The Inbetweeners (series 1)

The inaugural series of E4 coming-of-age television sitcom The Inbetweeners began broadcasting on 1 May 2008. The entire series was directed by Gordon Anderson and was written by the programme's creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris. The series follows the misadventures of suburban teenager Will McKenzie (Simon Bird) and his friends Simon Cooper (Joe Thomas), Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison) and Jay Cartwright (James Buckley) at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive. The programme involves situations of school life, uncaring school staff, friendship, male bonding, lad culture and largely failed sexual encounters.

The Inbetweeners
Series 1
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes6
Release
Original networkE4
Original release1 May (2008-05-01) –
29 May 2008 (2008-05-29)
Series chronology

The pilot episode was watched by 238,000 viewers.[1] The series averaged 459,000 viewers,[2] with 474,000 viewers watching the series finale, which was broadcast on 29 May.[3] The Inbetweeners received two nominations at the British Comedy Awards; the programme was nominated for "Best New British Television Comedy (Scripted)" and Simon Bird was nominated for "Best Male Comedy Newcomer".[4] Both won their respective categories.[5] The programme was also voted by the British Comedy Guide website as the "Best New British TV Sitcom 2008".[6]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Episodes
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
11"First Day"[7]Gordon AndersonDamon Beesley & Iain Morris1 May 2008 (2008-05-01)0.32
Will McKenzie (Simon Bird) is forced to move from a private school to a state school, Rudge Park Comprehensive, as a result of his mother Polly's financial problems following her divorce. His first day at Rudge Park largely consists of mockery from fellow pupils due to his formal appearance, notably his usage of a briefcase, and well-spoken nature. He also faces oppression from Mr Gilbert (Greg Davies), the arrogant and hostile head of sixth form, who forces Will and the other new enrolments to wear large, colourful badges introducing themselves, which quickly attracts ridicule from many other pupils. Mr Gilbert then orders Simon Cooper (Joe Thomas), a classmate of his, to accompany Will around the school, much to Simon's annoyance. Whilst tagging along with Simon, Will meets his friends, the sex-obsessed, foul-mouthed Jay Cartwright (James Buckley) and the good natured, but dim-witted Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison), eventually joining them for a student gathering that evening at a local pub called The Black Horse. When they arrive at the pub, they find it strangely quiet, and while Jay succeeds in buying alcohol via the use of a fake ID, the bartender refuses to serve the others unless they also show proof of age. Adamant to impress the trio, Will persists in attempting to illegally buy alcohol, finally succeeding in buying them all cider with the help of another punter. However, the boys suddenly notice that the pub they are in is actually The Black Bull, and so quickly make their way to the correct pub. Will is once again asked for proof of age when attempting to buy alcohol, and so finally loses his temper and reveals in an angry outburst that the pub is full of underage students; they are all thrown out and permanently barred as a result. Although Simon is amused by Will's behaviour and stands by him as a new friend, the other students all take a great disliking towards him, particularly psychopathic school bully Mark Donovan.
22"Bunk Off"[8]Gordon AndersonDamon Beesley & Iain Morris1 May 2008 (2008-05-01)0.36
After a month in state education, Will has made three friends: Simon Cooper, Jay Cartwright, and Neil Sutherland. They all soon make arrangements to bunk off school, with Simon phoning the school office on the day and pretending to be his mother. After claiming that he and Will both have food poisoning, his call is passed through to Mr Gilbert, who instantly realises it is Simon putting on a female voice. Simon quickly hangs up, assuming the deception worked, and the boys then attempt to buy alcohol from a local off-license, with Will using one of Simon's father's suits to disguise himself as an adult. The shopkeeper instantly deduces that Will is underage, but offers to serve him providing he leaves immediately thereafter. The boys then head to Neil's house and begin drinking, only for Neil's father Kevin to arrive back earlier than expected with a carpenter. A drunken Will mocks Kevin's shocked reactions toward their behaviour, referencing Kevin's alleged closeted homosexuality, and is subsequently thrown out alongside Simon and Jay, whilst Neil is kept behind and grounded. Still drunk, Simon then realises he loves Carli D'Amato, whom he has known for years, and so spray paints this on her driveway as a romantic gesture. Initially shocked, Carli quickly invites Simon to come over that evening when her parents are out after noticing Will and Jay quietly mocking him, suggesting he avoid her parents until the driveway is cleaned. Jay claims that Carli is impressed because Simon is drunk, and so recommends he get drunk even more. He does so, turning up at Carli's house that evening in a disoriented state, and inappropriately suggesting that she finger herself, before he vomits in the kitchen. Will, who had invited himself over, tells Carli's seven-year-old brother Chris about dirty bombs whilst they watch a recreation of a terrorist attack on television, causing Chris to scream and cry before Simon vomits over him also. When the boys return home, they find Polly, Kevin and Simon's parents Alan and Pamela waiting for them; they are scolded for their obnoxious behaviour and underage drinking. Simon attempts to blame Kevin, accusing him of fondling them, followed by Will claiming that they are alcoholics who need love and support; the adults mockingly laugh at them both in response. The next day at school, Mr Gilbert confronts the four boys, insisting that while Jay and Neil are not in trouble and are merely wasting opportunities due to no legal requirement to attend sixth form, Simon and Will are due to Simon fraudulently impersonating his mother when phoning the school. Both are forced to see the headmaster over the matter.
33"Thorpe Park"[9]Gordon AndersonDamon Beesley & Iain Morris8 May 2008 (2008-05-08)0.31
Simon is about to sit his driving test, but does not feel confident that he will pass first time. Will, Jay, and Neil are over-optimistically discussing the prospects of one of the group owning a car, which leads to arrangements to go to Thorpe Park – where Neil works - providing Simon passes his practical test the next day. He is assessed by a female examiner who flirts with him. He ignores her advances and passes the test. As a present, Alan gives him a second-hand yellow Fiat Cinquecento Hawaii, which Simon responds to negatively but reluctantly accepts. He uses it to pick up Will and Jay and drive them to Thorpe Park, following a car full of girls before accidentally getting trapped within a funeral procession. Upon arrival, an impatient Jay carelessly opens the car door whilst Simon is trying to park, catching it on a nearby sign and inadvertently ripping it off. Simon panics and insists he has to leave and get the door fixed, but Jay informs him that Neil's sister Katie's boyfriend works in a garage and so will easily be able to fix it. Simon believes him and stays, but they are forced to carry the door around the park. When inside, they eventually find Neil working as a mascot for one of the children's rides, and witness him yelling in pain as a wasp flies into his costume. In the staff locker room, Neil discovers that his colleagues have stolen his clothes, and so is forced to wear a tight vest and underpants from lost property. He joins the others as they later head to Nemesis Inferno, waiting an extra half an hour to guarantee them front seats, only for the ride attendant to inform them that only one seat is free at the front. Will angrily insults whoever is using the other seats, believing they have pushed in and denouncing them as "inconsiderate arseholes", only to quickly find out that they are from the Happy Foundation, a charity for people with Down syndrome. After the ride, Neil informs an enraged Simon that Katie's boyfriend is not as they assumed a mechanic, but works in a BP petrol garage and will not be able to fix the damaged car. However, when they return to it, they find it has been vandalised by the same people Will had insulted, who drive away slowly whilst making insulting gestures as Simon is forced to phone his annoyed father for help.
44"Will Gets a Girlfriend"[10]Gordon AndersonDamon Beesley & Iain Morris15 May 2008 (2008-05-15)0.44

