Dylan Llewellyn is good at showing how much effort it takes a shy young man to join in. We recommend him warmly in Big Boys, with one wish: that the writing would protect his character a little less.
Fi1m perspective
In the freshers’ experiences of Big Boys (2022), Dylan Llewellyn’s Jack is being asked to enjoy himself before he is ready. He is grieving his father, and the pressure to join in makes even the fun seem like work. Llewellyn shows that effort without making each exchange a demonstration of awkwardness. We were moved by how vulnerable he made Jack amid all that compulsory enjoyment. It is a performance we recommend warmly, particularly for the way he allows the comedy to survive alongside the grief.
His first major television role was Martin ‘Jono’ Johnson in Hollyoaks (2011). The breakthrough came as James Maguire in Derry Girls (2018), the English outsider in the ensemble. Moving to the lead in Big Boys gave his ability to play a vulnerable young man more room. Jack’s shyness does not prevent him from being funny, and Llewellyn makes sure that bereavement is not the only thing we notice about him.
Jon Pointing is essential to why Big Boys works. His Danny is straight and laddy, and the writing could have settled for a succession of misunderstandings with Jack. Instead, writer and narrator Jack Rooke gives their friendship a reason to matter to both of them. Llewellyn makes Jack’s reserve clear enough that Pointing’s warmth has something to work against. We believe in their closeness because neither actor has to pretend the two young men are alike.
Rooke’s eagerness to reassure is our reservation: a joke sometimes needs to cause more trouble than the writing will allow. Llewellyn and Pointing have earned enough affection for their characters to be treated less carefully. Beyond this programme, Llewellyn’s casting has largely kept him among sweet teenagers and young adults. He has spoken of wanting to try drama, thrillers and horror, and we would welcome the chance to see him outside those familiar parts. Horror sounds a reasonable next step, provided he is allowed to be something other than the frightened young man.
Biography
Dylan John Llewellyn is an English actor. He began his career in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks (2011–2012), playing Martin "Jono" Johnson. He attended a foundation course in acting at RADA.
Llewellyn is known for his roles as James Maguire in the sitcom Derry Girls (2018–2022) and as Jack in the series Big Boys (2022–2025). He has also appeared as Wally Nightingale in Pistol (2022), PC Kelby Hartford in Beyond Paradise (2023–present), and the teenage Zak in the film Frequencies (2013). He had an earlier guest role as Stewart Irmsby in Call the Midwife (2020).
