List of ''The Inbetweeners'' characters
This is a list of characters from the British sitcom The Inbetweeners that ran for three series from 2008–2010. A 2011 film was also released, followed by a sequel in 2014.
Cast Table
Character | TV Series | Films | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Series 1 | Series 2 | Series 3 | The Inbetweeners Movie | The Inbetweeners 2 | ||
Main | ||||||
Will McKenzie | Simon Bird | |||||
Simon Cooper | Joe Thomas | |||||
Jay Cartwright | James Buckley | |||||
Neil Sutherland | Blake Harrison | |||||
Family | ||||||
Polly McKenzie | Belinda Stewart-Wilson | |||||
Mr McKenzie | Anthony Head | |||||
Pamela Cooper | Robin Weaver | |||||
Alan Cooper | Martin Trenaman | |||||
Andrew Cooper | Dominic Applewhite | |||||
Terry Cartwright | David Schaal | |||||
Mrs Cartwright | Victoria Willing | |||||
Uncle Bryan | David Field | |||||
Kevin Sutherland | Alex MacQueen | |||||
Katie Sutherland | Kacey Barnfield | |||||
Other | ||||||
Phil Gilbert | Greg Davies | |||||
Carli D'Amato | Emily Head | |||||
Mark Donovan | Henry Lloyd-Hughes | |||||
Charlotte Hinchcliffe | Emily Atack | |||||
John Webster | John Seaward |
Major characters
Will McKenzie
- Played by Simon Bird[1]
- 2008–2014
Will moves from a private school to a state comprehensive school because his mother, Polly, can no longer afford to pay the tuition fees. Upon moving to the new school, Simon, Neil and Jay reluctantly become Will's new friends after initially trying to avoid him. The group warm to him after several efforts to win their friendship – including successfully buying alcohol underage and (almost) having sex with the most attractive girl in the school. He is an unconventional hero – although he is generally the wittiest and most level-headed of the group, he is prone to making bad decisions, easily giving in to peer pressure, and making outrageous remarks. He is generally sophisticated, sensible and possesses intelligence that surpasses that of his immediate friends. Another dominant characteristic, is his tendency to deliver sarcastic, dry humorous remarks, which sometimes get him into trouble. Will also appears to follow certain ethical laws, though is not above occasionally committing illegal acts, such as buying alcohol underage, and inadvertently or accidentally making insults, such as against Neil's father while drunk and people who are disabled, among others.
Will aspires to have a career in law or maybe the media, and was supposed to be attending a local newspaper office for work experience. However, a mix-up with applications sends Neil to the newspaper office (instead of "driving aeroplanes") and Will spends his placement at a garage, where he ultimately fails to fit in and gets bullied by the staff working there. At the end of the second series, when the boys face exams, Will began to crack under pressure and relies on energy drinks to keep him awake- believing that if he doesn't sleep he can spend more time revising. This plan unfortunately backfires, leading to him soiling himself during his final exam, and after completing it several hours late, he goes to the pub and downs three pints of lager, compensating for the fact that he has probably failed his Politics AS level. He is interested in Charlotte "Big Jugs" Hinchcliffe, and the two of them have been known to spend time together, with Will accidentally ruining their relationship. He nearly lost his virginity to Charlotte after telling her in school a few days prior that he had had numerous lovers, although when they did attempt to have sex, Charlotte was let down by Will's unsuccessful attempt; in his own words "rubbing up against the perineum".
In Series 3, Will is convinced to go on a double date with Simon, Tara, and Tara's friend, Kerry (or "Big Kerry" according to Will). He is repulsed by her as she is taller than he is, and is rather ditzy and boring; however once he hears how she is known for fellating her last few boyfriends, he continues his relationship with her. They unexpectedly share a kiss when Kerry escorts him back home, which gives her the impression that they are now dating. At Neil's eighteenth birthday party, Will causes outrage by attempting to harshly break-up with Kerry, not knowing that her father had died a month previously, and that Tara had arranged their relationship to comfort her. Will later attempts to arrange a final camping holiday with the lads before they go their separate ways after leaving school.
In The Inbetweeners Movie, the group go on holiday to Malia in Greece after leaving school, where Will meets Alison, a woman with a similar personality to him. Despite Alison initially acting distant towards Will's advances, owing to the fact that she already has a boyfriend, they become closer and she suggests they go skinny dipping one night. At the beach the following night, Alison strips naked in front of Will, imploring him to do the same before placing his hand on her breast, and they appear to be growing closer until she catches her boyfriend having sex with another woman and runs off crying. They ultimately reconcile at a boat party later that week, where Alison admits to Will that she really likes him. Will affirms that he likes her as well and they begin a relationship.
Will serves as the narrator in the show and is therefore the principal character.
Simon Cooper
- Played by Joe Thomas[1]
- 2008–2014
Simon is the oldest member of the group. He becomes best friends with Will after initially avoiding him due to his "actual briefcase", "clumpy shoes" and "gay hair". Simon's first task of the new term is showing Will to his classes – a task assigned by the head of sixth form, Mr. Gilbert. Simon being the eldest; was also the first to learn how to drive, having passed his practical test (in dubious circumstances) before Christmas. His father bought him an old small, yellow Fiat Cinquecento Hawaii – Simon, his friends and others think the car is very embarrassing and dislike the colour, and mock the fact that it has a tape deck. The car loses its passenger-side door due to Jay opening the door suddenly whilst having an argument with Simon when he was reversing at Thorpe Park. However, in 'Caravan Club', the door has been replaced with a red one.
Simon has had a crush on his childhood friend Carli D'Amato since she was eight years old, an interest which becomes more apparent throughout the series. Despite many pathetic attempts to show her his feelings – such as spray painting "I Love Carli D'Amato" on her driveway – for a long time she didn't reciprocate, partly due to having a boyfriend, but in the final episode of the second series: "Exam Time", Carli seemed interested in Simon after she split up with her boyfriend Tom, and they end up kissing while revising for A-levels at Simon's house. Carli agreed to meet Simon at the local pub for a post-exam drink, but when she arrived it was revealed she had reconciled with her boyfriend, to the disappointment of Simon.
