Simon Bird has shared that there are no plans for a reunion of The Inbetweeners or a third film, ending hopes for a first appearance of the gang since 2014.
Comedian and actor Bird, who played Will MacKenzie in the Channel 4 sitcom and spin off movies, told the Mail this week: “There are no prospects of a reunion.”
His statement came after Joe Thomas, who portrayed Simon Cooper in the sitcom and its two film adaptations, hinted at the possibility of another film.
Bird said: “I’m afraid to be the one pouring cold water on this but it’s not happening. I can tell you emphatically that there are no prospects of a reunion.”
He added: “[The cast would] be happy to but it’s not up to us, it’s up to the writers, Iain [Morris] and Damon [Beesley], and I know they’re both very busy these days.”
The coming-of-age comedy ran for three series on E4 from 2008 until 2010 and was followed by two movies.
Despite the news, The Inbetweeners remains a cultural touchstone and just as relevant as ever for many fans.
Will there be a third Inbetweeners film?
Actor Joe Thomas previously said on the Always Be Comedy podcast: “We’re all still around, we’re all still in each other’s lives. We all still like each other. And if it was something that came up, I think we would want to do it. I feel like we all still really like each other.
“We’ve all been able to go away and get various monkeys off our backs, in terms of things that we felt we needed to do other than The Inbetweeners to prove something to ourselves.”
But, instead of a series, he insisted that they would make a film, adding: “I don’t think they could do another series. You’d have to be a movie. You’d have to have a very, very clever device for doing another series. A movie, I think works with the right idea. It would be challenging to do another series, just because of the timeline. But with the film, there are all sorts of options.”
Thomas gave the impression a third film might centre on a bachelor party in Las Vegas. However, this has been played down by Simon Bird, who has confirmed it will not happen in the foreseeable future.
Here is what the cast are up to these days.
Who is in The Inbetweeners?
Simon Bird played Will MacKenzie
MacKenzie played schoolboy Will as he navigated life, friendship and sexual experiences in the original run.
Last year, the actor portrayed David in Channel 4 comedy series Everyone Else Burns. The 40-year-old also played Adam Goodman – a similar part to Will MacKenzie – in Channel 4 show Friday Night Dinner.
Joe Thomas played Simon Cooper
Will’s best friend was the love-sick, dramatic and often obnoxious Simon Cooper played by Joe Thomas.
Following the conclusion of the series in 2010, Thomas found success on TV once more when he was chosen to play Kingsley Owen in the Manchester University student drama Fresh Meat, which also starred Jack Whitehall, Charlotte Ritchie, Kimberley Nixon and Zawe Ashton.
In addition to Fresh Meat, Joe and Simon Bird reunited in the 2013 comedy series Chickens, which did not receive a second season renewal.He went on to star in TV series, including White Gold and the science fiction comedy We Are Not Alone, which came out in 2022.Thomas made a comeback to the big screen in 2018 with the comedy The Festival, in which his partner Hannah Tointon also starred.
Blake Harrison played Neil Sutherland
Harrison played the dopey Neil in the series who – despite his slow wit – was the first of the foursome to lose his virginity.
Following the end of the series in 2010, Harrison co-starred with Hugh Grant in drama A Very English Scandal and provided voiceovers for Bob the Builder's revival. In addition, he portrayed Greg Tullet in The Kindred, Travis Pickford in Agatha and the Truth of Murder, and Private Pike in the Dad's Army film.
He tried his hand at both Bake Off and Agatha Christie adaptations and is currently hosting the MMA Fan Show podcast.The podcast is hosted by "two overexcited lads having a blast" who aren't really qualified to host an MMA podcast because they haven't both been in a cage.
James Buckley played Jay Cartwright
James Buckley played the overconfident and somewhat delusional Jay in the show.
Buckley and co-star Thomas starred in the TV series White Gold after the show's success, and Buckley made a guest appearance in a 2020 Doctor Who episode.
He joined the Cameo app in March 2020 and has become a star performer – earning £10,000 a week for sending videos to fans.
Currently, though, the majority of his time is devoted to managing his two popular YouTube vlogs, At Home With the Buckleys and Completed It Mate, which are about gaming.
Emily Head played Carli D’Amato
Carli D’Amato, Simon’s love interest, was played by Emily Head.
Head has established herself on the London theatrical scene and gained a starring part in Emmerdale since the show’s end.
She then turned her attention to writing and, more recently, played the lead in her own psychological thriller, The System, which tells the story of a man who was killed at his own birthday party.
Belinda Stewart-Wilson played Polly MacKenzie
And last but not least, Will’s ever-presentable mum was played by Belinda Stewart-Wilson
Prior to her participation in The Inbetweeners, she had several TV appearances, including roles in Primaeval, The IT Crowd, and a special cameo on an episode of Poirot. Following the premiere of The Inbetweeners films, she played Ciara Cass in several episodes of Casualty.
How can I watch The Inbetweeners?
The Inbetweeners is available on Channel 4 and Amazon Prime Video.
