The hit British teen comedy series “The Inbetweeners,” which provided the world with a foul-mouthed library of hilarious and childish quotes, not to mention two hugely successful spin-off films, is set to return.
Banijay UK and Fudge Park Productions, founded in 2015 by show creators Ian Morris and Damon Beesley, have reached an agreement that “paves the way for the return of the hit comedy title”. It’s still unclear what form The Inbetweeners will take and on which platforms, but Morris and Beasley have hinted that it will revolve around the original characters.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be planning more adventures for four of our favorite friends (oh my friends),” they said in a statement.
Originally broadcast on E4 in the UK from 2008 to 2019, The Inbetweeners follows the misadventures of suburban teenager Will McKenzie and his friends Simon Cooper, Neil Sutherland and Jay Cartwright as they navigate school life, friendships, male bonds, youth culture and botched sexual encounters in the fictional Rudge Park Complements. The film was originally conceived as a more realistic counterpoint to fellow British teen show Skins, which portrayed an awkward and, as Morris suggested at the time, mostly “scrappy” adolescence.
Over three series, “The Inbetweeners” set new ratings records for the channel and won multiple awards. After that, two hit movies were released in 2011 and 2014. The first film set a record for the biggest weekend opening for a British comedy at the time of its release, and the sequel also broke box office records.
The new deal, which was produced by Morris and Beasley’s original company Bwark Productions and later sold to Zodiac Media (acquired by Banijay in 2016), frees up what it calls “the rights and potential to revive ‘The Inbetweeners’ for new audiences on a variety of platforms, including film, television and stage.”
Jonathan Bryce, managing director of Fudge Park, said: “We are thrilled to announce this exciting partnership with Banijay, who shares our vision and ambition for one of the most iconic comedies in British history.” “This is a great moment for our fans. Exciting conversations are underway and more news will follow.”
Banijay UK CEO Patrick Holland added: “I’ve worked with Damon and Ian on a number of Fudge Park projects over the years and I’m delighted to be discussing the future of The Inbetweeners with them. They have an infectious creative vision for the brand that will resonate with audiences old and new and I can’t wait to get started.”
Banijay Rights is the distributor of “The Inbetweeners.”
Since the series ended, Morris and Beasley have worked on a number of projects together and separately, and also teamed up on the comedy film The Festival and subsequent BBC series The First Team. Mr. Beasley also produced the series “White Gold,” starring many of the cast of “The Inbetweeners,” while Mr. Morris co-wrote the sports comedy “Next Goal Wins” with Taika Waititi, was one of the creators of the Apple series “Time Bandits,” and recently directed the Netflix feature “My Oxford Year.”
