The Inbetweeners stars Joe Thomas and James Buckley are reuniting on Channel 4 for a new four-part comedy travelogue, currently titled Joe and James: Boys to Men. Best known for playing Simon and Jay in the hit sitcom, the real-life friends will head out on a road trip as they try to work out what middle age actually looks like. Thomas is already in his 40s, with Buckley joining him next year, giving them plenty to question about growing older without necessarily growing up.

What Is Joe and James: Boys to Men About?

The four-part series will follow Thomas and Buckley as they travel together in search of people and experiences that might help them make sense of what Channel 4 describes as “midulthood”. Along the way, they will explore questions around friendship, where they fit socially as they get older and what they should actually be doing now they are supposedly grown-ups.

Their different approaches to life will also play a big part in the series. Thomas is described as the more introspective and esoteric of the pair, while Buckley brings a straighter-talking, no-nonsense perspective. That contrast will run through a series of funny and unconventional adventures as they attempt to get some answers to their midlife questions.

Joe Thomas and James Buckley Return to Channel 4

The project brings Thomas and Buckley back to Channel 4 years after The Inbetweeners first made them household names as Simon Cooper and Jay Cartwright. Their friendship has continued away from the sitcom too, including through their podcast work, which Channel 4 pointed to when announcing the new series.

Commissioning editor Vivienne Molokwu said the chemistry between the pair is “undeniable”, adding that their friendship and very different outlooks make them an ideal duo to explore “what to do when you’re too old to be young but too young to be old”.

Who Is Making Joe and James: Boys to Men?

Joe and James: Boys to Men is being made by Idle Industries in conjunction with Fudge Park, the production company founded by The Inbetweeners creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley.

Will Macdonald and Beesley serve as executive producers, with Macdonald joking that he would happily watch Thomas and Buckley decide which takeaway to order, never mind head off in a small car trying to answer existential questions about middle age.

For CultureCues, we were already buzzing about getting more of Joe Thomas and James Buckley with The Inbetweeners 3 on the way at Netflix, so this feels like an extra bonus. Their friendship is such a big part of what makes them funny together, and sending them off on a road trip to work out middle age should give them plenty to bounce off each other. We’re just wondering whether they’ll be making the trip in Simon’s infamous yellow Fiat Cinquecento, or if middle age has finally earned them an upgrade. We can’t wait!

Joe and James: Boys to Men is coming to Channel 4.

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