The Inbetweeners Star Joe Thomas Breaks Silence On Reboot Reports

The cast of The Inbetweeners pictured on the set of the first movie Bwark Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock

British comedy fans have had plenty to talk about this last week, following the news that The Inbetweeners looks set for a revival after a hiatus of over a decade.

And now, Joe Thomas – who played Simon Cooper in the cult sitcom and its two spin-off movies – has spoken about the show’s reboot, confirming that he’s up for making a return.

“I feel enormously close to all those people and, obviously, I love spending time with them,” he told The Sun.

Joe added: “If there was an opportunity to spend more time with them in any capacity, I’d love that… that’s pretty much all I can say.”

Earlier this week it came to light that production company Banijay UK and the creators of The Inbetweeners had come to an agreement which “paves the way for the return of the hit comedy title”.

However, speaking about reprising his role, Joe – whose character Simon was an entertainingly hopeless romantic – has also reflected on why the delusional nature of The Inbetweeners’ core four might not be as funny with age.

“When you get older, your delusions fall away, you look at life as it is,” he explained. “It means you get into less stupid situations I suppose, also the challenges get bigger; you can make larger mistakes when you get older.”

Nevertheless, Joe heaped praise on the show’s writers Damon Beesley and Iain Morris and their creative ability.

“I’ve always been really, really drawn to brilliant writing and I genuinely think, despite filthy language, The Inbetweeners is a brilliantly written comedy,” he said.

“Honestly, if it was a case of doing more I do have faith in Iain and Damon. It’s their show actually. I mean I’m very much a ‘follow the people’ person.”

Joe co-starred in The Inbetweeners alongside Simon Bird, James Buckley, and Blake Harrison, with the sitcom going on to scoop British Comedy Awards as well as a TV Bafta in the fan-voted Audience Award category.

Two movie spin-offs followed in 2011 and 2014, drawing from the rich comedic fountain of lads’ holidays as the quartet headed to Malia and Australia, respectively.

However a 10th anniversary “Fwends Reunited” special disappointed some fans who wanted more from the content.

Joe has always been the most open of the four when it comes to reprising his role, with Simon claiming only last year that while he loved his co-stars “there are no prospects of a reunion”.

It’s a sentiment that James already made in 2022 when he said that there’s “not enough money in the world” for him to resume his role as Jay as he was worried about tarnishing the legacy of the show.

Last month, Joe and James launched a podcast together, Joe And James Fact Up, where the pair explore strange facts, and talk about their friendship.