The boys go to a Friday night house party which is quickly deemed boring, but are left shocked when Charlotte Hinchcliffe, the most attractive and popular girl in the school, shows up with her friends and begins conversing with Will. They soon engage in heavy petting, but the experience is short-lived as Charlotte's psychopathic ex-boyfriend Mark Donovan shows up, forced to leave when Charlotte insists their relationship is over for good. Before he leaves, Donovan demands that Will treat Charlotte with respect, dubbing her kind and gentle, before threatening violence against him if he tells anyone he said that. The next day, when Charlotte brings up sex in conversation, Will lies about how many girls he has had sex with, leading Charlotte to suggest they meet up again soon to have sex themselves. After Will brags about it to his friends, Simon explains that Charlotte is obviously just using him to get back at Donovan following their relationship issues, and so Will angrily insults him and storms off. That Friday, Will joins Charlotte at her house to have sex, but his lack of experience is made evident, and Charlotte abandons the idea after their failed attempt to have intercourse and requests he leave. The next day at school, Neil wins an unwanted date with a much younger geeky girl named Susie through the school's charity Blind Date event. Following this, Will finds himself dumped in front of the school when Charlotte abruptly takes part in the event to find a sexually experienced new lover. Heartbroken, Will rushes back home to his mother in tears, worried that he now has nothing after falling out with his friends over a girl who has now split up with him. However, Simon and Jay soon come to visit him after witnessing what happened at the Blind Date event, inviting him to come and join them in watching Neil on his blind date with Susie, who is revealed to be around twelve years old, meaning he has had to go to a fast food restaurant with her whilst the two are supervised by her mother.

