Ever seen the American reboot of The Inbetweeners? It barely survived a single season, on account of being the comedic equivalent of an elbow in the spleen.
The jokes just didn’t translate, but its most egregious sin was replacing the gawky, noogie-worthy UK cast with a bunch of generic good-looking guys (and duly surrounding them with supermodels to readdress the social imbalance).
With that fatal flaw in mind, it’s a good thing that The Crown star Matt Smith never beat Simon Bird to the role of Will McKenzie, as discussed in the 'Fwends Reunited' aired last night.
Series creator Iain Morris had previously revealed to Digital Spy in 2009 that the Doctor Who actor was close to getting the role, with Dominic Cooper also in the running.
“We auditioned literally 1000 people – including Matt Smith who is the new Doctor. And I’m sure Dominic Cooper at one point too.
‘He was brilliant – down to the last two for Will, I think. I think he was a bit too dashing!” said Morris.
“That’s why he’ll be brilliant in Doctor Who – he’s got something sort of heroic about him.”
Nick Pope is the Site Director of Esquire, overseeing digital strategy for the brand.