In series 3, Simon takes part in the school charity fashion show, but embarrasses both himself and Carli when he walks along the catwalk in Speedos with a testicle sticking out. In the episode "The Gig and the Girlfriend", Simon gets a girlfriend, Tara, whom he kisses at a concert. In "Will's Dilemma", he is seen receiving a handjob from Tara at Neil's birthday party. His parents briefly go on a trial separation in "The Duke of Edinburgh Awards", but they had reconciled by the end of the episode. Simon is perhaps the most irritable of the group, especially when in discussions with his family, where he frequently overreacts to gentle goading and even kind advice. He is often shown to be extremely impulsive and vulgar, saying and doing things that cause him great embarrassment. He is also objectively the unluckiest of the group; getting into a slew of misfortunes including being physically and verbally abused (once by a twelve-year-old), accused of being a "paedophile" on numerous occasions, failing to have sex with his former girlfriend Tara after taking Jay's questionable sex advice, and humiliating himself in front of Carli, most notably during the fashion show. In the last episode, the boys play a game where they swap mobile phones, and have to send a text message to anyone of their choice on the phone's contact list. Simon later receives a reply from Carli that leaves him with a smile, which suggests she feels the same way as Simon, and indicates that there is more in store for him and Carli.
In The Inbetweeners Movie, the group goes on a lad's holiday to Malia, Crete, after leaving school. It turns out Carli is there too, because Neil asked her where she was going and booked a holiday to the same place. Simon chases Carli for the whole movie, leaving a girl named Lucy in the dust. In the end, Carli kissed Simon on a party boat, but only to get back at another boy. Simon tells her that their relationship probably wouldn't work out and tries to swim from the boat back to the shore to Lucy. He nearly drowns, getting airlifted to the shore where he tells Lucy how he feels about her, then goes to a hospital. In the credits, found footage shows all the boys with their new girlfriends, which indicates that they all found the right person in Greece and it all ended "happily ever after".
Jay Cartwright
- Played by James Buckley[1]
- 2008–2014
Jay is obsessed with sex, with almost all his comments being about the subject. He frequently lies and exaggerates about his experiences – sexual and otherwise – often making crude comments about girls/women in general and offering highly questionable 'advice' to his friends. In fact, he is the least sexually experienced of the group, frequently relying on pornography to attain gratification, as he finds it difficult engaging with girls. He is also the physically weakest of the group, with his scrawny physique and small penis size being constantly made fun of throughout the show's run. His dad contradicts Jay's exaggerated stories in an often bullying nature, claiming Jay is very unsuccessful with women (this is likely the source of Jay's obsession), and is always 'putting him down' in some way or another. He is arrogant, insecure and two-faced, often inventing stories about his various exploits and giving his friends advice about sex to bolster his ego, while being aware that they will inevitably fail.
At the end of the first series, Jay opens up to Big John, admitting that many of his stories are somewhat exaggerated because he is worried that people do not notice him, and that he is afraid of being ignored. He seldom performs any acts of kindness and he routinely insults even his closest friends, with his comments reaching a more severe level than the insults the rest of the group frequently exchange. In one of the deleted scenes he even insults Will in German. It is implied in the last episode that Jay may have been sexually abused by his former next-door neighbour, when Neil mentions a "game" that Jay and the neighbour used to "play" in the garden shed, which Jay denies abruptly. Jay's only friend who genuinely likes him is Neil, purely because he is so gullible and believes Jay's extravagant stories. Another recurring theme of Jay's character is that he often steals things, such as hair removal cream ("Duke of Edinburgh Awards") and a flyer for a house party ("Will's Birthday") from a girl named during registration.
Jay claimed to have trials with West Ham United F.C.
In 'The Inbetweeners Movie', Jay is the force behind the idea that the boys should go out, drink and sleep with random girls; however, he ends up falling for a girl named Jane who, despite being overweight, is easy going and funny. He initially insults her and implies he is embarrassed by her weight, to which she writes him off, but they reconcile when he realises his pre-conceived ideas about girls aren't quite right and that he really likes Jane. Despite his series-long judgemental nature about girls' appearances, he appears to have overcome it when Neil makes a careless remark about her weight, and he replies with "What a horrible thing to say". She gives him his first ever blowjob and they immediately become a couple.
Neil Sutherland
- Played by Blake Harrison
- 2008–2014
Neil is the slow and somewhat dim member of the group. Due to his gullibility, he is often the only person who believes Jay's outrageous stories, and often fails to pick up the sarcasm in Will's one-liners. His friends tease him about his father being a "bender"; both Neil and his father strongly deny this. He has, along with Simon, passed his driving test and owns a souped-up Vauxhall Nova GSi, but it doesn't have an engine. He takes part in the school's version of Blind Date and wins an unwanted date with Susie, one of the school's "freaks". He works at Thorpe Park, and also works on-off over the series at Asda. He can do "The Robot" and has a crush on his biology teacher Miss Timms. Despite being mentally slow, he is friendly and outgoing compared to the rest of the group.
Neil is the most sexually experienced of the group; a recurring theme is that Neil ends up hooking up with women originally fancied by Will. He spent a night in Simon's car with a Goth in the series one episode "Caravan Club". It is also revealed that he snogged and fingered Charlotte Hinchcliffe after Will was with her, although he informs Will only of the snog to protect his friend's feelings from further being hurt (he tells the other two silently via hand gestures when Will turned his back). He also managed to get a blowjob from Will's crying date Kerry at his 18th birthday party. Neil is also revealed to have sexual encounters with unseen female characters on the show, including a colleague at Asda. In the final episode of series 3, Neil worries that he has impregnated her, but receives a text stating otherwise. He celebrates the fact that he has contracted an STI from her, assuming that this is a good thing. Neil's middle name is revealed to be Lindsay in a deleted scene from series 3, at his 18th birthday party.
Neil has an extremely attractive older sister, whom the boys stare at when visiting Neil's; however, he usually doesn't get embarrassed or annoyed by the attention like Will does about his mum, more likely because he is stoic and an easy-going person. His dad is often shown to be annoyed by Neil's thoughtlessness, and constantly says in an exasperated tone "Neil!". Recurring jokes are that despite his lack of intelligence, Neil tends to be right about meaningless facts, and that he often unintentionally gets with girls Will is pursuing. Neil often hooks up with much older, unattractive women – he is shown to be surprised when he thinks "Saucy Asda Karen" is pregnant, because "she told me she couldn't have any more kids". In the extended edition of 'The Inbetweeners Movie', an bonus scene reveals that he pursues old women because of his lust after Will's mum and he thinks that they look like her, despite clearly not looking anything like her.
