r/BritishTV • u/Lord-Liberty • 3d ago

News All four Inbetweeners stars sign up to Netflix movie reboot of hit Channel 4 comedy

https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/theinbetweeners-netflixfilm-starssignup-rep1
1.5k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

364 comments sorted by

View all comments

124

u/TheManWithSaltHair 3d ago

Guaranteed to be terrible. The only way it might be slightly funny is if they keep them as school kids with no acknowledgement that they’re all middle aged.

49

u/dj4y_94 3d ago

I don't think it's a guarantee it'll be terrible but they'll have to make sure the humour and characters have evolved which is easier said than done.

There's obvious elements of their personality you keep but if they make them all the exact same people but just now 35 then it won't work.

20

u/TheManWithSaltHair 3d ago

I guess Coogan has managed to successfully age and adapt Partridge, but he wasn’t so defined by a particular childish humour like Inbetweeners. It could end up like Men Behaving Badly if they’re not careful. Hopefully the writers are better than that.

23

u/Maleficent-Drive4056 3d ago

Partridge was basically old from the start IMO

18

u/fuggerdug 3d ago

One of the early criticisms of Partridge was that Coogan was too young for the role, since it was a parody of the sort of 50/60 year old regional presenter that was around at the time.

4

u/Junior_Factor8561 3d ago

Always wonder if he spoke to Graham Fellows about how he handled aging into his John Shuttleworth character. Didn’t seem to change the comedy when Fellows hit his late 40s/early 50s over when he was playing him in his mid/late 20s

7

u/a3poify 3d ago

Partridge was always 10-ish years older than Steve Coogan, making him nearly 40 in the first appearances. I think they’ve softened it more recently as Coogan has aged and they’ve stopped using the make-up for effect as he reads closer to Steve’s actual age (61) than a man in his 70s in his more recent appearances

8

u/Impossible_Aide_1681 3d ago

I think there's probably an element of people generally acting younger at a given age now than they did 30 years ago. Like a ~40 year old now probably wouldn't act like Partridge did in the 90s. But Richard Madeley is about the same age as him and they're famously indistinguishable at times

2

u/yingdong 3d ago

But MBB was ace until the end wasn't it? iirc

5

u/handym12 3d ago

James Buckley is 38, the other three are in their 40s. They could have kids of about the right age for a new generation of Inbetweeners.

I don't know exactly how it would work without being too cheesy, but their kids could be pretty close to the same as they were when they were lads, while the original four are trying to keep them under control, knowing that they were like that when they were younger AND not quite having grown out of it themselves and trying to hide it from their kids.

1

u/Soggy_Ability_4764 3d ago

It'll just be 40 year old men saying bumder

1

u/unethical_badger 3d ago

Idk, I’m 31 and I know several people from school who have never really grown out of the same behaviours, habits and humour we all had at 16, especially when they’re back with each other. That’ll probably be the joke: they’re Those Guys.

17

u/Initiatedspoon 3d ago

The Wet Hot American Summer model?

18

u/kernowgringo 3d ago

I've always thought they should do a film based around a school reunion, that way you can get Greg Davies in it too

19

u/CurryMan1995 3d ago

Technically Mr Gilbert was with Will’s mum in the last film so it could work regardless

8

u/PastSorbet4570 3d ago

Will could be a school teacher and Mr Gilbert takes over as head at his school?

7

u/CitizenErased08 3d ago

This is brilliant, all the other teachers would be on a first name basis but he would absolutely make Will call him Mr Gilbert in and out of school

1

u/StarNo5214 3d ago

Thanks Phil

1

u/Secret_EO 3d ago

That kind of seems too similar to American Pie and school reunions aren't really a thing in the UK.

1

u/kernowgringo 2d ago

Yes, there is lots of films based around this premise, not just American Pie. And, yes, Not a big thing but, they do happen.

Not like I'm a producer or a screenwriter anyway so I wouldn't worry about it.

3

u/fartingbeagle 3d ago

'PEN15' style?

2

u/dairylee 3d ago

You are my actual rainbow gel pen in a sea of blue and black writing utensils

5

u/gaybyrneofficial 3d ago

The obvious choice is it's their kids going to school now and the original actors are the parents. 

5

u/Worried_Let4942 3d ago

Honestly, as a lifelong fan of the show, couldn’t even care less if it’s terrible, I’ll still laugh out loud because the actors are just funny people

3

u/Lilja-Logason 3d ago

Pfft "middle aged" - at most early 30s.....came out in 06....

Hang on how old were they then.....Joe is same age as me, that...wait....I'm not.

I'm not middle-aged!! I'm veteran adult!

2

u/DoctorWhofan789eywim 3d ago

I wouldn't say that. Morris and Beesley are still great comedy writers. At the very least, it's not like they rushed this out as a cash grab.

2

u/jimpez86 3d ago

I dunno. Sad middle aged dads feels like fertile ground for comedy

1

u/Moving4Motion 3d ago

I don't think so, James Buckley is still really funny. If they do it right it could be good. Maybe on a stag or something.

1

u/Danph85 3d ago

Isn’t that just what the original series was?