James Buckley: ‘I’ve struggled to find a goal since The Inbetweeners’ — life after an early hit

james buckley says he felt “semi-retired” after The Inbetweeners ended and that he has been “struggling to find out” what to aim for since the show made him a household name. On a video call from his home in Essex he spoke candidly about pride, parenthood and a career shaped by one indelible part.

James Buckley: Why does he say he’s ‘struggled to find a goal’?

For Buckley, the trajectory was clear and swift: as a young man he hit the prize he had always wanted — a place in a beloved sitcom — and the role became shorthand for his adult identity. He described Jay Cartwright as defining his adulthood: “It was my first love, and I’ll never get that again. ” That success left an unexpected aftermath. He said he felt “semi-retired, before the age of 30” and admitted, “I don’t really have a goal anymore, which I generally think is quite a dangerous thing. “

How has he rebuilt his public life and income?

Buckley has not retreated. While he continued to act, notably in the sitcom White Gold, he also diversified his public life. He and his wife Clair launched a YouTube channel, At Home with the Buckleys, which grew into a podcast with 281, 000 subscribers and has an upcoming live tour. He began a second podcast with his Inbetweeners co-star Joe Thomas, called Joe and James Fact Up. On a commercial front, Buckley became the first celebrity to make $1m on the video-message site Cameo, often recording in character as Jay.

Reflecting on the present he said, “I just sort of keep myself busy” and that, on many days, he will “potter about, really. ” Those choices have created new routines and revenue streams, and reshaped public engagement on his own terms rather than through scripted roles alone.

Could the show come back, and what would that mean?

The question of revival hangs over much of this conversation. Buckley has said he hasn’t been approached to revive his character, and he voiced skepticism that another show could recreate the same spark: “I genuinely don’t think that exists. ” Yet the series’ creators have been actively plotting more material. Iain Morris and Damon Beesley described the prospect as, “It’s incredibly exciting to be plotting more adventures for our four favourite friends (ooh friends). “

Buckley has also suggested why the original tone might still resonate: he argued the kind of rough, unapologetic humour the show delivered could meet a cultural appetite for release at the moment. He framed that possibility as a social rhythm — that audiences might want to “have a laugh again” — while also urging that any return preserve the spirit of the original rather than soften it.

Back on the video call in Essex, the scene that opened the interview feels different: the actor who once described outrageous on-screen fabrications now speaks as a father, a podcaster, a content creator who can monetise brief, irreverent messages, and a man still searching. The question of whether a new goal will arrive on stage, in a script, or through a tour remains unresolved; for now, james buckley is building a life that keeps him in public view while he decides what to aim for next.