Off-screen fallouts: “Big egos can lead to tension”
As Emily Atack hints at a rift with Inbetweeners co-star James Buckley, Closer takes a look at the other off-screen fallouts that have tainted our top shows and asks PR expert Nick Ede for his views
The Inbetweeners became an instant hit when it burst on to our screens in 2008, documenting the lives of 16-year- old school pals Will, Simon, Neil and Jay and even spawning two successful films.
The show’s cast appeared to be close off screen too, happily posing together on the red carpet at showbiz events.
But in December, Emily Atack – who played Will’s love interest Charlotte – hinted at cast tensions when she revealed her invitation to the show’s televised reunion, Fwends Reunited, had been retracted last minute. She said, “I don’t really know what happened here. I was booked to do it, very much looking forward to it. I think it was kind of the day before I was told I was no longer needed for it.”
And more recently, the 2018 I’m A Celeb! runner-up appeared to point the finger of blame directly at James Buckley – who played loudmouth Jay – during a recording of Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast. According to an audience member, Emily, 29, referred to her former co-star as “James F******” and revealed there had been a lot of “snobbery” behind the scenes.
But, as Closer reveals, The Inbetweeners is not the only TV show to fall victim to cast feuds and petty in-fighting. Celebrity and PR expert Nick Ede tells us, “The mark of a good actor is to look like best friends or even lovers with someone they hate. TV casts are put together, they don’t choose to work with each other, so it’s not unlikely for them not to get on. Couple that with actors that may have big egos or the 12-hour days they can endure on set and tensions will likely spill over.”