The 10 greatest feuds in TV history, from The Inbetweeners to Friends
Teenage dreams are hard to beat – unless we’re talking about the cast of coming-of-age comedy The Inbetweeners, who have just ruled out any possibility of a reunion. Despite their involvement in one of the most fondly-remembered British shows of the past 20 years, the stars of the E4 hit have little interest in putting the band back together – at least judging by fresh comments by Simon Bird, who played nerdy new kid on the block Will McKenzie.
“I’m afraid to be the one pouring cold water on this, but it’s not happening. I can tell you emphatically that there are no prospects of a reunion,” he told the Mail Online. “[The cast would] be happy to, but it’s not up to us; it’s up to the writers, Iain [Morris] and Damon [Beesley], and I know they’re both very busy these days.”
The actor was eager to portray this negative news in a sunny light – they’d love to do it but everyone is up to their eyeballs and so forth. Yet behind the scenes, a great deal of bad blood is said to have flowed on the set of the show, which ran for three seasons between 2008 and 2010 and which spawned two movies and a controversial 2019 reunion documentary, Fwends Reunited, where all involved appeared eager to exit at first opportunity.
“Weirdly, none of them are really mates and they haven’t been for a few years,” a source told the Daily Mail. “Fans all like to think that they’re best pals in real life but Simon Bird and Blake Harrison [Will’s dim sidekick Neil] are mega snooty.” There are also claims of a falling out between James Buckley [Jay] and Emily Atack – school crush Charlotte – the result of a brief on-set relationship which led to Atack’s exclusion from Fwends Reunited.
“She was gutted,” said a figure knowledgeable about the drama. “She didn’t see it as a big deal, it was a bit of fun years ago and they’ve all moved on, but he clearly harbours some sort of grudge.”
Buckley was under no illusions about the imperfect nature of the reunion, as he would tell listeners to his podcast, Completed It Mate. “I was just as disappointed as everyone else when that thing came out, ” he said – adding that the interview format didn’t make any sense to him. He said he was torn between “acting up” as Jay and being his real self.
“I got caught where I was acting up as Jay because there was an audience there of Inbetweeners fans and I got caught in this spot between Jay and myself where myself was going, ‘You’re acting like a f–king idiot, you’re being a moron, you’re being a d–k.’
He also objected to Jimmy Carr’s combative hosting – where the goal seemed to be tear down the actors rather than celebrate the Inbetweeners. “It became a thing that wasn’t a celebration of this good thing I did in my life, it was me being taken the piss out of for hours on end,” he said. “I didn’t have the personality or the intelligence to cope with it, especially when you’re up against someone like Jimmy Carr, who’s super quick and super funny. So I come across as a complete moron through the whole thing and also there was a bit where I got stuck.
It’s hard to square rumours of a toxic off-camera atmosphere with the zany and upbeat tone of the show. But it wouldn’t be the first time a TV series glossed over negative backstage tension...
Sex and the City – Sara Jessica Parker vs Kim Cattrall
The 1990s dramedy celebrated the joys of life as a young single woman in New York – and doubled as a valentine to female friendship. Behind the scenes, however, star Sarah Jessica-Parker (aka annoying newspaper columnist Carrie Bradshaw) never had much chemistry with the more experienced Kim Cattrall, who played sex-crazed publicist Samantha Jones.
Things came to a head in 2017 when Cattrall told Piers Morgan that Parker “could have been nicer” about Cattrall’s unwillingness to appear in a third Sex and the City movie. She added that the lead cast of Cattrall, Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis were “never friends”.
The chill intensified 12 months later following the death of Cattrall’s brother, Chris. Parker left a message of condolence on Cattrall’s Instagram, prompting a sharp rebuke: “I don’t need your love or support at this tragic time @sarahjessicaparker.”
She went on to accuse Parker of “exploiting our tragedy to restore [her] ‘nice girl’ persona”, adding: “Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now.”
With so much toxicity, it was hardly surprising Cattrall initially declined to participate in the Sex and the City sequel show, And Just Like That (her character is shuffled off to London). She had a cameo in series two, though she did not share screen time with the rest of the cast, quite literally phoning it in. In July, she confirmed that was the end of her involvement with the Carrie Bradshaw expanded universe.
Game of Thrones – Lena Headey vs Jerome Flynn
For all the onscreen savagery of the George RR Martin fantasy blockbuster, off-screen, the Game of Thrones cast generally got on like a castle on fire. An exception were Lena Headey (aka cruel Cersei Lannister) and Jerome Flynn, who played charismatic brigand Bronn. The pair had been through a messy break-up, and the producers kept them apart so far as possible. However, in 2019, Flynn said it had never been written down that they could not share a soundstage – though he has since pushed back against this claim.
“We were actually in the same scene together, and the last time I saw Lena we were speaking, so I wouldn’t believe everything you read, and like I said, [the media] can get pretty desperate for stories,” he noted.
Glee! Maya Rivera vs Lea Michele
Ryan Murphy’s hit dramedy about a high school musical club was beset by rumours of bullying. One of the major fallings-out was between female leads Naya Rivera and Lea Michelle – at least according to Rivera’s father.