In the movie, he has an girlfriend of a similar age named Nicole, whom he swears he couldn't cheat on whilst on holiday because he thinks he loves her and he has "effics" (ethics); however, his definition of cheating changes conveniently with his sexual activity, such as it's not cheating if there's no kissing, or not if only "the tip goes in; any more than that is cheating". When he finally gets together with Lisa and she expresses her unhappiness with the situation because she too has "effics", he tells her Nicole dumped him before they left for Malia so it isn't cheating at all. This is implied to have been a lie when in the credits, Nicole shows up to greet him at the airport and he runs away with Lisa to avoid her, leaving Nicole confused.
Secondary characters
Phil Gilbert
- Played by Greg Davies
- 2008–2014
Mr Gilbert is the head of sixth form. He is sardonic, misanthropic, dry and depressed and possesses no enthusiasm for his occupation, once telling Will that "the only reason people go into teaching is because they are unambitious, unlucky and the relaxed rules on police background checks". When he is not being outright sadistic, he shows no regard for the students and their welfare. On the occasions he does stop wrongdoing, he tends to defuse the situation without resolving the issues that caused it.
He strongly dislikes the boys, particularly Will, who tries to endear himself to Gilbert and gets rebuffed. He takes delight at any misfortune to befall Will – even going so far as to threaten him if he snitched on whoever tied him up and put a bin over his head. In Series 3, he gives Jay and Neil four weeks' detention after they mention "Waterside", the shopping centre they spotted him buying soft toys in. In the third series, he tells Will that he is single and that Will's mum is "very much his type". He also blackmails Will into discovering who destroyed a local roundabout's flower arrangement by threatening to sabotage his university application, as he believes Will sticks his "beaky nose" into everybody's business and must know who did it.
In the first movie, Gilbert gives an end-of-year speech, in which he expresses utter contempt for the entire year group, claiming he is "at best ambivalent" towards most of the students, but that he "actively dislikes" others for their "poor personal hygiene" and "irritating personalities" (the latter said whilst looking at Will). He ends the hate-filled speech by asking that they not murder anyone, as it "reflects badly" on the school. In the final scene of the first movie Gilbert is seen riding shirtless on a Quad bike in Malia.
In the second movie it is revealed that Gilbert has been in a relationship with Will's mother. They announce their engagement at the end of the movie, to the terror of Will, as he realizes Gilbert will soon become his stepfather.
Carli D'Amato
- Played by Emily Head[1]
- 2008–2011
Carli is Simon's love interest and has been since they were eight. She is popular and attractive, with an older rugby-player boyfriend, making her even more unattainable. Although she is well aware of his crush on her, she only seems to think of Simon as a platonic friend – it is implied that she strings him along to gain his favour. Simon is oblivious to Carli's shallow, manipulative and selfish personality, although his friends are not as fooled. On several occasions, Will and Jay have openly expressed contempt for her, with Will pointing out that she merely strings him along, and Jay calling her "stuck-up." She throws Simon small bits of affection to keep his hopes up in her. In "Exam Time", she asks if she can study for exams at his house, and when there, mentions she has broken up with her boyfriend; when she notices Simon trying to impress her, she uses the opportunity to get him to help tutor her for another subject that he is not even taking himself. He ends up spending the entire revision period studying for her Geography final, so he can continue to tutor her, instead of his own exams. When he later thinks they have a chance at dating, she promptly tells him she is back with Tom.
In episode one of series three, a wedge is driven between Carli and Simon after he accidentally revealed one of his testicles in the fashion show, believing he did it on purpose to make a fool out of her. However, in the series finale, Carli seems to be more affectionate towards Simon, hinting at a potential relationship, were Simon not moving to Swansea. She later replies to a prank text, sent by the boys from Simon's phone. However Simon refuses to reveal the nature of the response, but expressing great pleasure upon reading it.
Between the end of the series and the beginning of the film, Simon and Carli have been dating, but she breaks up with him as she wants to be single whilst going on holiday and at uni, obviously having viewed their relationship with a lot less investment than Simon. The boys' attempts to get him over Carli are the catalyst for going on holiday in Malia, although they find once there that Neil had thoughtlessly booked them onto the same holiday as her, which Simon views as a sign he should win her back. He rebuffs the advances of a nice girl named Lucy in his attempts to win Carli back, but she has formed a relationship with James, her cocky holiday rep. At a boat party, she and James fall out and Carli asks Simon to kiss her to make James jealous. Simon eventually realises that Carli is using him for her own ends and breaks up with her for good.
Mark Donovan
- Played by Henry Lloyd-Hughes[1]
- 2008–2011
Donovan is the foul-mouthed school bully, who often picks on Will. This is partly because he caught Will kissing his ex-girlfriend Charlotte. He is the typical bully, who is polite and friendly in front of parents or teachers, but is otherwise a thug. Donovan is somewhat sensitive, demanding that Will be "gentle" with Charlotte, whilst threatening him with death if he speaks of it. He appears to be less hostile (yet by no means friendlier) towards Jay, Simon and Neil. In Series 3, it is revealed that Mark smokes cannabis. Jay and Neil attempt to buy some off him upon learning of this, only for him to take the money and sarcastically give them tea granules wrapped in cling film. He was mentioned in the third episode when Donovan attacked Neil in detention and pinned him down and drew penises on the cast that Neil wore. Donovan reappears in the film, after Mr. Gilbert's speech, where he says goodbye to the lads, whom he calls the "bender squad". He then proceeds to give Will an extremely painful wedgie, until Carli tells him to stop. In the deleted scenes, the wedgie is done so hard the underwear used for the wedgie is torn off of Will.
