The Inbetweeners star David Schaal feels ‘lucky’ to be recognised as Jay’s dad

The Inbetweeners
(Image credit: Ian West)

'What a great show to be involved in'

David Schaal has revealed that he "doesn’t mind" being known for his role as Jay’s appalling dad Terry in The Inbetweeners.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, David said that he’s "proud" to be a part of the classic C4 sitcom, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year.

He told the website, “I get recognised most for The Inbetweeners. That was the thing for the last ten years that has been my bread and butter really. It’s dying a little bit now but I occasionally get recognised.”

David added, “I feel so lucky. What a great show to be involved in. I loved everybody on that show. The writers were great, all the other actors were great. I’ve got some good friends from that.”

Now, David is working on a sold out West End production called Time, which is very different from his work on The Inbetweeners. The play follows four criminals who are thrown together when a bank robbery goes wrong.

The full synopsis is, “After a job goes sideways, four thieves bounded by honour meet back at the place it all began, the local boozer.

“Drink, drugs, jokes, reminising about old times and even politics, you would think this was a standard night in any South London drinking establishment however beneath the banter lies a dark secret that will test the loyalty of these four friends to the limit to see if there really is honour amongst thieves.”

David shared a preview of Time on his Twitter account, revealing that it plays between 10th and 15th February at the Tristan Bates Theatre. He stars alongside Paul Danan, Michael Head and Daniel O’Reilly (aka Dapper Laughs), and marks his first theatre role.

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Explaining the experience working with the actors, he said, “Working with what as I would describe as raw talent in Dan and seasoned talent in Paul and Michael is really exciting.”

He also revealed that they only had a week to rehearse, and the experience working together was “hilarious”.

Metro.co.uk asked David if he’d be up for an Inbetweeners 20 year reunion, to which he replied, “If I’m still alive, yes! Working on this play might shorten my life.”

We’d definitely love to see him back as Terry Cartwright!

The Inbetweeners Series 1 - 3 is available to watch on All 4.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress