Where are the solid of The Inbetweeners now?

It’s been a decade since the awkwardly lovable Inbetweeners came together for our entertainment, and now there’s talks of an on-screen reunion. 

Joe Thomas, 40, who portrayed Simon in the hit coming-of-age comedy, revealed all of the main cast are on board to get back together. 

The sitcom, which focused on the hilarious lives of four teenagers in Britain, aired for three series between 2008-2010, before being adapted into two films released in 2011 and 2014 respectively. 

The classic show made almost $90million at the box office, and propelled protagonists Joe, Simon Bird, James Buckley and Blake Harrison to stardom. 

Joe has now teased that they could be making a return to our screens. 

The actor suggested that another movie is more likely than a new TV series and would follow the group of lads away from school. 

But where have Joe and his ‘fwends’ been since 2014? One of them now runs a MMA podcast and another is making £10,000 a week. MailOnline takes a look… 

Simon Bird, 40 – Will Mackenzie  

Simon Bird, best known to Inbetweeners lovers as Will, never really disappeared from British screens. 

The actor, who went on to play a virtually identical role in Friday Night Dinner, last year starred as David in the Channel 4 comedy series called Everyone Else Burns.  

Simon was born in Guildford, Surrey on August 19, 1984.

He excelled at school and went on to study English at Queen’s College, Cambridge University.

Simon was appointed president at student-run comedy troupe Footlights, where he later met future co-star Joe Thomas. 

The actor, now 40, made his breakthrough playing the slightly geeky but affable Will in The Inbetweeners.

Having created many memorable catchlines on the show, the actor revealed he still gets called ‘bus w******’ regularly – in reference to his character’s introduction on the series – but feels ‘privileged’ that his work had such an effect on audience.

When asked if he could reshoot one episode of the show which would it be, he responded: ‘The Field Trip episode of Inbetweeners it is.

‘A beautiful location, fish and chips on the beach, watching one of my closest friends, Joe Thomas, almost dying of hypothermia. What could be better?’

After The Inbetweeners, Simon starred in another hit E4 comedy, Friday Night Dinner, basically playing exactly the same character.

He starred alongside the late Paul Ritter, Tasmin Greig and Tom Rosenthal. 

The actor 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.

His voice can also regularly be heard on The Trainline’s adverts.

Simon has recently stared as David in the Channel 4 comedy series called Everyone Else Burns. 

The six-part series followed a hyper-religious community and the power struggles that happen within their church – and he plays a power-obsessed father-of-two.

Other cast members alongside Simon include Kate O’Flynn, Amy James-Kelly, Kadiff Kirwan and Harry Connor.

Simon once revealed he never believed The Inbetweeners would have made screens if it had been dreamed up today. 

Speaking to The Telegraph about how times have changed since, he  said: ‘I honestly think it wouldn’t be commissioned today.’

The actor added that he doesn’t think the show has aged well due to the sexism and ‘casual homophobia’ displayed by the characters.

He said: ‘I rationalize 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.’

Simon added: ‘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.’

He is now married to writer Lisa Owens. The couple met at Cambridge University while they were performing a sketch.

Simon then he proposed during a trip to Paris in 2011.

A source at the time told The Sun: ‘Simon took Lisa to Paris without any mention of plans to propose, but he had it all worked out.

‘He bought a ring – sticking to traditions and spending a month’s wages on the sparkler. They went for dinner and he asked her to marry him. Lisa immediately said, ‘Yes’. They are looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together.’

The happy couple then tied the knot in 2012. 

Simon previously made it clear that he was in love and said: ‘I have a girlfriend who I was with before The Inbetweeners started, I’m not out on the town looking for ladies.’ 

They have two sons together. The couple kept their first sons’s birth a secret and fans only found at six months after Lisa had given birth.

In fact, at the time it was Simon’s Friday Night Dinner co-star Tom Rosenthal who let slip that the comedian had become a dad when he said his pal’s little one was ‘bl**dy great’.

After Tom spilled the beans to Heat, Simon jumped in and joked that his son has already developed a knack for comedy.

‘He is quite judgmental. He’s only six months,’ said the actor.

Joe Thomas – Simon Cooper

The Inbetweeners changed Joe Thomas’ life in more ways than one.

Not only did his role as bratty teenager Simon catapult him to stardom but the show also introduced him to his long-term partner Hannah Tointon, 36.

In 2022, the couple – who have been together for over a decade – welcomed their first daughter.

Born in Chelmsford, Essex, Joe, 40, first started acting when he joined the University of Cambridge’s drama club. At the time, he was studying History at Pembroke college.

In a 2010 interview with student newspaper The Tab, Joe explained how he ‘experimented’ with music and sports in his first term before getting into comedy after meeting his writing partner Jonny Sweet.

Discussing the role which kickstarted his career, the father said: ‘To be honest, when we started series one of The Inbetweeners, I was just trying not to be awful and cock it up.

‘I think the show became so successful because it’s about normal teenagers. Most sitcoms focus on discrete groups of people: like people who work in an office or whatever. So The Inbetweeners is more like a soap or an American teen film. The actors in it all look like just anyone, and the characters are based on the middle 90 per cent of people.’

After the series ended in 2010, Joe struck television gold again when he was cast as Kingsley Owen in Fresh Meat – a show about students at Manchester University and co-starred Jack Whitehall, Charlotte Ritchie, Kimberley Nixon and Zawe Ashton.

Speaking to the Radio Times in 2012, Joe confessed that he was very similar to the ‘serious young man’ he played on screen.

He added: ‘I was quite similar to Kingsley. I thought it was a cool thing to be good at your work and I really wanted to succeed.’

Alongside Fresh Meat, Joe reunited with Simon Bird on the 2013 comedy Chickens – which wasn’t renewed after the first season.

He has also gone on to stars in shows such as White Gold and the 2022 science fiction comedy We Are Not Alone.

In 2018, Joe returned to the big screen in the comedy film The Festival – which co-starred his partner Hannah.

While promoting the movie, he confessed on Sunday Brunch why The Inbetweeners US version never took off.

He said: ‘They tried to make an American version of The Inbetweeners and it was very hard because they couldn’t really swear very much because it was on network TV.  And then you couldn’t show them drinking and stuff and that’s kind of the whole show.’

Although Hannah and Joe have been fiercely private about their relationship, he did publicly confirm they were dating back in 2010.

He said: ‘I can’t really see how those scenes kindled romance because they were all her being sick into my mouth… but I’m really into that so obviously it was fine!

‘It’s quite an intense thing being on set, so maybe that contributes, but we’re not basing our relationship on the relationship of Simon and Tara in the show.’ 

Earlier in 2023, Joe returned to Channel 4 when he appeared on Celebrity Bake Off alongside Paddy McGuinness, Coleen Nolan and Ellie Taylor. 

Blake Harrison – Neil Sutherland

He may have tried his hand at everything from Agatha Christie adaptions to Bake Off since The Inbetweeners ended.

And while Blake Harrison will forever be seen as dopey-but-lovable Neil to diehard fans of the show, he’s been chasing new passions in recent years. 

Blake now hosts his own podcast… about MMA. 

The 39-year-old posts weekly episodes on the MMA Fan Show – which is described as being hosted by ‘two over-excited lads having a blast’, who are ‘under qualified to host an MMA podcast as neither of them have got in a cage’.

Born in Peckham in July 1985, Blake developed a love of performing early and attended the BRIT school, which is the UK’s only state-funded arts school.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday’s You magazine in 2009, Blake explained how his dad was in the army, then became a cabbie before driving ministers around for the government car service.

The Harrison family lived on a council estate, and although he says he and his older brother had all they wanted, and that the estate didn’t seem that rough, his perspective has changed. ‘There’d sometimes be a few people in the area behind the bins on the estate. At the time, I was like, ‘What are they doing in there?’ It’s quite obvious to me now that they were doing drugs.’

At primary school he had always liked acting, and so his mum would ferry him to Saturday drama classes. He landed a small role in Oliver! at the London Palladium aged ten, and then at 14 he won a place at the Brit School in Croydon, where his classmates included Katie Melua and Leona Lewis.

He studied dance and drama and then enrolled at the E15 Acting School for three years. ‘And then shortly after that Inbetweeners rolled along. I was very, very lucky.’

After the show wrapped in 2010, Blake went on to star in the hit 2018 drama A Very English Scandal alongside Hugh Grant and also did voiceover work for the reboot of Bob the Builder.

He also played Private Pike in Dad’s Army, Travis Pickford in Agatha and the Truth of Murder and Greg Tullet in The Kindred. 

More recently, he starred opposite Billie Piper in I Hate Suzie Too. Speaking to Digital Spy, Blake confessed: ‘My immediate reaction was to be a little bit nervous because of how brilliant I thought the first series was and how well acted I thought the first series was from everyone. And as soon as I started reading the scripts I was just like ‘ah this is just too good’.’

But while he’s grateful for all the show gave him, Blake did urge fans to stop shouting out some of the series’ most famous catchphrases – including ‘cl**ge’ and calling people ‘bus w****rs’.  

Speaking on the ‘Distraction Pieces’ podcast in 2021, hosted by Scroobius Pip, Harrison says he regrets that so many of them became part of the English language – and wants people to stop.

He said: ‘It’s weird ‘cos you think, well I don’t think I’ve given the world anything great.

‘It’s like the word ‘cl**ge’. Or people shouting ‘bus w****rs’ at people standing at bus stops.

‘I kind of rather people didn’t do that. It doesn’t feel like the nicest or the best thing in the world to have contributed.’

He has also more recently starred as ‘Medium’ Dan, in the ITV sitcom Kate & Koji.

Blake is married to wife Kerry Ann Lynch who he often shares loved-up snaps with on Instagram. They live in Kent and have two children, a daughter and a son. 

James Buckley – Jay Cartwright

James Buckley’s face may be one you’ve seen more of than the others – he’s started to make £10,000 a week from it. 

The now 37-year-old become the first UK celebrity to become a Cameo millionaire as he amassed $1 million (£930,000) on the app in 2022. 

And this time last year he was raking in £10,000 a week sending fans personalised vidoes. 

Born in Croydon in August 1987, James’ father Kevin worked as a postman while his mother Sharon was employed by the Home Office.

What’s more, he is another Inbetweeners star who discovered his love of acting early.

At the age of 14, he bagged his first role playing Jonny Vaughan’s god-son in the BBC sitcom ‘Orrible.

In 2008, he was cast as Jay Cartwright in he Inbetweeners and went on to star in all the three seasons and the two following movies.

In 2022, the actor described it was the ‘best job in the world’ – but admitted that there is ‘not enough money in the world‘ that would make him want to reprise his role.

During an appearance on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, Chris asked James what he would say if the people who wrote Inbetweeners came to him with a new script for the show. James replied: ‘No. I don’t want to go near it anymore.’

Following the success of the show, James went on to appear in the TV show White Gold alongside his co-star Joe Thomas and also made a cameo in a 2020 episode of Doctor Who.

After joining the Cameo app in March 2020, he gained ‘financial freedom’. 

According to the platform’s founder Martin Blencowe, James ‘takes it very seriously’ and is ‘ready to do the work’ after it was reported he replied to 37 video requests per day in 2021. 

He said: ‘James was incredibly popular from the start, but he’s stayed committed to his fans, always keeping an accessible price (even during his busiest periods) and giving his all to make each Cameo special. 

But he now spends most of his time running his successful YouTube channels, a gaming vlog called Completed It Mate and another called At Home With The Buckleys. 

James also documents his family life with his wife Mussel star Clair Meek, 36, who he shares sons Harrison, 12, and 11-year-old Jude. 

The husband and wife duo brought out a book At Home With The Buckleys: Scummy stories and misadventures from modern family life, in 2022 

Emily Atack – Charlotte Hinchcliffe

While Emily Atack is now soaking in the mum life after giving birth to her first wee bundle of joy in June, it wasn’t long ago she was in the jungle. 

Emily, now 34, almost came out on top of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here – which lead to her taking on more big roles. 

The actress played popular girl Charlotte Hinchcliffe in the Inbetweeners, with her character and Will sharing a cheeky romance.

She starred across multiple episodes of the show between 2008 and 2010. 

Appearing on Rob Brydon’s podcast in April 2022, Emily revealed her award first meeting with Simon Bird – who was 23 at the time – on set.

She explained: ‘The first scene we did together, was the scene where he was pogoing on top of me.

‘He had to get on top of me and I remember thinking I’m going to have to say something to break the ice, and I said, ‘How does it feel being on top of a 17-year-old?’ 

‘He was like, ‘You’re 17! Oh my God.’ He was mortified.’

It was 2018 when Atack was the runner up in I’m a Celeb! But since then she’s become a panelist on Celebrity Juice and had her own sketch show called The Emily Atack Show.

 In her documentary Emily Atack: Asking For It? the star revealed how she first started receiving online harassment when she was cast in the show.

Emily also claimed she is ‘constantly’ told she is ‘to blame’ for the harassment because she is ‘sexually liberated’, saying she wants to combat such thinking in her documentary.

Speaking of the sexy lads’ mags photoshoots which she posed for at the height of her Inbetweeners fame, Emily said she is proud of them and said other people took the ‘joy’ away from them for her.

