The Inbetweeners

Did You Know?

• The opening theme is an instrumental version of "Gone Up in Flames" by Morning Runner.
• The music supervisor was Marsha Shandur, then an Xfm DJ.
• BBC America began airing the series from 25 January 2010.

History

Damon Beesley and Iain Morris met as producers on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show. After working as commissioners at Channel 4, where Morris oversaw Peep Show, they founded Bwark Productions in 2004 and secured their first series with The Inbetweeners. A pilot titled "Baggy Trousers" was produced in 2006 under James Bobin's direction. E4 aired the first series in May 2008, with Channel 4 broadcasting it later that year.

The second series ran from 2 April to 7 May 2009, and the third series from 13 September to 18 October 2010. The third series premiere achieved the highest-ever audience for an E4 original commission. After the third series, the cast and crew stated there would be no fourth series, but a film set in Malia, Crete, Greece was produced. For Red Nose Day 2011, the stars travelled across the UK in the yellow Fiat Cinquecento Hawaii featured in the show for a special called The Inbetweeners: Rude Road Trip.

A 10th anniversary retrospective, Fwends Reunited, aired on 1 January 2019 but was poorly received, leading James Buckley to issue a public apology. In June 2020, content on the show's YouTube channel was removed due to licensing changes. In October 2025, Morris and Beesley's company Fudge Park signed an agreement with Banijay UK to explore bringing the series back across film, TV and stage.

Cast

The four main characters appear in every episode and both films. Will McKenzie, played by Simon Bird, is the central character whose voiceover narrates each episode. Transferred from a private school after his parents' divorce, he is the most intelligent and studious but often succumbs to peer pressure. Simon Cooper, portrayed by Joe Thomas, is cynical and hot-headed, with an on-off relationship with his long-time crush Carli driving many plots.

Jay Cartwright, played by James Buckley, is immature, vulgar, and a compulsive liar, traits linked to his father's belittlement; the end of season 3 hints he may have been sexually abused as a child. Neil Sutherland, played by Blake Harrison, is gentle, gullible, and of low intelligence, yet the most sexually experienced due to his easygoing nature. Carli D'Amato, played by Emily Head, is Simon's love interest, popular and influential, who strings Simon along.

Mr Phil Gilbert, played by Greg Davies, is the cynical and authoritarian head of sixth form who shows particular dislike for Will.

Reception

The Inbetweeners received generally positive reviews. On Metacritic, the first series scored 73 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews. Joe McNally of The Independent praised its "exquisitely accurate dialogue," and Will Dean of The Guardian noted it "captures the pathetic sixth-form male experience quite splendidly." Critics often contrasted it with E4's Skins, suggesting The Inbetweeners' portrayal of dull suburbia is closer to most teenagers' actual experience.

The series gained a cult following and became a phenomenon in British popular culture, with viewers incorporating its quotes into daily use. In 2019, The Guardian ranked it 74th in its list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century. The first series averaged 459,000 viewers, with the pilot drawing 238,000. The second series premiere on E4 averaged 958,000 viewers, plus 234,000 on E4+1, making it the channel's highest audience of 2009.

The third series premiere attracted a record 2.6 million viewers, the highest for an E4 original until Glee broke it in 2011. The programme won Best New British Television Comedy (Scripted) and Simon Bird won Best Male Comedy Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards 2008. It was nominated for Best Situation Comedy at BAFTA in 2009 and won the Audience Award at the 2010 BAFTAs.

Subsequent media

In September 2009, Beesley and Morris confirmed a film commissioned by Film4. The plot follows the four boys, now 18, on holiday in Malia, Greece. Released on 17 August 2011 with a 15 certificate, it grossed over £57 million worldwide on a £3.5 million budget. A second film, set in Australia, was confirmed in August 2013 and released on 6 August 2014.

Two books were published: The Inbetweeners Yearbook (29 September 2011) and The Inbetweeners Scriptbook (25 October 2012). An American version was ordered by MTV in March 2011, with a 12-episode first season written by Brad Copeland. It aired from 20 August to 5 November 2012 before being cancelled due to low ratings. The American version later aired in the UK on E4 from 5 December 2012 and on Viva from 4 August 2014.

A 10th anniversary special, Fwends Reunited, hosted by Jimmy Carr, aired on 1 January 2019 on Channel 4, featuring the four lead actors and supporting cast.