Funboys: release date, cast, plot, interviews, first looks and everything you need to know

Funboys is a BBC comedy series about three emotionally immature young men trying to cope with life’s highs and lows. It stars Ryan Dylan, Rian Lennon and Lee R. James as friends Callum, Jordan and Lorcan who must deal with everything from first girlfriends to dead pet pigs.

Funboys was previously a short film released by the BBC in 2023 which is still available on IPlayer. Now there's a full series on its way. Writers and stars of the series, Rian Lennon and Ryan Dylan say: "We are so happy to be making a series about the important things in our lives: innocent wholesome fun, growing up, dying, screaming mental health issues, videogames and the ultimate power of friendship."

Here’s everything you need to know about Funboys…

Funboys release date

Funboys is a four-part comedy series that launches on BBC3 on Friday February 14 2025 at 10pm. All six episodes will also be box set on BBCiPlayer from that date. The series will arrive on BBC1 soon and we will update on the BBC1 launch date soon.

Funboys plot 

Funboys follows three friends Callum, Jordan and Lorcan, who struggle to take anything seriously. Life is never easy for them though, and they are put through the psychological ringer. But will their love of mucking about land them in trouble?

In the opening episode the dysfunctional trio’s love of innocent fun - namely, playing video games, eating chicken dippers and consuming copious amounts of fizzy drinks - is threatened when interloper Gemma (Ele McKenzie) sets her sights on sheltered shop worker Callum before shifting her attentions to philosophical butcher Lorcan. Cue ructions, rivalry, madcap reactions and a cringeworthy sexual encounter on a swan pedalo!

Funboys main cast — Rian Lennon, Ryan Dylan and Lee R. James on starring in the comedy

In Funboys, Rian Lennon plays Jordan while Ryan Dylan plays Callum and Lee R. James stars as Lorcan.

Rian Lennon says: “We were very lucky to have such a uniquely funny assortment of actors who understood the show’s specific tone. Each person brought their own colour and verve and the result is a lovely collaborative finger painting of silly wholesome comedy that we're very excited to stick up on the nation’s fridges."

The main trio are great friends in real life too. "Myself and Rian have known each other for about a decade and I went to school with Lee, so that’s added to our characters and performances for sure," says Ryan.

Rian adds: "This series grew from sketches we made together on our YouTube channel SuperLemon. We had one called Funboys where the concept was these three guys had a literal club dedicated to having fun. The short took that idea and asked what happened if you added things like death and the complications of life," 

Who else is starring?

Other Funboys cast includes Jamie Demetriou who plays David (see pictured above), plus Ele McKenzie, Brian Devlin, Owen Colgan, Paul Bazely (Benidorm), Richard Croxford, Emer O’Connor, Amanda Hurwitz, James Martin, Vanessa Ifediora, Walter Chigui and Brendan Quinn.

Jamie Demetriou says: “The Funboys pilot blew me away. Their dedication to making something genuinely funny and specific is deeply exciting and very rare. Getting to see it in person on set was a career highlight for me.”

Is there a trailer? 

Yes, the Funboys season 1 trailer is available to watch here. You can watch the 14 minute-short of Funboys here.

Behind the scenes, locations and more on Funboys

Funboys is made by Mayhay Studios and is filmed and set in Northern Ireland, with support from Northern Ireland Screen. Rian Lennon, who is from Belfast, co-wrote Funboys with Ryan Dylan and also serves as a director.

Executive producer and story writer, Simon Mayhew-Archer of Mayhay Studios says: "Rian, Ryan and Lee are three of the funniest, most inventive people I've worked with and I really hope this show brings as much happiness to others as it has to me."

Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning says: “Rian, Ryan and Lee have a completely original and hilarious comic vision, so we’re delighted to see their debut series arrive on screen and to have exciting new Northern Irish voices on the BBC.”

Eddie Doyle, Head of Commissioning for BBC Northern Ireland, says: “It’s been fantastic to see this project develop from a BBC iPlayer short we co-commissioned with BBC Comedy, into a four part network series. Rian, Ryan and Lee are uniquely brilliant in their comedy and Funboys is quite unlike anything else out there.”

Funboy filming locations

Set in the fictional town of Ballymacnoose, the series was filmed on location in Northern Ireland with BAFTA-winning This Country producer, Simon Mayhew-Archer.

"It was important to us that we filmed in Northern Ireland," says Ryan, who was an assistant director on Game of Thrones. "There’s a lot of things here that haven't been seen on a wider scale. In the same way Simon did with This Country, the characters you encounter in those smaller villages and towns are a well of untapped potential."

"Simon's big input was trying to retain the lo-fi nature of the sketches." adds Rian. "We filmed in Tandraghee, Armagh and Belfast, but the best location was Lorcan’s farm. It’s like a zoo with ostriches, tortoises, goats and llamas, it was amazing."

Funboys — season 1 episode guide

Episode 1

Much ado about nuttin'

Life’s good for the funboys until Callum gets his first ever girlfriend and the change in dynamic threatens both their friendship and Jordan’s life.

Episode 2

Once Upon a Time in Ballymacnoose

After a gas leak at his flat, Callum moves in with Lorcan and his dad, Sammy, aka the biggest git in Ballymacnoose. Under Sammy’s tutelage, Callum discovers the power of being a total and utter git.

Episode 3

Pigs in Sleeping Bags

Gemma brings home a new pet and unwittingly unlocks some painful memories for Lorcan. Callum moves in with Jordan and his two dads and learns about a thing called 'feelings'.

"Working with the pig was an experience, to say the least," says Lee, who plays Lorcan. "The handler told me that I had a nice bond and most people wouldn't be able to get that close, but working with a pig on a leash was weird!"

Episode 4

Friends Forever

Gemma and Lorcan throw a party at the farm but Gemma struggles to keep hold of her identity in the tight-knit community of Ballymacnoose. Meanwhile, Callum makes a new friend but there’s a catch and his worst fears are realised...

Jamie Demetriou (Stath Lets Flats) guest stars in the series finale as Gemma’s unhinged brother David, who persuades Callum to do something out of character while on a drug binge!

"Jamie was amazing, he liked the script and he took it so seriously," says Ryan of Callum and David's risqué scenes. "I pretend to be annoyed but I’ve no regrets. If we get another series, I know I can get my revenge on Rian and Lee in future scripts!"