Emily has often been open about her experiences of sexual harassment, even meeting MPs in parliament amid the propose bill to make cyberflashing an illegal offence.

She recently welcomed her first child – a son Barney with boyfriend Alistair Garner.

The actress has known her boyfriend Alistair for almost three decades as her mother is the sister of his stepmother Jane Garner.

They were introduced after Emily’s aunt started dating Alistair’s father Stephen Garner in the early nighties before they got married in 1994.

The Inbetweeners star confirmed she was six months pregnant in March, as she shared a rough idea of her due date with her fans.

Emily Head – Carli D’Amato

She was known as the hottest girl in school when she starred in The Inbetweeners as Carli D’Amato. 

And since the show finished, Emily Head has gone on to bag a starring role in Emmerdale as well as making a name for herself in the London theatre scene.

Born in December 1998 in Fulham, Emily is the eldest daughter of award-winning actor Anthony Head – who is famous for his roles in Ted Lasso, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Little Britain – and his wife Sarah Fisher.

Speaking to You magazine in 2011, Emily explained how she used to put on plays for her family from the age of five.

She said: ‘I found one of those old programmes a while ago, and I was the usher, props person, director, writer, lead role, lead role’s mother, all the parts virtually, except the dog, which was played by Daisy, my sister – who’s also an actress now.’

What’s more, the star says she believes the The Inbetweeners’ success was down to being the ‘anti-Skins’.

She explained: ‘This is what the teenage experience is really like, in all its messy, fumbling, clueless chaos. But the biggest surprise is that parents enjoy it as much as their kids, and they watch it together. I guess everyone remembers being at school, and they can identify with one or another of the characters and their problems and longings and highs and lows.’

Sharing the life lesson she took away from the show, Emily added: ‘Boys are dweebs and girls run rings round them. It’s true. Girls mature much earlier than boys and that’s when it all gets a bit witchy, because they’re aware of their power over them, and it’s all about how they exercise that.’

Following on from the show’s success, Emily starred as Rebecca White in Emmerdale from 2016 until 2018.

Since then, she’s moved into writing and more recently starred in her own play The System – a psychological thriller about a man who was murdered at his own birthday party.

Greg Davies – Mr Gilbert

Welsh comedian Greg Davies, 56, plays the no-nonsense headteacher, Mr Gilbert, at the Inbetweener’s school, Rudge Park Comprehensive. 

He had previously been a school drama and English teacher in real life for 13 years, before leaving the classroom to focus on his stand-up career. 

Reflecting on his job at The Inbetweeners: Fwends Reunited show in 2019, he said, seemingly with a touch of sarcasm, that being a teacher was ‘a living hell’.

Davies joked on the show about his old class that the Inbetweeners was ‘the big break I needed to leave you all behind’. 

When asked whether his teaching style was similar to his character’s he said: ‘Gilbert is a psychopath. I had all the instincts Gilbert had but it’s illegal to act on them in the way he did.’ 

He has since seemingly taken elements of the stern and harsh character forward in his comedy.

Now he is better known by many as the host of Taskmaster, a BBC series in which he fills the title role of an imposing disciplinarian who gets celebrities to complete absurd challenges.

He also also had starring roles in sitcoms Man Down and Cuckoo, alongside Hollywood actor Taylor Lautner.

His stand-up comedy series You Magnificent Beast has been on Netflix since 2018 and another recent set, The Back Of My Mum’s Head, was broadcast on Channel 4 in late 2022.

In 2018, he teased that the cast would ‘jump’ at the chance to do a third Inbetweeners film.

‘We’d all jump at a film, I’m sure,’ the Mr Gilbert actor told The Sun at the BAFTA TV Awards red carpet. ‘But I’m unaware at this moment there are any plans. We had a right old run at it.’

Davies also joked: ‘Those four boys are nearly 50 now. We’re the same age, they’ve caught up to my age. If they do decide to do something with it, it’ll be a very different format, I guess.

‘But seriously, the affection that people I meet still have for that show is incredible. The enduring love for it is really exciting.’

He has most recently starred in The Cleaner since 2021 where he plays Paul ‘Wicky’ Wickstead, a state-certified cleaning technician, who is responsible for the removal of any signs of death from crime scenes. 

Robin Weaver – Pamela Cooper 

Robin, 54, is married to Shameless star Sean Gilder and played Simon’s unappreciated mum Pamela Cooper in the franchise.

As well as her role in The Inbetweeners, she is also most famous for playing Clara in The Muppet Christmas Carol, released in 1992.

