''Funboys'' is a

Northern Irish The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...

comedy first broadcast on

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

as a

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

on 26 May 2023. It was then followed by a four-episode series that was commissioned on

BBC Northern Ireland BBC Northern Ireland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcasting, public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. BBC Northern Ireland is one of the four BB ...

and broadcast on

BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...

and BBC Northern Ireland on 10 February 2025,

on 13 February 2025, and

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

on 28 February 2025. The show is about three emotionally stunted young men in small-town Northern Ireland.

Cast and characters

* Ryan Dylan as Callum: A young man who is timid, confused, sad, and afraid, but has a close bond with his two friends Jordan and Lorcan. * Rian Lennon as Jordan: an emotionally insecure and selfish friend to Callum and Lorcan * Lee R. James as Lorcan: a wise and kind-hearted young man who acts like a mother hen to Callum and Jordan. * Ele McKenzie as Gemma: Gemma is the love interest of both Callum and Lorcan.

Short film

The 14-minute short film was filmed on location in Northern Ireland. At the BBC Comedy Festival in May 2024, it was announced that the short film would be expanded into a four-episode series.

Episodes

Production

''Funboys'' was filmed with the support of

Northern Ireland Screen Not to be confused with Screen Ireland. Northern Ireland Screen is the national screen agency for Northern Ireland. The agency's purpose is to promote the development of a sustainable film, animation and television production industry.About Us > ...

. The story is by Simon Mayhew-Archer. Show co-writer and co-creator Ryan Dylan stated that the show was inspired by "mundanity meeting melodrama. The idea of three young men navigating life with unfiltered emotionality, while being completely clueless about what any of it means. Deep feelings colliding with shallow understanding. Also, low self-worth. Desperation." Lee R. James, who portrays Lorcan, said that the show "was inspired by the lack of representation of the rural folk who wander these lands. The small towns we grew up in are filled with oddities that deserve the spotlight."

Reception

Vicky Jessop of The Standard wrote that ''Funboys'' is as a "beautifully bonkers comedy" and a worthy successor to '' This Country''. Jessop described it as "heartwarming and naff in 'equal measure, this tiny gem is well worth a few hours of your time." The

Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media, which also publishes the Irish Independent, the Sunday Independent and various other newspapers and magazines in Ireland. Its e ...

described the show as "not exactly Derry Girls but it’s beautifully bonkers" and "quirky and desperately bingeable."

References

External links

* * {{BBC 2025 British television series debuts British English-language television shows BBC Northern Ireland television shows

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

Television shows set in Northern Ireland 2020s television series from Northern Ireland