The Inbetweeners

'Just Say No', the infamous advertising campaign from the 1980s and 90s read. Of course, this aphorism didn't apply for The Inbetweeners in this week's episode of the regularly entertaining sitcom.

Geeky Will had reservations - despite slight goading from his mum - that smoking 'spliffpuff' would be the right track to enjoying a gig from hip, upcoming band Failsafe, but Simon had new girl Tara (a good turn by Hannah Tointon) to impress.

With his promise to supply the goods, Simon turned to cocky Jay as his dealer, who managed to score not 'd-r-u-g-s', but 'p-g-t-i-p-s' from bully Donovan.

The brilliantly observed scenes in the venue included a delightful cameo from comedian Doc Brown, who threatened to steal the show as an ingenuous drug dealer.

Jay, finally delivering on one of his boasts and delivering the 'puff', began a hilarious chain of events which ended with Will swallowing the entirety of the remaining stash - the bits that weren't rolled up by the dealer, that is.

Simon's relationship with Tara was the big story from the second episode, though, and will make fans wonder if he'll finally be lucky in love. After all, he 'doesn't want a Playboy model' but 'a nice girlfriend'.

Though at times it risked self-parody (Neil's slow-motion version of his robot dance, for example) The Inbetweeners picked up from a somewhat customary slow start to the series.

Displaying its influences - a knowing nod to The Office and David Brent's 'Hobnob' quip - the second episode was more Grange Hill than Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. We wouldn't have it any other way.

The Inbetweeners 3.2 review

Overall, "The Gig & The Girlfriend" wasn't a classic episode, but it came close in a few instances.

The hilariously uncool sixth-formers go to a gig tonight, with predictably catastrophic results. Eager, as ever, to impress a girl, Simon offers to supply the "puff" and so begins a fraught scramble to befriend a dealer. Jay manages to score some PG Tips - at which point his mates begin to suspect he's not as worldly-wise as he pretends - while goody-two-shoes Will purses his lips and refuses to get involved (even his mum thinks he's sad). Naturally, nothing goes quite to plan as the teens clumsily negotiate another obstacle on the embarrassing road to adulthood. It's rude, crude and brilliantly observed.

The Inbetweeners: series three, episode two

After a slow start last week, the pace picks up when the boys discover drugs - with predictably ill-fated results.

The Inbetweeners series 3 episode 2 review

The boys discover their local indie scene, experiment with drugs and Simon finally scores a girlfriend!

Is 'The Inbetweeners' all it's cracked up to be?

It's a cult comedy gone mainstream. Viewing figures for series three are up 10-fold at 2.4 million as the middle-aged finally get in on the act. But does its success contain the seed of its demise, and is it funny anyway? Simmy Richman and his nephew, Darren Richman, cross swords.

Has anyone seen my left testicle? Yeah, only 15 times

Has The Inbetweeners gone off the boil?

Hannah Tointon has big future

Hannah Tointon looks straight ahead at a big future after her new show, The Inbetweeners, bagged 3 million viewers.

Wayne Rooney wants role on The Inbetweeners

The show's stars Blake Harrison and Simon Bird told the Daily Star: "Apparently, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand want parts in the show," they said. "And Amanda Holden told us she wants to play a sexy English teacher in the next series."

The Inbetweeners 3.1 review

The Fashion Show was a perfectly decent opener that delivered the requisite laughs, shocks, and embarrassments that appeals about this knockabout comedy about four sex-obsessed sixth formers.