The Inbetweeners actor James Buckley apologises after negative response to reunion special
Buckley says he's 'sorry to anyone who feels let down' by the show
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Inbetweeners reunion special that aired on New Year’s Day was met with overwhelmingly negative responses – so bad, in fact, that one of the stars of the show has apologised in an emotional message.
Fwends Reunited, which marked the 10th anniversary of the cult sitcom’s debut, aired on 1 January on Channel 4. Jimmy Carr hosted the two-hour special, which wasn’t a new episode as many thought, but instead adhered to a chat show format.
James Buckley, Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas, and Simon Bird were all present, alternating between studio bits, pre-taped segments, and excerpts from the series.
Many viewers were disappointed when they realised the reunion special wasn’t, in fact, a new episode, and lamented the show’s format.
Some claimed it looked as though Buckley, Harrison, Thomas and Bird didn’t want to be there. Other complaints had to do with Jimmy Carr’s performance as hosts, with some wishing the four actors had been given a chance to speak more.
Buckley reacted to the criticism on Wednesday in a tweet, writing: “Feeling pretty hated right now. I’m sorry to anyone who feels let down with last night’s show.
“I’m especially upset as it really is the fans that made The Inbetweeners a success, it certainly wasn’t me.
“I might do an explanation video on my [YouTube], or might just leave it and move on #sorry.”
Harrison also appeared to address the negative feedback on Twitter.
He didn’t specifically refer to the show but wrote in what appeared to be an ironic update: “So, 2019 off to a good start.”
Negative tweets abounded in the hours after the show aired as viewers expressed their disappointment.
“Awkward moment when you think the #FwendsReunited was gonna be an actual episode instead of a chat show. What the hell is this?!” someone wrote.
Another person wondered: “Why does everyone seem like they don’t want to be there?”
“All they had to do is write an hour long episode about a school reunion and everyone would’ve been happy,” someone else tweeted. ”But NO, we get this rubbish.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments