relationships both fraternal and romantic, and the roles we all choose for ourselves in life. It finds the extraordinary in the everyday, and packs a surprisingly emotional punch. Needless to say, it’ll pull on your heartstrings far more than you’d expect as it explores family dynamics and how we all find happiness in different ways.

Although Ryan Sampson is probably best known as free-spirited Lancashire libertine Tommo, part of the ensemble in Sky Max’s Brassic, he’s Mr Bigstuff’s creator and writer. Sampson says the series was inspired by family experiences following the death of his mother, but also the “oddball” villagers he encountered in his hometown of North Anston, South Yorkshire.

Joining Sampson behind the cameras as executive producers are Matt Lipsey (who is also the show’s director), Anil Gupta for Sky Studios (who also served as an executive producer on all-time classic The Office, so you know you’re in good hands), and Tom Miller and Sam Myer for Water & Power Productions, the company behind Stephen Knight’s A Thousand Blows and Sky Original series Code 404.

As it begins, it’s just a couple of weeks since the brothers received the shock news that their dad isn’t actually dead, and Lee and Glen are handling it very differently. With questions piling up, the brothers unite on a mission to track him down. Meanwhile, Kirsty’s taking charge in the bedroom and the boardroom, but one badly timed kiss – and a mysterious blackmailer – threaten to bring it all crashing down.

Secrets are being spilled and tempers are starting to fray – it’s surely only a matter of time before the family blows up. Again. There’s also an impressive array of guest stars paying a visit to Essex – read on to find out more.

These two brothers aren’t the only geezers bringing trouble to Loughton. Returning alongside Dyer, Sampson and Webb are Adrian Scarborough (Gavin & Stacey) as Glen’s carpet-store boss Ian and comedian extraordinaire Fatiha El-Ghorri – the breakout star of Taskmaster series 19 – as Glen’s no-flips-given colleague. Clive Russell (Sherlock Holmes, Ripper Street), Victoria Alcock (People Just Do Nothing) and Geoff Bell (The Curse) also reprise their roles.

Series 2 also welcomes a glittering roster of guest stars, including Rula Lenska (Coronation Street) as the eccentric and flirtatious Rita, who the brothers believe could be the key to finding their missing father. Plus, Dyer reunites with two of his former EastEnders co-stars in the form of Linda Henry (aka Shirley Carter) as no-nonsense mechanic Pam, and Shaun Williamson (Barry Evans) who stars as an angry clown at the centre of another brotherly showdown.

There are more reunions on set too, as Sampson’s Brassic co-stars Tom Hanson and Parth Thakerar join the Mr Bigstuff cast, while Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street), David Mumeni (Stath Lets Flats) and Alan Ford (Snatch) round off the remarkable cast list.

Series 1 was shot mostly in and around Dagenham, on the eastern outskirts of London, and filming also took place in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. In Essex, filming took place on the Canvey Island seafront near the Oysterfleet Hotel and Bar Monico, as well as at Canvey Point. Danny Dyer was seen by locals interacting with the film crew and even taking photos with residents. According to news reports, the Birchwood Café in Hatfield was used as a location while shooting the second series.

We’ve seen lots of recent chatter across all forms of media about men’s roles in 21st century society. Mr Bigstuff confronts this important theme head-on, from Glen and Lee’s feelings towards their late father, to the influence of other father figures like Uncle Ron (Russell) and their attitudes towards their responsibilities and each other.

With an impeccable cast led by agent of chaos Mr Dyer, a brilliant script (Sampson packs in laugh-out-loud moments of physical comedy – you’ll be amazed what they can do with a rolled-up carpet – and lines that’ll make you guffaw), and enough heart, pathos and silliness sprinkled throughout to make you feel all the feels, there’s a reason why Mr Bigstuff became such an instant smash-hit with viewers. What are you waiting for?

Ahead of the return of Mr Bigstuff for series 2, take our quiz to find out how much you know about the legendary EastEnders and Rivals actor’s career…

You can watch series 2 of Mr Bigstuff every Thursday on Sky Max HD (CH 111) and Sky Showcase (CH 109), as well as in Sky Max on demand now. Series 1 is also available to stream in Sky Max on demand now.

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