Inbetweeners' James Buckley makes brutal reunion admission amid reunion hopes

12 July 2023 , 15:15

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Inbetweeners' James Buckley makes brutal reunion admission amid reunion hopes

James Buckley has responded to the demand for a reunion of The Inbetweeners, which aired its final episode over 10 years ago.

The actor had a brutal reply when Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews quizzed him about a return to playing Jay Cartwright.

James admitted not even "all the money in the world" could tempt him to reprise the role again - with a hilarious reason for being against a reunion.

The English actor rose to national fame in 2008 after he was cast as the cheeky Jay Cartwright on the E4 comedy series about a group of outcast teenage boys navigating the trials and tribulations of family, friendships, school, and of course, romance.

James Buckley has reflected on playing Jay again in a new interview (Global Player/ Big Fish)

He spilled the beans to former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews (Global Player/ Big Fish)

His iconic character, who had viewers across the UK and Ireland in splits with his compulsive fibbing and obsession with sex, has gone down in history as one of the most iconic ever to be teenagers portrayed on British television. Buckley even received a BAFTA nomination in 2011 for his brilliant performance, only to lose out to Steve Coogan of The Trip.

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With such glowing feedback from critics and fans alike, it's hardly a surprise that folks have long been hoping for The Inbetweeners boys to reunite.

Speaking on the Big Fish with Spencer Matthews, however, Buckley hinted that he had no plans to play Jay again - and it's all because of his age.

"You know, lot of people still ask if there's going to be some more Inbetweeners, and my answer is always the same," the 35-year-old said. "I always go look at me, look at a state of me, look how old and haggard I am, and I'm the youngest out of the boys."

The Inbetweeners remains a much-loved comedy classic (John Wright)

Buckley also recently said that "there's not enough money in the world" for him to play Jay again in The Inbetweeners and "spoil" one of the best times of his life.

However, he did share that he's open to working with his costars, Simon Bird (Will), Joe Thomas (Simon) and Blake Harrison (Neil) at some point in the future.

"I'd love to do something different with the boys, but this was the one job in my life that ticked all the boxes. I loved doing it," he said. "I thought it was good. I'm proud of it. I got to do it with my friends. I had so much fun doing it and loads of other people loved us doing it as well."

For the time-being, Buckley is focused on his family life. Today, the Twitch streamer (who recently became the first UK celeb to make $1million from Cameo videos ), is the proud father to two sons, Harrison and Jude, with wife Clair Meek.

On the secret to a happy marriage, Buckley advised couples to "let the little stuff go" and to "lower your expectations."

"Then you can't be disappointed, because if Clair wanted to raise the bar, I would disappoint her four times an hour," he explained. That's not a sex joke, by the way, even though it sounded like it."

At another point of the interview, Buckley said that he never lets his children watch The Inbetweeners - and not just because of its explicit content.

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"I'm supposed to be their dad," he said. "You know I'm supposed to be respected. The last thing I want them to do is watch The Inbetweeners, because the tiny last bit of respect that I do have from them would go completely out the window."

Emma Dooney