James Buckley, known for his portrayal of Jay Cartwright in the hit comedy series The Inbetweeners, is confirmed to reprise his role as Ben in 2:22: A Ghost Story when it returns to London’s West End next month. Stacey Dooley, the popular television presenter, will be making her debut in the West End as Jenny. The show initially premiered in 2021 and has had several successful runs in different theatres, touring throughout the UK.
The play’s seventh West End season starts on May 25 and will run till August 4 at the Gielgud Theatre. While James Buckley is confirmed to play the role of Ben, the remaining cast is yet to be announced. Buckley, expressing his excitement on rejoining the cast of 2:22, quoted that it is a brilliant play, and to be back in such a magnificent theatre, it will be great to be playing Ben again.
In September, Buckley gave insight into why he believes The Inbetweeners could never make a comeback, stating that it would be impossible for the characters to behave realistically as they did in the original show, as they can not have men in their late thirties acting like they are in the sixth form and getting away with that stuff.
Buckley almost lost out on the role of Jay, as his agent told him they were recasting. However, he reached out to Damon Beasley, one of the co-creators of The Inbetweeners, and inquired about other parts he could audition for. Beasley replied that they wanted Buckley to be Jay and that his agent had not informed him of this. They invited him to a meeting the next day where he secured the role.
Buckley’s fans are thrilled to see him back on stage and eagerly anticipate the latest season of 2:22.
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