“There was always a fight between them. Always. Everybody knew. Everybody saw it,” George Rivera told the Discovery Channel documentary, The Price of Glee! “They hated each other but, at the same time, respected each other’s talent.”
Rivera, who died by accidental drowning in 2022, had her own take on her relationship with her co-star in her 2016 autobiography. “We are both strong-willed and competitive – and that’s not a good mixture,” she explained. “When two people with strong personalities are friends, they’re eventually going to clash. And maybe they’ll get over it; maybe they won’t. Lea and I didn’t.”
24 – Kiefer Sutherland vs Freddie Prinze Jr
Freddie Prinze Jr is best known as the amicable star of rom-coms such as She’s All That. However, he was pushed to the limit against Kiefer Sutherland on the set of Sutherland’s espionage blockbuster, 24.
“Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in the world,” he told ABC News. “That’s not me talking trash, I’d say it to his face. I think everyone that’s worked with him has said that. I just wanted to quit the business after that. So, I just sort of stopped.”
He also claimed that the height difference between him and the shorter Sutherland was an issue and said he was forced to take off his shoes for their scenes together. “Just put the guy on an apple box or don’t hire me next time.”
The X-Files – Gillian Anderson vs David Duchovny
The 1990s conspiracy thriller made stars of its leads, Anderson and Duchovny – but they didn’t always appreciate what they had done for each other’s careers.
“Familiarity breeds contempt,” Duchovny told Metro in 2008. “It’s nothing to do with the other person. All that fades away, and you’re just left with the appreciation and love for the people you’ve worked with for so long. We used to argue about nothing. We couldn’t stand the sight of each other.”
Anderson agreed with Duchovny – a rarity by the sounds of things. “I mean, yes, there were definitely periods when we hated each other,” she said to the Guardian. “Hate is too strong a word. We didn’t talk for long periods of time. It was intense, and we were both pains in the arse for the other at various times.”
Community – Everyone vs Chevy Chase
Saturday Night Live veteran Chase was the best-known cast member in the early seasons of Dan Harmon’s cult comedy, set in a dysfunctional Colorado community college. However, he and Harmon clashed over the showrunner’s spontaneous style. Chase later asserted that Community wasn’t up to his standards.
“It was funny enough for me, ultimately,” he told podcaster Marc Maron. “I felt a little bit constrained. Everybody had their bits, and I thought they were all good. It just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me.”
While praising their talents, no love was lost between him and the rest of the cast, including comedian Joel McHale and Mad Men star Alison Brie.
“I didn’t mind the character,” said Chase. “I felt happier being alone. I just didn’t want to be surrounded by that table every day with those people. It was too much.”
The antagonism was mutual according to a Hollywood Reporter story which said that Chase had used the n-word on set – but then “apologised immediately.”
Euphoria – Barbie Ferreira vs Sam Levinson
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson is known for pushing cast and crew to the limits on his druggy teen drama. One actor who felt enough was enough was Barbie Ferreira, who left after series two feeling her protagonist, Kat Hernandez, had not received enough appreciation.
“I think my character, who I love dearly, I don’t think there was a place for her to go,” she said. “I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend.”
But if Ferreira was upfront about feeling disillusioned, she shot down rumours she had walked off set following a bust-up with Levinson. The rest of the cast signed up for a third season, but with Levinson taking time out to write the disastrous Weeknd vehicle, The Idol, it is unclear if and when cameras will roll again on Euphoria.
Doctor Who – Christopher Eccleston vs Russell T Davies
When character actor Eccleston was unveiled as the face of the rebooted Doctor Who in 2005, it seemed a new chapter had dawned for the eccentric time traveller. Alas, the Ninth Doctor lasted just a single season, and Eccleston’s relationship with showrunner Russell T Davies is said to have “broken down” by the end of the series.
Eccleston later claimed to have been blacklisted by the BBC – and said Davies had done nothing to help him.
“I gave them a hit show,” said the actor. “I left with dignity and then they put me on a blacklist.”
Friends – Jennifer Aniston vs Tate Donovan
The cast of Friends were famously there for one another throughout the blockbuster comedy’s 10-year stretch. That isn’t to say there weren’t occasionally moments of tension, however.
In 1999, Tate Donovan was cast as the love interest of Aniston’s character, Rachel (the joke being that she was besotted with his character, who saw Rachel merely as a friend). Awkwardly, the couple – who had lived together at one point – were going through a break-up, which they tried to keep secret from the rest of the cast and crew.
It was, Donovan told The Independent, like “going to class when you’re in high school and you’ve broken up with the girl you sat next to”.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series – Olivia Rodrigo vs Joshua Bassett
Olivia Rodrigo’s rise to stardom began with her lead role in the Disney + mockumentary about students staging an amateur performance of the House of Mouse’s High School Musical. She and co-star Joshua Bassett became an item during the making of the show in 2019.
A year later, Bassett was seen stepping out with singer Sabrina Carpenter – and six months after that, Rodrigo released her hit single Driver’s License – which contained such barbed lyrics as “you’re probably with that blonde girl/Who always made me doubt/She’s so much older than me/She’s everything I’m insecure about”.
No, Olivia – tell us what you really think.
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