Charlotte Hinchcliffe
- Played by Emily Atack[1]
- 2008–2010
- Charlotte "Big Jugs" Hinchcliffe is a very attractive and promiscuous girl, and the most popular girl in school. Will kissed her twice, and attempted to have sex with her, claiming he had had sex before. Despite her reputation, nickname and the stereotypes shown with other popular girls in the school, notably Carli, Charlotte is a very friendly, compassionate girl. She is also not as shallow as the other popular girls in the school, and appears interested in Will somewhat, serving as his chief love interest in the series. Unfortunately, he often makes a fool of himself in front of her, and occasionally offends her. She works as a barmaid, and is often found upstairs at a party having sex, including with Simon's sex-crazed French exchange student, Patrice – shortly after meeting him. In the first series Charlotte claimed to have slept with eleven boys, and Jay mentioned that "she once munched off the whole rugby team" in spite of the fact that their school doesn't even have a rugby team. Neil also admits to kissing her shortly after she had 'broken it off' with Will and hints that he had also fingered her. When Will is given a work placement in a garage, in an attempt to fit in with the staff, he loudly claims that Charlotte is his girlfriend and that she goes like a porn star, resulting in her throwing a drink in his face upon finding out. Since she is in the year above the boys, she goes off to university at the end of Series 2 when the boys go into Year 13, but in the first episode of series three, she returns home because she had a 'reading week' and is chosen to enter the fashion show. It is revealed that she has previously done catalogue modelling, and that she was a special guest in the fashion show. She admits to Will that he is the sort of person she would like to date, but then reveals she does not want him specifically, and when she returns to university after the Fashion show she is never seen again.
Tara Brown
- Played by Hannah Tointon
- 2010
- Tara Brown[2] is in the year below the four main characters and becomes a love interest for Simon when he accidentally sits on her in the common room, after which they get talking and she invites him to a gig. A confident, vivacious and adventurous girl, she becomes Simon's girlfriend in the episode "The Gig and the Girlfriend". Simon promises to bring cannabis to the gig, after Jay claims (though he was lying) that his friend could get them some. They eventually do find some weed and all get high. In the same episode, Tara gets injured while "moshing" and, from a combination of being stoned and concussed, she feels queasy and faint and is sick just before she kisses Simon. Will goes to Simon for help when he has an averse reaction to the drugs but he is too busy, as Will puts it, "licking the vomit off her tonsils", to care. It is clear that Tara still resented Will for making her friend Kerry cry at Neil's 18th birthday party in Will's Dilemma and they never speak to each other after that. Her final appearance is in the episode "The Trip to Warwick", in which Simon and Tara plan to go to her sister's house in Warwick to have sex. Simon brings along the other boys, angering Tara. Simon scares Tara after he can't get an erection (after following some fairly unhelpful advice from Jay), and attempts to induce one by hitting his penis. He and the other boys then get kicked out of Tara's sister's house in the middle of the night and Simon receives a text telling him to "never contact her again".
When her name is mentioned, Jay often mimics the sound of Morse code on a Telegram as if in a newsroom, making a "beepity beep beepity beep" noise and exclaiming "Tara Update!", because Simon talks about her constantly. He manages to keep this up even when vomiting profusely due to a hang-over on the car journey back from Warwick.
John Webster
- Played by John Seaward
- 2008–2011
- "Big" John Webster is a simple student who joined the school at the same time as Will. He is constantly bullied for being overweight, and is often seen eating. In the third episode of the second series, despite his general unpopularity, he is invited to a party to which Will, Simon, Jay and Neil were not invited, and is seen successfully flirting with a girl at the party – with his hand on her breast. He is later seen sporadically throughout the series. In the first movie, while Mr Gilbert is giving his hate-filled end of year speech, John is briefly seen sniffing his underarms when Mr Gilbert mentions that he "actively dislikes" some students for their "poor personal hygiene". In the Inbetweeners Yearbook, his full name is revealed to be 'John Webster' and he is featured prominently throughout the yearbook; including his artwork and reviews of food. He reveals he is somewhat obsessed with Jay after their encounter at the prom and wishes to remain in contact with him after Sixth Form. He also wishes for people to call him 'Awesome John'.
John Kennedy
- Played by Waen Shepherd
- 2009–2010
- John Tom "Paedo" Kennedy is a Geography teacher at Rudge Park. Many rumours circulate of him being a paedophile, and he shows a particular attraction toward Neil. He goes as far in Series 2 to take Neil "skinny dipping" whilst on a geography trip and buys Neil a bottle of vodka as an incentive for him to do so, before sneaking into the boy's dormitory in the middle of the night and touching Neil inappropriately. Mr Gilbert makes it clear that he is aware of Mr Kennedy's tendencies, usually stating that he "has his neck on the line" for him. He is still, however, employed by the school, much to the incredulity of the boys.
Minor and one-off characters
David Glover
- Played by Richie Hart
- 2008–2010
- David is a student at the school who appears in several episodes but does not say very much. He is popular and looks down on the four primary characters, referring to Will as a "posh little prick" and calling Neil a "twat". He ignores Will on his first day when he attempts to make friends with him. David is often seen in the background playing his Nintendo DS and snooker at school in the common room. On the school trip to Swanage, he is seen answering the door at the party and conferring with Donovan as to whether to let the boys in. In 'Exam Time', Neil mentioned that he thinks that Jay's new girlfriend Chloe "got off" with Glover. In The Inbetweeners Yearbook, he is briefly mentioned by Neil in the map of Rudge Park; Neil says that he and Jay had a fight outside of school and that the video was uploaded to YouTube but taken down shortly after for being too violent. This is highly doubtful however and is probably a lie fabricated by Jay to Neil.
David
- Played by Greg Coker
- 2008-2010
- David is a new student who arrives at the school the same time as Will. He is seen as a weirdo throughout the series, helping with the Christmas prom and attending Neil's 18th birthday party. He is known for having acne and being a member of the 'freaks'. He is friends with 'Big John'. His only lines are in the Deleted Scenes of Series 1, where he is also forced to eat his own badge by Mark Donovan. He is virtually unseen in the rest of the show, however in the first episode of Series 2 during the scene where Simon and Will are in the canteen with Lauren, he can be seen on the table behind them staring into space for the whole few minutes of that scene.
'Football Friend'
- Played by Luke Norris
- 2008
- Jay's older friend who he allegedly met during trials for West Ham ("that never happened" according to Simon). The rest of the group continuously mock Jay for having a friend outside of their group by saying 'friend', 'football friend' or 'car friend' in a high-pitched voice, and giving him a thumbs-up gesture. This irritates Jay to the extent that, upon seeing Football Friend's car at the side of the road one day, jumps up and down on the bonnet aggressively, yelling "fucking football friend" until the man arrives on the scene and chases them off. Jay mentions later that he had to borrow £300 to have the car repaired to stop the police from being called.