Throughout the episode, Jay is repeatedly teased by the others for having a friend outside of the group whom he says goodbye to with a thumbs up gesture at the opening party, eventually causing him to lose his temper and angrily jump up and down on the bonnet of the man's car, screaming that they are not friends, whilst Neil and Simon watch in disbelief. It is later revealed that Jay had to borrow £300 in order to pay for the car to be fixed.
55"Caravan Club"[11]Gordon AndersonDamon Beesley & Iain Morris22 May 2008 (2008-05-22)0.43
After Jay's stories of guaranteed casual sex at the Camber Sands caravan club, of which his family are members, are constantly dubbed lies by the other boys, he reluctantly invites them to come to the club themselves to experience it for real. They agree, but the trip does not get off to a good start, with their first dinner in the van interrupted by Jay's abusive father Terry defecating loudly nearby and deterring them from eating. They later head to the main building at the complex for an evening party, which is revealed to be no more than a family disco within a small hall. However, whilst chatting to some adult guests, Will is approached by a flirtatious punk girl, who kisses him and suggests they have sex together. He quickly loses his chance when he tries to bond with her on a personal level, insisting they play together by skidding across the floor, causing the girl to leave in disbelief and some nearby children to steal Will's shoes. Meanwhile, after some flirty text exchanges, Simon tries his luck with Becky, a girl whom Jay claims to have repeatedly had sex with. They sneak out of the hall during the party and passionately kiss by the trees, but Becky is left shocked when Simon removes his trousers and pants and attaches a condom to his penis. Becky angrily claims that she was never planning to have sex, before running inside to tell her parents. Simon angrily confronts Jay for his lies and they leave after noticing Becky speaking to her parents; as they do, Will eventually gets one of the children teasing him into a headlock to retrieve his stolen shoes before leaving himself. The following morning, the trio bump into Neil, whom they could not find the previous night. Neil tells them that he slept in Simon's car and, on the dual carriageway during the journey home, reveals that he spent the night in the car with the punk girl performing extensive mutual masturbation, which explains why the seats are wet. Simon angrily pulls over and demands Neil clean up the mess, but Neil refuses as it is Simon's car, whilst Will and Jay argue over whether or not Jay truly lied about the sex potential of caravan club considering Neil ended up with a girl all night.
66"Xmas Party"[12]Gordon AndersonDamon Beesley & Iain Morris29 May 2008 (2008-05-29)0.42
It is the end of Will’s first term and he has been elected as chairman for the Christmas party committee, though is later revealed to have been the only applicant. He persuades Simon, Jay, and Neil to help him, though Jay only agrees to do so providing he can work as a DJ musician. An argument later ensues between the pair, with Jay insisting Charlotte Hinchcliffe only agreed to have sex with Will earlier in the term as part of a bet with one of her friends, leaving Will anxious to find out the truth. When Will later tries to discuss the prom itinerary with the rest of the students, he is approached by school bully Mark Donovan, who threatens violence against him if he goes near Charlotte during the prom. At the party, Simon attempts to impress Carli, arranging a plan with Jay to stop the music so he can confess his love, but is ultimately too nervous to do so when the moment finally comes. Luckily, everyone is distracted from Simon's embarrassment as a drunken Neil attempts to kiss his Biology teacher Miss Timms, renowned for her attractive appearance amongst many students, and is consequently reprimanded by Mr Gilbert. Will is later approached by Charlotte, who ignores his question over whether or not their relationship was a bet and instead happily kisses him after praising his work on the party. Witnessing the whole thing, Donovan soon appears and angrily threatens Will, but the other students all stand up for Will due to his work on the party and demand that Donovan leave him alone; Donovan then spots a disgusted Charlotte walking away and sadly pursues her. Will subsequently prepares to a read thank you speech he has written, only to be ignored as everyone resumes partying. Later, with the party over, the boys reflect on their past term whilst relaxing on a trampoline in the school gym, with Simon and Neil both praising Will's work on the prom itself, and Will overjoyed to know that Charlotte never dated him as part of a bet. Jay then appears and tells the boys he has just received a blowjob in the DJ booth, but then admits it was only a "handjob outside of the trousers". After gentle teasing, he then dives on the rest of the boys, who all happily begin playfighting on the trampoline.
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References
  1. French, Dan (3 April 2009). "New 'Inbetweeners' draws 958,000 for E4". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  2. West, Dave (5 June 2008). "E4 takes second series of 'Inbetweeners'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  3. Rogers, Jon (3 April 2009). "The Inbetweeners makes 1.2m laugh". Broadcast. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  4. "The Nominees 2008". British Comedy Awards. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  5. "The Winners 2008". British Comedy Awards. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  6. "British Comedy Guide Awards 2008". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  7. "1: First Day". E4. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  8. "2: Bunk Off". E4. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  9. "3: Thorpe Park". E4. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  10. "4: Will's Girlfriend". E4. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  11. "5: Caravan Club". E4. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  12. "6: Xmas Party". E4. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
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