The main protagonist of the show is Will, a privately educated teenager who suddenly finds himself thrown into the added trials and tribulations of state school life. After forcing himself into a group of new friends, they all soon become close and begin working together to get all the things young guys crave - popularity, money, and most importantly, girls!
The Characters and Cast of The Inbetweeners
Will, played by Simon Bird, is a geeky, socially ill-informed young man who can't help but let his ego overpower any potential shyness. His pompous and often patronising outbursts are a highlight of the show.
Simon, played by Joe Thomas, is less geeky than newcomer Will, but probably the most anxious of the bunch. His main purpose in life seems to be winning the affection of the love of his life, Carly. This tends to end badly.
Jay, played by James Buckley, is the cockiest member of the group. He always has a plan of some kind, usually revolving around getting girls, which are almost always a total failure. He's also the 'tall story boy' of the group, the master of exaggeration and more often than not, downright lies.
Neil is played by Blake Harrison and is the obligatory stupid one. His vacant stare alone is always good for a few laughs and his laid back, 'ignorance is bliss' attitude is a good contrast to the other characters.
Style and Humour in The Inbetweeners
Like most fresh comedies, The Inbetweeners shuns the old laughter soundtrack and instead lets the viewer decide for themselves what's funny and what's not. Fortunately, there's plenty to laugh about. Mostly, the show plays on the way teenage ansgt and libido can cloud judgement and this is what's always getting the characters into ridiculous situations. In the first series, one of the characters is so obsessed with a girl that he decides to spray paint her driveway with a love message before visiting her horrendously drunk because apparently 'girls like drunk blokes'. This doesn't go too badly, until he accidentally vomits in her little brother's face.
Although the situations are funny, one of the keys to this being such a great comedy is the relationship between the main characters. The banter between them is realistic and very funny, with most discussions soon turning into arguments before coming to an end with a classic puerile insult. Each character is quite different, but stuck in the same boat, so they play off each other really well.
The show is usually rounded up with a voiceover by Will, which acts as a great way of putting into perspective just how ridiculous the events of the show have been. In fact, it often seems twice as funny by this point, a sort of reflective style of comedy.
Overall, a really good show, but one that could easily slip under the radar. Don't let it!
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