Becky
- Played by Clemency Hallian
- 2008
- Becky is, like Jay, a regular visitor to the caravan club. When the boys head on an outing to the caravan club, Jay promises the group that they will meet her and that she is largely promiscuous. She texts Simon (after sorting out with Jay prior to the group's arrival) a picture of herself, which makes Simon think that she likes him and wants to have sex with him. At the caravan club disco, Simon wrongly believes that she does want sex with him after she danced with him, and undresses himself in front of her, which scares her off and causes Simon to have a fall out with Jay because he lied to him. Jay is quick to announce that he hasn't actually had sex with her at all; just with girls 'like Becky' at the caravan club.
'Punk Girl'
- Played by Suzi Battersby
- 2008
- The Punk Girl is around the same age as the boys and has red hair and a goth type personality. She is seen on her own at the caravan club disco. Upon meeting Will, she asks him to go outside to have sex with her (this being after they have already kissed), but Will, who is reluctant, suggests they should get to know each other a bit more first. In a bid to get out of having sex with her, he begins to childishly slide along the wooden floor on his socks. Ultimately, this puts her off him completely. Later on at the disco, she is impressed by Neil's dance moves and it is eventually discovered on the drive home that Neil ended up fingering her in the night, having slept in Simon's car.
Lauren Harris
- Played by Jayne Wisener
- 2009
- Lauren is a girl from Northern Ireland who joins the school in the second term. Will meets her on the coach to Swanage, where he confuses her with his impression of the Star Wars character Yoda, which she assumes is a social impairment. She hangs out with the group for the duration of the trip, with both Will and Simon attracted to her. To Will's frustration, it is revealed that she is attracted to Simon and has no interest in Will romantically. After the field trip to Swanage, Will says in the closing narration that she moved away.
Susie
- Played by Anabel Barnston[1]
- 2008
- Susie is a geeky girl who joined the school along with Will. She is taking her A-Levels 4 years early. She has an interest in Russian literature, and Neil (to his dismay) picked her in the charity Blind Date. Neil unwillingly takes Susie to Milwaukee Fried Chicken (an analogue of KFC); however, owing to the age difference, Susie's mother came with them too. Simon, Jay and Will go to watch them under the impression that Neil and his date are sitting around a bargain bucket.
Samantha Leah
- Played by Jo Maycock
- 2008
- Samantha is a female version of Jay, stating that Jay's monologue on sensitivity and trust made him seem "bent" (a word for word copy of the statement Jay made to Simon earlier in the same episode) and telling an unbelievable lie that she "used to DJ at a top club in Ibiza" (highly unlikely for someone of school age) and that she could "probably get him a gig" there. Taken aback by this which seemed more like something that Jay himself would say, he invites her to spend part of the school prom in the DJ booth. He later claims that she gave him a blow job; another outrageous lie that is quickly dismissed by the other boys and logically broken down to a handjob and then just to that he had ejaculated in his pants with questionable and unsubstantiated stimulus.
Daisy
- Played by Catherine Steadman
- 2009
- Daisy used to be Will's babysitter. She is invited to Will's mum's barbecue, and mentioned how she works at the care home. Will, Simon and Neil later work at the care home as a volunteer on part of their Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. Will hits it off with Daisy, and after going on a date (which is actually just Daisy saying thank you to Will for covering her at work) they go back to her apartment. Unfortunately, Will has no pubic hair because Jay and Neil had used hair remover on Will whilst he was sleeping in the common room. Will decided to follow Simon's advice and "wear a wig down there". When Daisy finds the wig, she is not amused. She has been concerned throughout their relationship that Will was too young for her, and seeing him now without any pubic hair causes her to feel very guilty and want nothing more to do with him in that sense.
Miss Timms
- Played by Amanda St. John
- 2008
- Miss Timms is a Biology teacher at Rudge Park Comprehensive. Neil, Jay and Simon find her very attractive, although Will, as an outsider, thinks that the idea of her extreme attractiveness is just a subconscious comparison to the other older, unattractive teachers at their school. When drunk at the school disco, Neil attempts to kiss her, but gets an erection then is escorted out by Mr. Gilbert.
Chris D'Amato
- Played by Deo Simcox
- 2008, 2010
- Chris is Carli's younger brother. In the series one episode Bunk Off, Will upsets him by telling him about terrorists. Afterwards, Simon accidentally vomits on his head. In the series three episode Camping Trip, a drunk Simon sneaks into his bedroom in the middle of the night and feels him up, believing it to be Carli's room. This causes Chris further distress.
Chloe
- Played by Lizzie Stables
- 2009
- Chloe dated Jay in the finale episode of the second series. We are told that Jay met her at the bus stop and their relationship followed on from there. Jay possesses genuinely compassionate feeling and the character exists to expose Jay's sensitive side that is typically concealed by his cruel self-centred personality. Jay dismisses sexual comments made by Neil regarding Chloe (which Neil had only initially passed to gain Jay's approval, as such comments are more typical of Jay's character). Later on Chloe ends the relationship due to Jay following his father's advice and constantly checking up on her, she believing, paradoxically, that Jay was too sensitive. In Will's Dilemma, Will brings her up, but Jay does not want anything to do with her, hinting he still hadn't gotten over her yet.
Rachel
- Played by Lily Lovett
- 2009–2010
- Rachel is Carli's best friend who strongly dislikes Simon over his obsession with Carli. She plays a main role in the episode Night Out in London where Will attempts to 'pull' her in a London nightclub when he is amazed that she likes him enough to speak to him. However, she goes for another boy. Rachel is seen in numerous other episodes in the other series as well, mostly with Carli, although doesn't have any other major lines.
Tom
- Played by Ollie Holme
- 2008–2009
- Tom is Carli's boyfriend. A few years older than she is and so not at the school, he is a rugby player who neglects her for his teammates at times. The couple have split up in the final episode of series two, only to reconcile at the end of the episode.
Patrice
- Played by Vladimir Consigny
- 2009
- Patrice is a French exchange student, the son of Pamela Cooper's friend. He lives with Simon for a short time, displays little interest in the boys, and has bad habits that include urinating in gardens. Patrice is a racist who spontaneously tells Will that he dislikes Arabs – perhaps a misunderstanding of Will's dark hair, complexion and eyes. He shows little regard to accepted social norms and openly tells Will that his mother "has the sex" (is sexy) and later that he had just masturbated in the bathroom whilst fantasising about her. Patrice is very attractive to women – even Simon and Will's mothers seem to fancy him – Will's mother is clearly taken aback when she first meets him and seems to revert to being a starstruck school-girl momentarily. He is seen in bed with Charlotte at a party; Mark Donovan shows up and Will tells him that Charlotte is upstairs. The closing narration of the episode alludes to Patrice having been beaten up by Donovan – to Will's delight.
Danny Moore
- Played by Charlie Wernham
- 2009
- Danny appears in series 2 episode 2. He is a 12-year-old boy from Northwood and his family are said to be involved in crime. He starts a feud with Simon after he bumped into him while walking to class. Jay insults him for his angry reaction while his back is turned, and Danny incorrectly assumes that Simon made the remark. When Simon is receiving a handjob from Hannah Fields at a disco, Danny comes out of nowhere and knocks Simon to the floor before kicking him in the penis, thereafter finding several older boys from Northwood who hunt the boys with the intention of beating them up. The boys hide in the toilet until Will's mum arrives to pick them up.
Jim
- Played by Cavan Clerkin
- 2009
- Jim is the head mechanic at the garage Will is sent to for work experience in episode 2 of series 2. An impudent cockney, he attempts a snipe hunt on Will on the first day (only for Will to catch on), and later, along with the other mechanics, strips Will and throws him into a lake after inviting him out to a pub. He believes Will is a virgin, and upon learning of Charlotte, expresses desire to "check her out", unconcerned that she is Will's alleged girlfriend. At the under-18's disco, Jim speaks to Charlotte over Wolfie's phone, telling her all of Will's outrageous allegations about their relationship.
Wolfie
- Played by David Fynn
- 2009
- Wolfie is one of the assistant mechanics at the garage Will is sent to, along with his boss Jim. He is 17 years old (or at least claims to be) but seems much older due to his deep voice and facial hair. He goes to the under-18's disco to check out Charlotte, who Will previously bragged about having sex with to the two after they said he was unsuccessful sexually. There, he puts her on the phone to Jim, who informs her of all of Will's allegations about her "going like a porn star".
Hannah Fields
- Played by Holly Peplow
- 2009
- Hannah appears in the series 2 episode "Work Experience". She is discussed when it is found that Simon has received a Valentines card from her. She then appears later in the episode at the under 18's disco where she gives Simon a hand job, due to being drunk before he was attacked by Danny Moore.
Kerry
- Played by Abbey Mordue
- 2010
- Kerry (a.k.a. 'Big Kerry' or 'Bigfoot') is a friend of Tara's whom Will unwillingly went on a date with. Although not attracted to her because of her height, he stays with her in the hope that according to Simon he may get oral sex from her. Unsuccessful, he tries to break-up with her at Neil's party, but is thrown out because it turns out that her father had died recently (unbeknownst to Will), and Will has offended her in trying to defend himself. As Will got thrown out of Neil's house and banned, Neil's father reported the incident to his mother Polly and as a result Will is grounded for 3 weeks although he apologised to Neil for ruining his birthday party, only for Neil to reveal that Kerry had given him several blowjobs after the guys had left, much to Will's disappointment.
Alistair Scott
- Played by Steven Webb
- 2010
- Alistair is a wheelchair-bound student, who suffered a kidney failure and had a transplant. Rudge Park school organised a fashion show in support of his charity. Despite being popular on his return, this may be the "celebrity" of being the focus of surviving a serious illness. He is arrogant, short tempered, immature and unpleasant. He throws tantrums when upset by Will who tries to usurp the fashion show because he believes it is too vain to be a suitable charitable event – at one point becoming hysterical and trying to ram Will's legs with his chair.
The Tramp
- Played by Robert McCafferty
- 2009
- A Scottish tramp who lives in an alleyway beside the nightclub the boys go to in London. When Simon is unable to enter because of his trainers, he reluctantly trades shoes with him to get in, only to find that they are soaked with urine. Carli notices this, and leaves Simon, unflattered. Simon returns to him after leaving the club, to discover that his new trainers are also now saturated with urine and fecal matter.
Angry Neighbour/"The Fat Old Shit"
- Played by Mark Roper
- 2010
- A man whose front garden is frequently vandalised by Jay and Neil. When Will eventually participates in the vandalism, the boys are caught. Angry at the vandalism he has received from the four boys he arrives at Will's house next day to try and punish them, but instead informs Will's mother, who has just arrived home.
Steve
- Played by Doc Brown.
- 2010
- A drug dealer who appears in the Series 3 episode "The Gig And The Girlfriend". When the group are looking for drugs at the gig, Jay and Neil see Steve giving a man something discreetly that they assume is drugs, but when they go over to ask for him for some, he presumes that they think he is a drug dealer because he is black. Regardless, he lets the boys buy drugs off of him.
Mrs. D'Amato
- Played by an unnamed extra.
- 2008
- Mrs. D'Amato is Carli's mother. She only appears in the series one episode Bunk Off, when the boys are waiting outside the off-license for Will. She so happens to be passing by on the street and Jay takes the opportunity to embarrass Simon by quickly telling her Simon's feelings towards Carli. Mrs. D'Amato doesn't respond, but gives the boys a disapproving look. The only other time she is mentioned is in the very first episode when Carli asked Simon not to mention the night out at the pub to his folks as he knows what her mum is like, and the last episode of Series 2 where Carli tells Simon that her mum was always listening in when Carli split up with Tom (which is the cause of how Simon discovers they have actually split up).
Sophie
- Played by Charlie Covell.
- 2010
- Sophie is Tara's sister. She is mean and is suspicious of the four boys, especially Simon. She ultimately throws out the four boys from her house when Jay breaks into her room at night whilst drunk and attempts to seduce her roommate Heike, Neil urinates while sleeping in Heike's bed, Will eats one of her plants for a dare, and Simon starts acting strangely – sexually – with Tara, despite Will's attempts to persuade her to let them stay.
