James Buckley on why ‘The Inbetweeners’ can never return

“It was all justified because they were never the heroes,” Buckley said, referring to the antics of the sixth-former friendship group (via Lad Bible). “They were idiots and they got what they deserved.”

He continued: “That’s why it can’t come back – you can’t have men in their late thirties acting like they’re in sixth form and getting away with that stuff.

“I always get asked if I’d ever do more [episodes] and I said, ‘for no amount of money’ and that quote got run away.”

Buckley added: “I didn’t mean about money – it means more to me than money.”

The actor, 36, is the youngest among the main cast of The Inbetweeners, which also starred Simon Bird (39), Blake Harrison (38) and Joe Thomas (39).

Earlier this year, Bird (who played William McKenzie) said the show “wouldn’t be made today” due to its “casual homophobia” and sexism.

“I rationalise it to myself by saying that at the time it was an accurate representation of the way teenagers talk to each other. Is that still the case now? I assume not,” he explained.

“Although the programme was set in the 2000s, it was based on a pilot set in 1990, so even in the 2000s it wasn’t really an accurate reflection of how teenagers spoke.”

The four cast members reunited in 2019 for a 10th-anniversary TV special, Fwends Reunited. Fans largely reacted negatively to the programme, with many calling it “awful” and “awkward”.

This May, Harrison marked the 15th anniversary of The Inbetweeners with a post on social media. Buckley later recalled how he almost lost out on the role of Jay because of his agent.