The Inbetweeners had us giggling in hysterics and gasping in horror in equal measure when it first hit our screens in 2008.
Everyone could relate to one of the four awkward teens who struggled to fit in at school and were desperate to lose their virginities.
From Will loudly doing a poo in the middle of an exam to Jay crashing that motorbike, there were some amazingly cringeworthy moments.
And many of the crude jokes would probably struggle to make it on air today – with viewers being introduced to the world of “bumders”, “bus w***ers” and the “p***y patrol”.
The near-the-knuckle humour and crude jokes cracked by the awkward teens did often come under fire.
There were concerns over animal cruelty when Neil ‘punched a fish to death’ and a disabled woman was hit with a frisbee.
Will (Simon Bird), Neil (Blake Harrison), Jay (James Buckley) and Simon (Joe Thomas) were The Inbetweeners (Image: John Wright)
The E4 sitcom gained a legion of devoted fans who can quote every single word – and even spawned two movies in 2011 and 2014 which had great critical and box office success.
Due to the success of the show, those pesky Americans tried to create their own terrible version that was quickly axed due to poor ratings and bad versions of the original gags.
It made big stars out of the young cast, who went on to star in other hilarious comedies.
But fans will be disappointed to know that it doesn’t look like we will ever get any more Inbetweeners action ever again.
So what happened next for the cast? Here is a look at where they are now:
Simon Bird – Will
Will loved that briefcase of his (Image: Channel 4)
Will McKenzie was the briefcase-carrying geek struggling to fit in at a new school.
He managed to embarrass himself at every given opportunity, pooing himself in the exam hall and bringing his back of dirty clothes to the pub.
Will did manage to have a very brief relationship with the hottest girl in the school, but put off the ladies with horrible chat up lines such as “feisty one you are”.
Everyone wanted to have sex with his mum and Will was last seen reeling from the bombshell that Gilbert had become his new step dad.
Once the Inbetweeners ended, actor Simon Bird basically played the same character on fellow E4 comedy Friday Night Dinner.
Simon plays Adam in Friday Night Dinner (Image: Channel 4)
He co-created and co-starred in Sky comedy Chickens in 2013 and took to the West End for The Philanthropist in 2017.
As well as hitting the big screen in The Inbetweeners movies, Simon has had roles in The Look of Love, The Harry Hill Movie and You, Me and Him.
Despite all of his other roles since the show finished, Simon has admitted that he still gets called a “bus w***er” on a daily basis.
In 2012 he married Lisa Owens, who he met at Cambridge University, and they have two kids together.
Joe Thomas – Simon
Simon was a bit of a loser (Image: Channel 4)
Possibly the most tragic of all the boys, desperate Simon drove round in a rubbish yellow car with one red door.
The unlucky-in-love lad was always chasing after Carli – and thought that spiky hair and spray painting her driveway was the way to win her heart.
Simon also had to put up with listening to his parents describe their sex life and an annoying younger brother.
In a very similar vein to co-star Simon Bird, actor Joe Thomas’s next role was incredibly similar to his Inbetweeners character.
Joe Thomas starred in Fresh Meat (Image: PA)
He played Kingsley in E4 comedy Fresh Meat, who was basically Simon trying to be edgy at university.
Joe can’t keep away from his Inbetweeners co-stars and even got engaged to one, which will be revealed later on.
After co-writing and starring in Chickens with Simon Bid he went on to join James Buckley in White Gold.
While his movie roles include Straw Donkey, Scottish Mussel, The Darkest Universe and The Festival.
Joe has also become a bit of an internet sensation as fans of the show regularly spot him on the tube and post hilarious snaps of him asleep or doing catchphrases.
James Buckley – Jay
Jay was the biggest liar going (Image: Channel 4)
The only thing wannabe lothario Jay was knee deep in was his own lies.
From taking a pedalo from Spain to Africa to having trials at West Ham, Jay claimed to have done it all, and most of the time people actually believed his fictional tales.
When he wasn’t making disgusting comments about the opposite sex, Jay did sometimes show his delicate side and burst into tears when he was dumped at the end of series 2.
Actor James Buckley starred as Del Boy in Rock & Chips, Zapped, White Gold and an episode in the latest series of Doctor Who.
He also hit the big screen in American found footage horror film The Pyramid in 2014.
James even went on Bake Off (Image: Channel 4)
While Jay was bad with the ladies, it’s a very different story for James, who is married to former model Clair Meek and has two kids.
Aside from acting, James has a gaming YouTube channel and makes money charging fans for personalised messages during the lockdown.
Back in March this year he boasted that The Inbetweeners would be “nothing without me” in a bold rant.
In the live chat with his followers, he boasted: “I am the f*****g Inbetweeners.
“Take a second and try and imagine that TV show without me in it? You can’t, can you?
“People call me Jay. It doesn’t really bother me, it isn’t a billion miles away from my actual name.”
Blake Harrison – Neil
Blake’s character Neil was known for his cringeworthy dances
The kindest but also the most idiotic of the boys, Neil Sutherland wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box.
The dim-witted teen did a run to revise for his PE exam, then forgot his kit on the big day, and put a shelf up to practise for his tech exam.
While Neil didn’t have a lot going upstairs, he was the most successful with the ladies and had some incredible robotic dance moves.
Since it all ended, Blake Harrison has appeared in a wide variety of other TV shows including Prime Suspect 1973, A Very English Scandal, Houdini and Doyle, Death In Paradise and Trust Me.
Blake starred in Hooves of Clay (Image: beckshumps/Instagram)
He also played Private Pike in 2016 Dad’s Army reboot and voiced Scoop in an update of Bob The Builder.
In 2018 he stepped behind the camera to direct award-winning short film Hooves of Clay, which he also starred in.
Blake has also shown off his football skills for Soccer Aid and scored the winning penalty in 2018.
He married theatre publicist Kerry Lynch in 2016 and they have two children.
Emily Atack – Charlotte
Emily as Charlotte with Simon Bird in The Inbetweeners
Many people might forget that national treasure Emily Atack started off on the Inbetweeners.
The actress played Charlotte ‘big jugs’ Hinchcliffe, the most popular girl in the whole school.
So it came as a surprise when she took an interest in nerdy Will, but the gorgeous blonde then ripped out his heart by revealing it was just to get back at her thuggish ex Donovan.
After the series ended, actress Emily switched school uniform for skates to take part in the fifth series of Dancing On Ice.
She is also known for her roles on Keith Lemon’s many shows, including Lemon La Vida Loca and The Keith & Paddy Picture Show.
It was not until 2018 when Emily really rose to fame during her stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle.
She finished runner-up to Harry Redknapp – famously asking the football manager to set her up with his son Jamie – then went back the following year to host spin-off show Extra Camp.
Emily Atack is the nation’s sweetheart (Image: emilyatack/Instagram)
There was controversy in 2018 when Emily was reportedly axed from The Inbetweeners 10 year reunion show just 24 hours before it started.
According to The Sun, James Buckley was afraid his wife would discover their fling during their time in the show, so reportedly told producers “it’s her or me”.
James did not comment on the claims, but said he would avoid future reunions after a backlash from fans over the disappointing format.
Emily said there was a “lot of snobbery” around the reunion and branded her ex co-star as “James F**kley.”
Speaking about the snub on Capital FM, she said: “Unfortunately, I don’t really know what happened there.
“I was booked to do it, was very much looking forward to doing it and then the day before, I was told I was no longer needed for it.”
Emily Head – Carli
Simon desperately lusted after Carli (Image: Channel 4)
Carli D’Amato was Simon’s childhood friend who was the love of his young life.
Always just out of reach, she cruelly dumped him when they finally did get together at the start of the first movie then used him to make that nasty holiday rep jealous.
Actress Emily Head is a lot nicer in real life and is the daughter of Little Britain and Buffy actor Anthony Head.
Emily went on to be a star of the theatre and the small screen, most famously as Rebecca White in Emmerdale.
The rich daughter of Lawrence and the mother of Robert Sugden’s son, Rebecca had a traumatic brain injury and was kidnapped by her own nephew.
After two years in the Dales, Emily’s character decided to leave with village to start a new life with Ross Barton.
Most recently, Emily landed a role in The Syndicate alongside fellow former soap stars Kym Marsh, Katie McGlynn and Gaynor Faye.
Hannah Tointon – Tara
Joe and Hannah are the engaged couple (Image: PA)
“Beepidee beep beep” – time for a Tara update.
Hannah Tointon was already famous for playing Warren Fox’s sister Katy in Hollyoaks when she joined the Inbetweeners in the final series.
Simon’s girlfriend Tara was a kooky gig lover who tried to make her man wear weird clothes and glasses.
But it all ended very badly when they tried to have sex for the first time and Simon couldn’t perform when it counted.
He started slapping his member and shouting at it to “get big”, so obviously got dumped.
Aside from the teen comedy, Hannah has starred in Call the Midwife, Midsomer Murders and Mr Selfridge.
It wasn’t just a fictional romance, as Hannah actually started dating Joe Thomas after they met on the show.
The happy couple got engaged in 2017 and are now living together in London. Time to buy a hat.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