Heike
- Played by Ambrosine Falck.
- 2010
- Heike is Sophie's foul-mouthed Dutch roommate. In Trip To Warwick she is first seen when she walks into the room and meets Jay and Neil and had a very bad cold. She is later seen when Jay scared her asking her for sex, but Sophie kicks him out. She is not seen or mentioned again after this episode.
The University Boys: The Bombardier, The Commander and The Admiral
- Played by Lewis Linford, Jack Brear and Daniel Kirrane
- 2010
- Lewis, Joe and Daniel are three obnoxious teenagers who frequently play loud drinking games in Sophie's living room. The three are typical university students and as such their drunken behaviour disturbs Will, who assumes that his evenings at university will involve intellectual debate. They immediately nickname Will "Speccy" and later engage him in a game of "Question", demanding that he (and Jay and Neil) down a can of beer for asking a question. The boys later convince Jay that Sophie's housemate, Heike, is sexually attracted to younger men.
Fergus
- Played by Scott Biggerstaff
- 2010
- Fergus is Will's Mum's friend that she is going on holiday with to the Cotswolds in Series 3 episode 5. Will's Mum apparently caught up with him on Facebook and Will quickly has suspicions that there is love involved; this and the fact Will's Mum is on Facebook is the basis for much interest from Jay and Neil who repeatedly make jokes about it. Fergus himself is only seen for about two seconds in his car waiting to set off with Will's Mum. Will immediately has a dislike towards him and berates his mother for her lack of judgement in going on an internet date with someone she hardly knows asking "where's he taking you? A ditch off the A40?". He is mentioned again at the very end of that episode in the closing narrating comments when Will says his Mum was dumped immediately because Fergus couldn't put up with a 'problem child'.
Mrs. Springett
- Played by an unknown actor
- 2010
- Mrs Springett is an elderly woman, presumed to be a close neighbour or relative of Will's Mum. Will's Mum asks her to pop by to check if everything is okay during Series 3 episode 5 when Will is home alone for the weekend. She makes her extremely brief appearance later on in the episode the next morning when she 'hears banging' (not knowing it was coming from the angry neighbour) and tries to come into the house. Will panics and quickly kicks the door shut on her, knocking her out. When Will's mum returns home, Mrs Springett is shown to have suffered from a broken nose after being hit by the door.
Family
Polly McKenzie
- Played by Belinda Stewart-Wilson[1]
- 2008–2014
Polly is Will's attractive mother, who several of his classmates have stated their attraction to. Because of her separation she cannot afford to continue sending Will to a private school, which sets up the pilot episode, but she attributes their house and school move to bullying. Will is often teased about his mother's attractiveness, although Polly is often oblivious to their desires, such as assuming in the series 3 episode Home Alone that the boys are giving genuine gaming advice, when they tell her to 'bounce around' to improve her performance in a video game.
Polly often overshares details or stories about Will, who is seen to be embarrassed by his mother, like in Home Alone she asks Neil to insert a suppository to cure Will's migraines, or when she told Simon and Mark Donovan in Thorpe Park about the time he cried on the ghost train, or when, aged seven and drunk on shandy, he "pulled down his pants" and ran around yelling "I've got a white slug". She also often gives well-intentioned advice or praise to Will, but phrases it horribly and makes him feel self-conscious, like when she tells Will not to pursue Charlotte Hinchliffe, one of the most popular girls in school, by telling him that someone like himself should "go for one of the plainer girls. Let the good-looking boys go out with the good looking girls" or when she tells him she can trust that he won't do drugs because he is scared. Because of Will's sarcastic replies, she usually looks pleased with herself afterward. However, Will seems to have quite a childlike attachment to his mother, whom he cries to when he is upset, gets her to report his bullying to Mr Gilbert, and relies on to insert his suppositories.
Polly attempts to begin a relationship with a former schoolfriend named Fergus, the first since her separation, but it is ruined by Will's dramatic reaction and consequently getting drunk and vandalising a garden; Fergus breaks up with Polly because he can't deal with a "problem child".
In the second film, Polly begins a relationship with Will's former head of sixth form, Mr Gilbert. Originally, when she is seen on Skype, Will becomes suspicious on seeing that she has laid two bowls for breakfast, although she pretends that Will's grandmother is staying. Then, at the end of the film, Polly announces to Will that she and Mr Gilbert have entered into a relationship (he adds that they have been having sexual intercourse and that he is looking forward to "going diving") and that they are soon to be married, to Will's horror as Mr Gilbert is to become his new step-dad.
Pamela Cooper
- Played by Robin Weaver[1]
- 2008–2014
Pamela is Simon's mother. She is a stern but supportive mother, however this is often met by embarrassment and surliness from Simon. The details of her and Mr. Cooper's sex life are often shared with the boys by him, which makes Simon feel awkward. When Simon is being unreasonable, she attempts to reason with him and make the best of things, which usually serves to make him more ill-tempered.
In one episode, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper separate temporarily, which upsets her greatly; however when Simon hears her about her crying he gets embarrassed and annoyed by her "blubbing". However, they reconcile by the end of the episode, and according to Will's narration, have noisy sex upstairs whilst the boys are in the front room.
Alan Cooper
- Played by Martin Trenaman[1][3]
- 2008–2014
- Alan is Simon's father. He constantly reminds Simon (and the other boys) of his sex life, often going into unwelcome, inappropriate, intimate detail of his sexual life both with and before his marriage to Pamela. While dropping the boys off at the airport he tells the boys that they are in for a great time stating "girls just seem to let themselves go a bit more abroad". Despite his sexual nature Alan is an ultimately caring parent and reasonable disciplinarian.
Andrew Cooper
- Played by Dominic Applewhite[1]
- 2008–2010
Andrew is Simon's younger brother, with whom he often argues. He has been seen to outsmart Simon on more than one occasion, and it seems that he has a bit of disdain for Simon's uncool "sad case" status, suggesting he is probably more popular and more liked at school than Simon.
In the series finale when Mr Cooper announces that after a hard decision, he is moving the family to Wales, Simon reacts badly and says he will stay in London and get a flat with Jay, and that Andrew can live there too; Andrew flatly refuses to even consider it, implying that he would rather move to Wales than live with Simon and Jay.
