You must have found yourself stuck in a situation or in between situations a lot of the time. That is a fairly common occurrence. Our adolescence was the same, as many would agree. We were not children, but we were not adults either. We were TEENAGERS.
The years that essentially make or break us. Such was the case with Simon, Will, Jay, and Niel too. These are adolescents trying to get through high school and enjoy their final years there. They made mistakes, but they learned from them too. They did their best, and we appreciated them for it.
If you haven’t guessed yet, I am talking about “The Inbetweeners”! A story about four boys and how they navigate life, or at least life as they know it to be. This is a British coming-of-age, teen-comedy sitcom drama that came out in 2008, precisely on the 1st of May, and lasted till the 18th of October, 2008.
This was a small-budget series with rookie writers and rookie actors. The production company did not expect this to happen. But it BLEW UP. People were and are loving it, and they liked how uncertain it was, just like a series about teenagers should be. This is a classic that can be undoubtedly considered one of the most successful 21st Century British sitcoms.
This show is created and written by Iain Morris and Damon Beesley. The cast includes actors such as Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, Blake Harrison, and James Buckley as the main characters. This series is continued by two movies of the same names, starring the same iconic guys and following their journey as they grow older and become adults.
The four central characters, guys, as they are shown in the series, have a quirk of their own. We have Will, who is shown as the narrator of the show, the nerdy, bespectacled guy, who would give us a premise and workings through each of the 18 episodes they had shot. Then we have Jay, the bragger. He is the character in the story which kind of lives in a world of his own and makes up stories that no one believes well, no one except Niel at least.
Niel is considered to be the weirdest of them all. Well, he believes what Jay says, after all! His quirk is not telling anyone anything unless asked so., leading to a lot of interesting situations. Last but not least, we have Simon, the ladies’ guy! No one quite hits the spot as these characters do once you watch them on screen.
Inbetweeners Filmings Locations
Since this was considered to be a low-budget show, most of the shooting was done in London, England itself. A lot of local areas, malls, and amusement parks can be seen in the series.
1. 4 Whitley Close, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, England, UK
This particular house location found on Abbots Langley was used for the filming of Inbetweeners. Near this location is the Abbey Drive, which was also used for filming in the series. The picture shown below is shown to be the house of the character Will McKenzie in the series. There were other houses in the same area that were used as filming locations for the houses of the other guys. The Inbetweeners production house that is Bwark Productions, has confirmed this particular information.
The series starts with Will’s character shown to be extremely alarmed by the news that his parents are separating, and now Will has to change schools, going from a Private school to Rudge Park Comprehensive. There are scenes where the other three guys are seen to take an interest in Will’s Mother and are, on various occasions asking Will if they can ask his Mother out.
2. Ruislip High School, Hillingdon, England, UK
The school that became famous in this series, a school everyone who has watched this series wants to go to, does actually exist! It is actually known by the name of Ruislip High School in the UK. You may not be able to go and visit Rudge Park Comprehensive, but you can visit the site where Ruislip High is located. This is the school that Will unwillingly had to be a part of, where he was called names, being the new dorky student.
This is also the place where the four guys meet and form an unlikely but loved group. Will decided to make friends with this group, thinking this would be a ‘normal’ pair that would help him mesh with the crowd. That might not have happened, but they did make a world of their own that no one could make an entry in.
3. Thorpe Park Resort, Surrey, England, UK
Thorpe Park? Does it ring a bell? Yes, this is definitely the famous Thorpe Park that Simon promises he will take his friends after he gets his driver’s license. Simon does get his driver’s license in Season 1, episode 3. But, it was only because the lady’s man impresses Tracey, the examiner where he goes to give his license exam. He decides to take his friends for a joy ride. But how would it be a teen sitcom if things were to go as planned?
Simon’s friends soon realize that he CANNOT drive. The following scenes are followed by some extremely hilarious moments as they try to reach their location. And a ride on the roller coaster after they somehow manage to reach Thrope Park. This park is still extremely famous and can be visited and enjoyed some amusement rides.
4. Pippingford Park, East Sussex, UK
To give the final season a classic ending, the boys decided to go to a camp. Simon is supposed to be moving away to Swansea because his father’s work calls for it. He is reasonably upset about this but cannot really do anything about the situation. Will suggests all of them go for a farewell trip, and that is how they end up going to Pipping Ford Park. Trouble follows the boys even at this place, as because of Niel and Jay, Simon losses his car to the lake.
The boys are bonding in their own ways, even through all of this. Even as the show approaches its end, there are no sob moments or farewells because that is just not the way The Inbetweeners carry themselves. It ends with someone farting and all of them vomiting, wishing us all farewell in their own way.
Just how much do People love ‘The Inbetweeners’?
Be it the critics or the audience, everyone sees the show for how wonderful it is! Spiffing, to say the least. People are seen to fall in love with the unfiltered and almost crude take on things that this series has.
The way they did not shy away from showing anything that adolescents were shown and known to be engaging in, be it things related to sexual matters, the no-thinking-going-forward attitude, or saying whatever came to mind. They had it all down to the word. Even after almost 15 years since its last episode was aired, this series continues to be people’s favorite.
During a recent post celebrating the series’ completing fifteen years, the actors made a post saying they were sorry to be making all the people feel old! But the audience wouldn’t have it any other way because this series did age like fine wine!
Also, read: Why Was Destination Fear Cancelled? Explained
