Overview
Those who remember the awkward years of adolescence can relive those painful days in this British comedy series, where the cringe-inducing humor arises from the ill-fated antics of its four protagonists. Suburban teenage friends Will, Simon, Jay and Neil, students at Rudge Park Comprehensive, attempt to navigate the social scene, attract members of the gentler sex, and saunter among the cool crowd. However, despite their best efforts, the four hapless lads usually end up on the side of the nerds.
Reviews
Four teenager boys in their final couple of years at High School, and we follow their exploits both in and out of the classroom.
I think I must have missed this great show first time round back in 2008, but I have to say after watching all three seasons almost back2back in the last month or so, I can safely this this is a very funny sitcom!
Being female my experiences at High School were not a million miles away from these guys, although I was at a girls-only school. But this show focusing on boys turning into young men with heavy influences on all those teenage things we all probably shared back in the day. Namely, underage drinking in pubs, sex, peer pressure, arguments with parents, our first car, sex, rebelling against the system, a hatred for teachers, sex, drugs, sex and err... more sex!
The four boys in question are a perfect eclectic mix of the nice-but-dim boy (Neil), the posh public schoolboy roughing it in a comprehensive (Will), the big headed-day-dreamer boy (Jay), and the legover boy (Simon)
Most of the show is seen through the eyes of Will, and his awkward experiences of trying to fit in into a state school because his mother could no longer afford to pay for his private education after a divorce.
Simon is his best friend. Simon hates his parents, but only when it suits. He is also desperate to get a girlfriend, not so much to fall in love with, but more to do with getting his leg over so as to brag in front if his mates that has has finally had sex!
This peer pressure is driven by Jay. He lives in a fantasy world, constantly bragging about how many women/girls he's had, and what a great sexual monster he is. Although the reality is rather different!
And finally there's Neil - he is a little bit slow on the uptake, and doesn't really have any original thoughts of his own other than to get drunk, date girls (and failing) and become a "airplane driver"
There is a lot of bad language and sexual references. But on the flip side there is no nudity (as such) and the sex scenes are subtly done. There's plenty of laughs to go round, although I did feel come the 3rd season that the novelty was beginning to wear a bit thin. And it's just as well the TV show ended there (although there were two films subsequently made)
Probably not a show you would want to watch with your parents, but it is hugely funny in a very vulgar puerile kind of way.