'The Inbetweeners' Star James Buckley Says People Would Be Offended By The Show Today

The Inbetweeners star James Buckley - better known as bullshitter Jay Cartwright - has said that he reckons the show would receive a more hostile reaction if it was launched in 2018.

Buckley, 31, said that he thinks that it's 'cool at the moment to be offended', so many of the more risqué jokes made on the show wouldn't go down as well with audiences today.

Speaking to Digital Spy, he said: "I think that when The Inbetweeners was around, everyone understood the context - that they were kids.

"There used to be a sympathy, where you could almost forgive them, because you can't really have a go at someone for being stupid - that's not really their fault.

"Nowadays, it feels very black and white with comedy. There's no in-between, it's just, 'This person said this on television - isn't that terrible?'

"It's killing comedy, because you're not allowed to joke about anything, it seems. There seems to be a joke police, nowadays."

He added: "It seems to be cool at the moment to be offended by stuff, and that's a shame. It seems to be in vogue at the moment, and I'm hoping it will pass, because I do think that possibly people would maybe be more offended by The Inbetweeners if it was to be made today. Which is really weird, because it's only 10 years. It's only four years since we finished."

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Perhaps he's got a bit of a point about certain gags not ageing well; in recent months those new to hit sitcom Friends, or fans re-watching it years later, have taken to social media claiming the show is 'homophobic', 'misogynistic' and 'transphobic'.

It was also called out for fat-shaming Monica, with one viewer taking to Twitter to say: "The fat shaming in this Friends episode is unreal. I still love Friends. I think it really shows how much we as a society has accomplished and changed since then! But DAMN."

Another posted: "The fat shaming of Monica in Friends will forever be problematic - she's not even that 'fat' in it, for fuck's sake."

And in January this year, unedited episodes of British sitcom Only Fools and Horses made some viewers feel uncomfortable with 'racist' jokes.

One person tweeted: "Didn't notice it at the time but Only Fools and Horses was racist as fuck. Looks quite shocking when you watch it now."

While a second wrote: "Watched an old episode of Only Fools and Horses last night. And, well... It's a *bit* massively fucking racist, innit?"

Topics: TV and Film, UK Entertainment, the inbetweeners

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19