Jack Rooke and Runyararo Mapfumo - BAFTA Breakthrough interview

BAFTA has announced its 2022 UK Breakthroughs - a list of talented newcomers across film, games and television, as selected by a jury. Amongst the cohort is Jack Rooke and Runyararo Mapfumo.

BAFTA say: "Although he earned his place on BAFTA Breakthrough for writing and executive producing Channel 4's hit comedy Big Boys, Jack Rooke says he's actually done a little bit of everything across his career. He started out compering poetry and spoken word nights in the upstairs rooms of pubs, before performing stand-up himself and then taking his shows, which he produced, promoted, wrote and performed, to the Edinburgh Fringe.

"Writer/director Runyararo has had quite the journey through the industry up to now, from working in development right through to post production. She used these years of experience to simultaneously write and direct a series of well-received shorts. This landed her the exciting opportunity to direct episodes of season three's Sex Education (2021), which secured her a BAFTA nomination for Emerging Talent: Fiction."

We spoke to Jack and Runyararo to find out more about what it's like to be selected for the scheme...

Congratulations on making the BAFTA Breakthrough list. How does it feel to be recognised by such a prestigious organisation?

Runyararo: Thank you! It's a great and varied selection of creatives every year, so I'm honoured to be part of the 2022 cohort.

Jack: It feels a bit like when Nadine Coyle lied about her age to try and win on Irish Popstars and then she had to go away, wait for a bit and audition for UK Popstars, then finally got into Girls Aloud. I feel like I've tried and failed in my career, learnt from it, built my resilience and then came back for another stab. Even Big Boys as a show has taken 5 years with a couple false starts so to finally have the series out there and then get a thumbs up from BAFTA is a really lovely confidence boost .

How did you first get into creating comedy?

Runyararo: My short film, Masterpiece, was the first comedy I wrote and directed, which premiered at the London Film Festival and went on to have a great run on the festival circuit.

Jack: I started 10 years ago doing very ropey silly poems above pubs and it just built from there. I did the Soho Theatre comedy lab in 2015 and then took my first hour to Edinburgh called Good Grief which was like a comedy-theatre-documentary show. I guess I've always straddled different genres in my live comedy and Big Boys does the same too. I'd always think that if I did a poetry night everyone would call me a comedian, if I did a comedy night everyone would call me a performance artist and if I did a performance art night they'd call me a poet. So ultimately, none of it ever matters, I just try to tell stories and make them as funny as possible.

What is it about your recent work that you think has propelled you to Breakthrough status?

Jack: I really hope it's that people have taken to Big Boys and seen that I can write really good big sitcommy jokes but pair it with characters that feel real and likeable, silly yet complex. I think the show has captured a really lovely audience of people who like seeing a gay-straight friendship at the very core of it, and I wanted the show not to just be a "gay comedy" and to include and appeal to as many people as it possibly could. I think it plays on the tropes of lad's lads' and gay best friends etc and turns them on its head, which I always think is more reflective of real life anyway. And I always wanted Big Boys to feel very British and working-class in its pop culture, hun-style references and so I'm chuffed BAFTA in particular sees Big Boys as a breakthrough project, cause it does feel like all of my work, pooled together and turned into a silly campus comedy with a lot of heart to it.

Runyararo: My recent work was an exciting step up in every way, particularly as it was my first longform project. There was so much variety, and I got the opportunity to stretch and grow. The show was received brilliantly, and I was honoured to get a BAFTA nomination in the Emerging Talent: Fiction category earlier this year.

What are you planning to do next?

Runyararo: My debut feature film, Darkness Descends is with Film4 and my production company DessyMak Productions.

Jack: I am currently locked away writing Series 2 [of Big Boys], trying to make sure it's expansive and funny and big still. There's nothing more fun than writing daft shit for Katy Wix to say or do and then see Jim Archer, our brilliant director, get to play around with all these ideas. I really get off on the creative collaborative side of it all. Aside from Big Boys I've also just done my first proper acting role in a film which should be out next year. And I'd like to do more gigs with Jon Pointing who plays Danny because he's one of my dearest pals IRL and I just find him very much on my own little level. We sold out a week of comedy-cabaret showcases with our mates at Edinburgh and I'd love to do more and I suppose for me it's just about making work with people I think are better, funnier and hotter than I am.

What tips would you give someone reading this who is hoping for a career in comedy too?

Runyararo: Work hard to make sure the script is as great as it could be and find the right cast. Both take a lot of patience.

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You can find out more about the BAFTA Breakthrough programme and see the full list at bafta.org