Inbetweeners duo want The First Team to 'feel like any other workplace sitcom'

Iain Morris and Damon Beesley wanted their new comedy \'The First Team\' to "feel like any other workplace sitcom" even though it is about Premier League footballers.

The pair - who co-created \'The Inbetweeners\' - have worked together again on the BBC Two show which follows three young professional footballers Mattie (Jake Short), Jack (Jack McMullen) and Benji (Shaquille Ali-Yebuah) at a fictional club and their misadventures on and off the pitch.

Iain exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "We are hoping that it will feel like any other workplace sitcom.

"Yes it\'s an extreme example of privilege and skill and things like that but really it\'s like any work place.

"You have to go there in the morning, get bullied by someone, there\'s people you like and people you don\'t like and then you go home at the end of the day and deal with your life if your single and young."

He revealed the team are hoping top flight footballers enjoy the show, and he explained they have endeavoured to make it as "realistic" as possible.

He added: "I would love footballers to like it. We did a lot of research and spoke to Premier League players because we wanted to make it realistic.

"Whilst it is comedy and it is fiction we wanted to make it as true to life as it could be.

"I think generally I feel pretty confident that we have, there\'s a few little bits and bobs I\'m not sure about. We shot it at real clubs and the dressing rooms are Premier League dressing rooms and top level training facilities."

His co-writer Damon explained the duo wanted to explore the real people "who grew up loving football" and just happened to make it to the top level.

He explained: "What attracted us to the idea is that despite all the privilege, despite the bubble they live in, how enabled they are, there are essentially just young lads who grew up loving football and playing football with their mates and happened to be very good at it and this is the end result.

"It\'s a bit of a cliché but they are just like you and me they\'ve just got this extreme situation which they have to deal with. For 50 per cent of the time it\'s fantastic for them but the other 50 per cent is a razor\'s edge of anxiety that if they make the wrong step then their careers are over."