Simon Bird, who played the hilariously awkward Simon in the hit British series The Inbetweeners, has revealed that he doesn’t think the show has aged well.
For those who haven’t watched it, The Inbetweeners is a coming-of-age teen sitcom that follows a group of British high school students and their attempt to navigate the highs and lows of school life as outcasts.
Former private school student, William McKenzie (Simon Bird) and his friends Simon Cooper (Joe Thomas), Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison) and Jay Cartwright (James Buckley) all captivated audiences with their cringe-worthy performances.
The award winning series was a hit when it first came out in 2008, and continued it’s success even after the final series ended in 2010, as The Inbetweeners Movie came to cinemas just a year later, followed by the sequel in 2014.
Following the final movie, a lot of fans expressed their desire for a reunion, so they could say a proper goodbye to the characters that have provided so many laughs.
And in 2019, their voices were heard, as Channel 4 announced they would come together for a TV special called Fwends Reunited, but it didn’t exactly go to plan.
The reunion show was met with dozens of complaints, with many calling it “awkward” and “awful” to watch.
The worst part about it, is the actors themselves agreed that the format of the special wasn’t what they expected.
Speaking about reunion, Bird said: “That was just a terrible idea from the get-go. We all knew that. We all had suggestions about how it might be possible to do one that wasn’t totally embarrassing. Those suggestions were not heeded.
“Frankly, we got paid quite a lot to do it, and there was a certain amount of pressure from Channel 4.”
Fellow co-star, James Buckley also revealed he thought the special was “really rushed” due to him and his cast mates having other commitments at the time.
“I was just as disappointed as everyone else when that thing came out,” he admitted.
It definitely wasn’t the ending that fans were hoping for, and it appears we’ll never get that closure, as, according to Bird, The Inbetweeners just wouldn’t make it in the world of TV entertainment today.
In the modern age of cancel culture, and with the pressure for TV networks to be politically correct looming over every aspect of production, there’s no way the show could survive if it came out today.
And Simon Bird agrees, he recently opened up about the series, which lasted for 2 seasons, explaining to the Telegraph that he believes it “it wouldn’t be commissioned today,” mostly because of the “casual homophobia” and obvious sexism rooted in the script.
He added: “I rationalise it to myself by saying that at the time it was an accurate representation of the way teenagers talk to each other.
“Is that still the case now? I assume not.”
But he admitted: “Although the programme was set in the 2000s, it was based on a pilot set in 1990, so even in the 2000s it wasn’t really an accurate reflection of how teenagers spoke.”