Mrs Cartwright
- Played by Victoria Willing[1]
- 2008–2011
- Mrs Cartwright is Jay's mother. She often unwittingly interrupts Jay while he is doing things in private, such as masturbating or looking at his fake ID.
Terry Cartwright
- Played by David Schaal[1]
- 2008–2014
- Terry is Jay's overweight and abusive father. He has poor toilet hygiene, and laughingly ridicules Jay's attempts at approaching girls. Despite being condescending towards Jay, he is actually very easy-going and seems to get along well with the group, especially Will and Simon. He enjoys revealing to them that all of Jay's stories about his alleged numerous sexual experiences are lies. Terry runs a plant hire yard and enjoys caravan holidays.
Kevin Sutherland
- Played by Alex MacQueen[1]
- 2008–2014
- Kevin is Neil's easy going mild-mannered father, who is often the subject of rumours of his closet homosexuality. He vehemently denies this, despite the boys (bar Neil) and their parents being convinced that he is homosexual, with Will drunkenly calling him a "bumder" ("a combination of a 'bummer' and a 'bender'") to his face. Despite the frequent accusations, there is no true evidence to the viewer or the characters that Kevin is actually a homosexual.
Katie Sutherland
- Played by Kacey Barnfield
- 2009–2010
- Katie is Neil's attractive elder sister who currently lives at home with the Sutherlands, along with her boyfriend. Katie is incredibly assertive and often loosely hostile towards the boys (bar her brother, Neil) and reveals in the series 2 episode "A Night Out In London" that she is fully aware of Will, Jay and Simon's physical attraction towards her.
Neil's Gran
- Played by Stephanie Fayerman
- 2010
- Neil's gran is only ever seen once at Neil's 18th birthday party and is shocked when Neil tells Simon "not to spunk on his bed sheets".
Mr McKenzie
- Played by Anthony Head
- 2011
- Will's dad is mentioned throughout the series but he does not appear until the movie, in which he announces he has just got married to a woman who is, according to Will, only four years older than Will, making her 22. It also appears he has no real interest left in Will due to his social awkwardness. He appears first right at the beginning of the film and again during the credits, where he receives a picture of Will with Alison in Malia. Upon seeing it, he smiles, knowing he can now be proud of his son.
Unseen characters
Katie Sutherland's boyfriend
Katie's boyfriend is first mentioned in the episode "Thorpe Park" in which Neil tells the boys that he works as a cashier at a local BP garage (the boys mistakenly assume that he's a mechanic). He is mentioned again later in the show where he is again referred to as a mechanic.
The Headmaster - Mr Hopkins
The Headmaster has a speaking role in a deleted scene in series 1 in which he is played by Martin Ball. In the first episode he can be seen sitting next to Mr. Gilbert but he does not say anything. He does not appear in the assembly in the film.
Sadie Cunningham
Sadie is a girl in Jay's tutor group, and sits next to Jay. Jay often steals things out of her bag such as hair removal cream and an invite card to Louise Graham's birthday party. Interestingly, there is a real actor who plays Sadie and it turns out that she has a 'voice only' part; in Series 3 Episode 1 when Neil is complaining with Simon that he cannot see the girls because of the curtain, one of the girls overhears and angrily tells Neil from the other side "We can hear you". This is the voice of the actor who plays Sadie (it is revealed in the commentary from the main characters on the DVD).
Jack Stephens
Neil mentions that he dropped a ruler next to Miss Timms. It is unknown whether he is Neil's friend.
Chris Groves
In the first episode of Series 2, Jay mentions that he has a mate in Year 13 by this name. He mentions his name again in the Series 3 preview. Due to the outlandish nature of Jay's claims, it is questionable whether he even exists, since Simon had never heard of him.
Sarah Bell
In the first episode of series 3, Neil is very annoyed that a curtain has been put up meaning he cannot see (or help) the girls getting changed for the fashion show. He mentions to Simon that he imagines that "Sarah Bell's got lovely big nipples", much to Sarah's disgust (who overhears from the other side of the curtain).
Jo Larken
Similarly to Sarah Bell, Neil quickly also tells Simon that he reckons "Jo Larken shaves her pubes" when he realises a curtain has been put up meaning he cannot see the girls.
Paul Keenan
In the first episode of Series 3, "The Fashion Show", Paul is supposed to be modelling with Charlotte Hinchcliffe in the 1970s disco theme section. However he supposedly drank a bottle of vodka and passed out due to a mix of alcohol and nerves, leading Will to take his place, despite his previous criticisms of the Fashion Show, saying it was "exclusive vanity".
Chris Yates
In "The Fashion Show", Chris is supposed to be modelling with Carli D'Amato in the 'Sexy Finale' Theme in which he had to wear speedos, DMs, a tophat and a leash. But according to Carli, his back was disgustingly hairy so she sacked him. He can actually be seen in the episode, if one looks behind Carli whilst she is talking to Simon, he can be seen in the background with a hairy back, technically making him a 'one off' character.
Chris Wharton
A boy Jay claims he used to sit next to in woodwork class, and who now works in a newsagent's. During "The Trip to Warwick", Jay tells Neil and Will the story of how Wharton got his head stuck in a bottle bank and by the time he was found in the morning he had been "arse-raped eighteen times". Neil believes the story, but Will does not, questioning how the first eighteen people who found Wharton "turned out to be opportunistic homosexual rapists" and why Wharton would tell Jay about the ordeal due to its embarrassing nature.
Steve D'Amato
Steve is Carli's father. Carli tells Simon that he went ballistic when Simon vandalised their driveway, and Mr. Cooper tells Simon that Steve threatened to "fuck him up" when he sneaks into Carli's brother Chris' bedroom in the middle of the night, which he mistook for Carli's.
Neil's mum
Neil's mother is mentioned several times throughout the show. She is divorced from Neil's father, Kevin. Neil claims that she was in a difficult place, though many assume the reason for the divorce was Kevin's supposed homosexuality. She has since dated a man similar to Kevin, leading Neil to believe that she has a type. She bought Neil a motorbike for his eighteenth birthday, but Jay crashed it shortly afterwards. She is the only parent among the four boys who is never seen.