She has appeared in a number of comedy roles over her career, featuring in an episode of BBC sitcom My family and The Baby – a comic horror on Sky Atlantic.

Her repertoire of comedy roles is set to expand as she has been cast in new comedy series on Disney+.

Her most recent comedic appearance was in new Disney+ series Extraordinary. 

She plays Colette in the first episode of the comedy drama created by Emma Moran in which everyone over the age of 18 develops a superpower.

Martin Trenaman – Alan Cooper

Simon’s father Alan didn’t appear in many episodes of the show – but he is memorable among fans for always embarrassing his son with details about his sex life. 

Alan Cooper was played by Martin Trenaman – an accomplished comedy writer who has worked closely with Lenny Henry and written scrips to Never Mind the Buzzcocks.  

Four years before landing the role in The Inbetweeners, Martin had a short-lived role as a locksmith in Noel Fielding’s hit show The Mighty Boosh.

He also went on to appear in E4’s PhoneShop, where he played the manager Lance.

Speaking to CultBox in 2011, Martin admitted that he finds it weird being approached by fans of The Inbetweeners.

He explained: ‘I do get recognised quite a lot by fans and they are mainly delightful . 

‘I did have one girl who spotted me on my mobile in deep conversation and still came over, nodded at me, put her arm around me and took a photo on her phone whilst I was mid-conversation, which was odd.’

Most recently, he appeared in the ITV drama Quiz – which was an adaptation of the controversial Major Charles Ingram case concerning his Who Wants to be a Millionaire? win.

David Schaal – Terry Cartwright

Just like Simon’s dad, Terry Cartwright only appeared in the show a handful of times – but he was the only character who could put Jay in his place.

Born in May 1968 in New Mexico, viewers wouldn’t know David was originally from the US based on his spot-on British accent. 

Before he bagged the role of Jay’s dad, David appeared as Taffy in original series of The Office and also appeared in episodes of Casualty, Silent Witness and The Basil Brush Show. 

In 2018, the actor explained how one of his scenes almost took a very morbid turn while filming the Caravan Club episode during series one on The Inbetweeners: Fwends Reunited.

Reflecting on the cold campsite washroom where he filmed, David explained that he was involved in a car crash on his way home from filming.

He shared: ‘I had to get half-naked, it was freezing cold and I had to p*** and fart though the whole scene while my c**k was shrivelled to the size of an acorn.

‘It was so cold I had a car crash on the way home because I went hot, cold, hot, cold and I fell asleep at the wheel.’

In 2022, David appeared in three episodes of EastEnders as DS Foden and has recently co-written a feature film called Back to Archway.

Alex MacQueen – Kevin Sutherland

Neil’s dad who was often the butt of the boys’ (far from politically correct) jokes, was played by Alex Macqueen.

Alex, who trained as a barrister as well as an actor, is also known for his role as Julian Nicholson in political sitcom The Thick of It.

Around the same time as his role in Inbetweeners, he played a sarcastic consultant in Holby City appearing in 75 episodes spanning from 2005 to 2010.

He went on to appear in the 2015 Cinderella film as the royal crier and in Peaky Blinders, in which he portrayed an MP.

Like Jay, Alex has set up a Cameo account to make money in and out of character as Neil’s dad.

On his account he charges £40 for a personal message and £1,230 for business videos.

Belinda Stewart-Wilson – Polly McKenzie

Belinda, 53, played Will’s mum Polly McKenzie, despite only being 13 years older than the actor who played Will, Simon Bird.

Previously married to comedy actor Ben Miller, Belinda’s father was a British Army officer who later become Equerry to the Queen. 

After spending her youth following her father on his military postings, being based in Germany and Austria as well as the UK, before attending the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

In The Inbetweeners franchise, Belinda’s character Polly was the subject of teenage desires from her son’s peers.

But Belinda revealed she still receives ‘graphic’ messages from young men who fancied her character and she has even been shouted at in the street. 

She told the Daily Star: ‘I’ve had some odd messages and suggestions over the years some of which are so graphic I can’t repeat them.

‘But you have to take it with a pinch of salt – it’s still nice to be loved.

‘I still get shouted at in the street and it’s great just being Will’s mum, forever in the hearts of the nation.’ 

Belinda had made a number of TV appearances before appearing on The Inbetweeners, including in The IT Crowd, Primeval and a one-off appearance on an episode of Poirot. 

After the release of The Inbetweeners movies, she appeared in a number of episodes of Casualty as Ciara Cass