James Buckley says there’s no special reason ‘The Inbetweeners’ is still popular: “It’s just quite funny”
The actor and his wife, Clair Buckley, launched new podcast 'The Buckleys' this week
by Nick Levine · NMEJames Buckley has spoken about the enduring appeal of The Inbetweeners, telling NME that the coming-of-age sitcom is “bigger now than when we were actually making it”.
Buckley starred as brash, braggadocious Jay Cartwright in the puerile comedy series about a high school friendship group who were “in between” their school’s cool kids and nerd contingent. The show ran for three series between 2008 and 2010 on E4 before spawning two enormously successful spin-off movies that followed in 2011 and 2014.
Reflecting on the show’s unflagging popularity ever since then, Buckley told NME: “I think it’s just because it’s quite funny – that’s it really. It’s not particularly big or clever; some of it’s really silly. The whole ethos was we just wanted to make people laugh. We had this rule where we tried our hardest to make sure that something funny happened every 30 seconds.”
Earlier this summer, TikTok creator Mathew Matos Gillingwater scored a viral hit with a hilarious video imagining “The Inbetweeners if they were Gen Z” but really, not much has changed for teenagers. James’ wife, podcaster and vlogger Clair Buckley, pointed out that the show remains “true” to life, which is why it still resonates with new generations of teenagers. “Obviously, it will eventually become outdated but I think right now, and probably for a while, [it still captures] what school’s like – that’s what they all see and how they talk.”
James also shared some thoughts on what his character Jay might be doing in 2024. “In my head, if the boys are now in their thirties, Jay would be quite successful and that would really annoy [Simon Bird’s character] Will,” he said. “Because Will would be like, ‘Well, that’s not fair. I worked hard at school, I went to university, and Jay is just one of those dickheads who managed to land on his feet.'”
Speculating on how Jay might be earning a living, James added: “Maybe he’s got his own company? Maybe he got some steroids and got really buff? [He might be] some kind of Instagram fitness guru with loads of endorsements and things. He’s just living a really nice life, but he’s still a bit of a dick.”
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Despite being famous as one-quarter of The Inbetweeners James, alongside Clair, has also become known for their hit vlog At Home With The Buckleys and subsequent chart-topping podcast In Sickness And In Health. Now they are preparing to launch brand new podcast The Buckleys in which they promise to share “absolutely everything” with their fans.
“James has got a long list to get through of things that annoy him,” Clair said. “Like whether or not people use the word ‘selfie’ correctly. We really like to get to the heart of it on this podcast,” James continued.
Check out the full interview with James and Clair Buckley below, which features their opinions on the Oasis reunion, going off-limits with The Buckleys and how James’ arse accidentally gripped the nation.
Hi Clair and James, what can we expect from your new podcast?
James: “The podcast basically comes off the back of our YouTube channel, which is a little vlogging thing that we started a couple of years ago. And, well, I’ve always thought that our marriage is based on the fact that I really like annoying Clair.”
Clair: “It’s not based on that.”
J: “Well, it is for me. My favourite thing in the world is to get on Clair’s nerves. And Clair is quite easy to wind up. So that’s sort of what the podcast is as well.”
C: “I would say it’s a married couple podcast, but not how you usually see them. It’s actually how married people talk to each other. We’re talking about stuff that’s mundane but funny. And when listeners come back at us with opinions, they’re funny opinions.”
Is anything off limits or could you have a moan about absolutely anything?
J: “I’m still trying to catch up with the rules, but Clair’s quite good at making sure I behave myself somewhat. I do have less boundaries than her though”
C: “You don’t have any! Not that he ever says anything bad or anything, but James is too open. I mean, there was a whole time period in our vlogs where the main subject between us and the people watching was James’s piles. Like, we were three vlogs into it, and I started getting Instagram DMs asking how my husband’s arse was. It got to a point where I was like, ‘What are we doing?!'”
J: “The nation was gripped!”
Is it nice to have creative control over your vlogging and podcasting? James, as an actor known for shows like The Inbetweeners, you must be at the mercy of casting crew and directors.
J: “It’s not even that. It’s just that there’s so many hoops that you have to jump through with [TV] networks and film companies. But if you own a mobile phone and you’ve got the internet, if you come up with an idea, you can just make it yourself and put it out there.”
C: “We talk quite a lot on the podcast about people on Instagram who are making really great sketch comedy.”
J: “More people watch stuff on the internet than on television now, so why would you come up with an idea, then go and ask [a TV or film executive] if you can make it?”
C: “And then be told ‘no’.”
J: “Or, if you do end up making it, watch someone else get really rich off the back of it? So I think, just go and do it yourself.”
James, when you did NME‘s Soundtrack of My Life interview, you revealed that your first ever gig was Oasis at Finsbury Park in 2002. How are you feeling about the reunion?
J: “I couldn’t think of greater news. And I love how excited the whole country is, especially a lot of young people – that’s absolutely brilliant. There’s something weird about Oasis where, if you’re a massive fan like me, you sort of support them like a football team. Ironically, they may sort of be the Man United [of bands]…”
C: “I don’t know where you’re going with this!”
J: “Stay with me. Like Man United in that Fergie left [as manager] and they’ve been sort of out in the wilderness for the last 10 or 11 years. But hopefully now they might start winning things again. I think that’s what makes it really, really exciting. We all want to see them doing well.”
‘The Buckleys‘ is available to stream now with new episodes released every Thursday