Cliff Notes – I can’t wait for the Inbetweeners reboot – it could be even funnier

The Inbetweeners, a beloved British sitcom, is set for a reboot, sparking excitement among fans eager to see how the characters adapt to a post-Covid world.
While some fans express skepticism about the revival, citing the show’s problematic past, others believe the original creators can successfully modernise the humour.
The reboot presents an opportunity to explore themes of adulthood and maturity, potentially offering a fresh take on the series’ iconic teenage awkwardness.

I can’t wait for the Inbetweeners reboot – it could be even funnier

I could hardly contain my excitement at the chance to spend more time with my favourite bus w***ers, says Milo (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)

For a series that only lasted just over two years, The Inbetweeners made quite the splash.

The Channel 4 sitcom – which aired between 2008 and 2010 before spawning two films in 2011 and 2014, respectively – remains one of the crown jewels in British comedy today.

Depicting the adventures of four friends – Will McKenzie (Simon Bird), Simon Cooper (Joe Thomas), Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison) and Jay Cartwright (James Buckley) – the series managed to capture with unfiltered and unbridled success what it’s like to be an awkward teenager on the pull.

With its endlessly quotable dialogue and countless hilarious situations – from Neil punching a fish to death to Mr Gilbert correcting Will for referring to him by his first name – it was undoubtedly the funniest thing my friends and I had ever seen during my years at secondary school.

But growing up in the early noughties, The Inbetweeners wasn’t just Entertainment for me.

A far cry from the slick dramas imported from the US like One Tree Hill or the OC, here was a show that finally captured the messy reality of being a British teenager, where the main protagonist stumbled over his words in front of a group of girls and was distinctly uncool.

That is why, following the announcement that a reboot is officially in the works, and that a deal has been struck to revive all four characters, I could hardly contain my excitement at the chance to spend more time with my favourite bus w***ers.

The Inbetweeners wasn’t just entertainment for me, says Milo (Picture: Bwark Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock

But it appears a large portion of fans do not share the same opinion.

One comment on X, for example, said: ‘It’s just not going to hit the same. Why would you touch something that lived a perfect life and had a perfect burial? Even the movies were perfect’.

Another X user, meanwhile, said ‘Just let it be. Was an amazing series at the time and the first film should have been the end.

While I firmly disagree, because I am desperate to see how each of these characters’ lives would be transported into a post-Covid era, even I can see why some may have their doubts about The Inbetweeners returning to our screens.

For all its side-splitting laughs, The Inbetweeners boasts an equally cringe-worthy past of homophobic and sexist language. The objectification of Emily Atack’s character, Charlotte Hinchcliffe, for instance, along with the ongoing joke that Neil’s dad is secretly gay certainly makes me wince when re-watching.

Like many comedy shows and programmes that ran into the early 2010s, the humour that was often relied upon for easy laughs is, quite rightly, unacceptable in today’s world.

But to suggest that the cast and creators of The Inbetweeners can’t successfully change with the times and still produce something that is both funny and suitable for a modern audience is ludicrous.

It’s possible to continue finding The Inbetweeners hilarious while recognising its problematic past, says Milo (Picture: Bwark Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock)

Why should we stick our heads in the sand and declare gloom and doom for a potential reboot?

Where is the trust for these writers and actors who left us in tears of laughter across three series and two films? Have they suddenly lost their talents overnight?

And were the crude and derivative gags used really the only thing we found funny? What about those classic character beats, like Will’s intellectual snobbery or Neil’s lovable goofiness, don’t require any vulgarity.

The Inbetweeners offered us a groundbreaking look into teenage anxieties and awkwardness (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)

It’s possible to continue finding The Inbetweeners hilarious while recognising its problematic past. We don’t need to boycott a revival of its characters in today’s world; instead, we can watch them change and adapt with the times, as we have.

Since the characters will now also be older – and presumably more mature – the jokes will likely be aimed at a more mature audience. But as experience has taught us with the recent Christmas specials of Gavin and Stacey, for example, it doesn’t mean they will be any less fun.

The Inbetweeners offered us a groundbreaking look into teenage anxieties and awkwardness, so I, for one, cannot wait to see how this will be adapted into a commentary on adulthood, parenthood and aging.

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Has Simon finally found someone to settle down with? Does Jay continue to lie about his exploits?

Is Mr Gilbert officially Will’s new stepfather? Does he still call him Mr Gilbert?

And, of course, what on earth is Neil getting up to? He could very well be an MP for his local constituency or a TikTok dancer for all I know, given both the low standard of our politicians and the internet’s love of cringe.

For many fans of the original series, myself included, the possibilities seem endless and the thought of watching the four friends meeting up for a weekly game of five-a-side is already providing me with comedic catharsis.

Rather than fearing that things might go wrong, I implore you to embrace change and the passage of time.

Whatever this reboot turns out to be – whether it be a TV show, film or even a play (although I’m not sure anything about these characters work on stage, as Simon’s infamous foray into catwalk modelling proved) – The Inbetweeners has earned the right to have a go.