Peep Show Mysteries: Jamie and Barney

[@tomsaww7516]

I honestly never even noticed they were different people, Ive watched this back to back like 7 times.

[@joikcgjfig427]

Me too

[@yothistk2857]

This is my first time realising aha

[@CAL1MBO]

Yeah lol

[@ConflictsComing]

you and me same! holy shit I've watched the series probably around 20 times and I thought they were the same! hahahaha

[@uponthebay]

Same

[@forthrightgambitia1032]

I have to be honest Joe Lean's band names sound like they could have been invented by Superhans.

[@WeeLin]

The first time I watched, I honestly just thought they were the same character. It wasn't till I watched it again that I caught on (I really suck at remembering faces!). I did wonder what the deal was, and assumed the original actor was either unavailable or unwilling to do the episode for some reason. This totally checks out - had no idea he was the drummer for The Pipettes. Thanks!

What is this, a crossover episode? Never thought I'd see my fave No9 reviewer on a peep show vid😂

[@WeeLin]

@ Yep - huge Peep Show fan, and I love this channel! I'll take "favourite No9 reviewer" as a compliment, even though I'm probably the only one. And what's this - a BoJack Horseman reference? Yet another one of my favourite shows.

[@23madberty]

Similarly I had no idea Paula was the woman who tells Jez he might have chlamydia

[@AlexSurfECS]

I remember getting a Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong vinyl free with a Kerrang magazine back in 2008. What a time to be alive.

[@yothistk2857]

Imagine leaving Peep show to start a band, and Peep show been what people remember instead, something Jeremy would do

[@markrice23]

He totally jezzed it.

[@SteRDLK]

Only cause he cancelled the release of the album despite decent reviews. Very plausible the band could be far better remembered if he hadn't pulled the plug.

[@kratos.8151]

@@SteRDLK I can't find any reason why they cancelled it. They were great live. Saw them in Cardiff.

[@k-leb4671]

@@SteRDLK Whoa, that sounds really narcissistic and/or controlling of him.

[@mth666]

@@markrice23😂I just did a big Mark in my pants

[@gow2ilove]

I always just interpreted it as a way of them telling us how strange Sophie's whole family is. But interesting points raised here.

[@stevebrizzle]

Barney always struck me as a lot more socially well-adapted than Jamie, the latter of whom behaves much more strangely.

[@dylano2952]

Dont know about a lot

[@stevebrizzle]

@@dylano2952 - consider this: Barney comes across as a kind, friendly, generally good-natured kid who also seems to be quite a talented young musician. Sure, he is a bit (inexplicably) awe-struck by Jeremy, but he is a kid after all. The one time we see him acting strangely - in the dressing room of the pub they're about to perform in - is while he's under the influence of ketamine, a powerful dissociative and hallucinogenic drug, and Super Hans has coaxed Barney into sucking Hans off. Considering these circumstances, we can give Barney a break. Compare this with Jamie, who does that weird spastic dance at Sophie's birthday party, found it a "bit much" drinking four cans of lager at a festival, dropped out of university, isn't allowed to shoot a gun and becomes unhealthily attached to Jeremy by the end of the episode "Sophie's Parents". So yes, I would say that Barney, when not in a K-hole, is a lot more socially well-adapted than Jamie :-)

[@anonymousxaela761]

@@stevebrizzle All right but ketamine isn't a hallucinogen

[@stevebrizzle]

Anonymous Xaela - dissociatives are a class of hallucinogen, smart arse. Look it up.

[@signasmilk]

@@stevebrizzle ketamine is a dissociative

[@hayles6296]

I hate to potentially poke a hole in the theory, but Jamie actually appeared in a later episode... Season 4, Episode 6 - The Wedding. He is standing next to Sophie’s dad, Ian, hurling confetti at Mark’s head as he and Sophie leave the church. It’s due to their shared dislike for Mark, as they both know that he doesn’t really love Sophie. Not to mention that after Jez and Jamie’s last interaction, where Jamie holds onto the car, wanting to return to London with them, only to have his hands beaten off the car, the bridge had already been burnt, there would be no reason for Jamie to continue to idolise Jez past that point, however, Barney and Jez had a backstory prior to his appearance in S5E2 - Spin War where he and Jamie were smoking at the wedding. If it was meant to be Jamie that turned up at the door to hand over the ‘heartbreak tuna’, he would’ve given the same frosty reception that Ian did when he was at the door, but it was a peppy, enthusiastic Barney who has only had positive experiences with Jez, therefore meaning there were probably always supposed to be two separate characters. The whole Chapman family are a bunch of oddballs, so would it really be that surprising if two young men from the same family exhibited the same traits? But that’s just my observation, I love Peep Show😂

[@jamesatkinsonja]

The Wedding appearance was probably filmed at the same time as 'Sophie's Parents' and Jamie doesn't get a line. Paul Clayton said in an interview Spin War was going to be Jamie and the actor even took part in a read through but he pulled out at the last minute, hence Barney was swiftly created. The inconsistency you pointed out with Jamie still idolizing Jez was because the whole 'band' idea was a deleted idea from Sophie's parents [as Matt King wasn't available for the scenes at the parents house] they decided to use for series 5.

[@lunabourke3923]

I feel like Jamie would still cling on to Jez, he is quite the creepy character, his clingyness was always more off putting and a lot less sympathetic. I imagine he was much more annoyed with Mark at the wedding scene then Jez.

[@Opomax]

I did wonder about this a couple of months ago, and it makes sense. It did feel as if it was supposed to be Jamie.

[@horstborscht7401]

They somehow incorporated Barney into the wedding posthumously, he said he was "smoking that dope that turned out not to be dope" with Jez. I always wondered when Jez had the time to do that, as he was stuck in the church with Mark, and then left along with him in the car...

[@SteRDLK]

Probably Super Hans.

[@nick-knack782]

I've played that out in my mind too. It would be just about possible, while Mark and Sophie are in the limo, Jez spots Barney on the fringes of the wedding party (and he has just thought out loud where can he get some dope) asks him outright if he has any, Barney pulls out a tea leaf spliff, Jez lights and tokes, scoffs, walks off annoyed and sees Sophie run from limo etc

[@alexjwebabou]

i kinda always suspected it was a production issue. and i like the fact that they didn't recast Jamie but created cousin Barney. i hate recasts unless they're integral.

[@HKNYN1]

I've watched peep show maybe 40-50 times in my life start to finish and I honestly never noticed they were different people until now.

[@bso1469]

I swear, exactly the same here. Idk how it possible haha

[@paulelroy6650]

dont you listen to character names and who they are. i mean they were both the same type of character but its explained they arent the same person in the show.

[@HKNYN1]

@@paulelroy6650 it's not that serious

[@hofhdskfhdks]

@@paulelroy6650 chill out, dickwod.

[@blindfreddy9157]

@@paulelroy6650 You're clever. Can I be you?

[@blindfreddy9157]

I just learned something. I've watched Peep Show soooo many times and never noticed they weren't played by the same actor. WTF?

[@andrewmay1299]

I mean, one of them is Joe Lean from Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong and one isn’t. Also the fact that the characters have different names.

[@christopherangeli1141]

He's got a strong look, very striking

[@orikoru]

This is so random. I love Peep Show and I love that Pipettes album - never had any clue they were linked in this way. 😂

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Paul Clayton [Sophie's Dad] confirmed this in a 2019 interview with Podcast Secrets of the Pharaohs that Jamie was going to be in 'Spin War' and the actor even took part in a read through but pulled out for his music at the last minute, though Paul thought the story-line worked better with Barney's more 'youthful' appearance/personality.

[@d_wigz6418]

I'm rewatching peep show right now and didn't even notice they were different people

[@lemurjim]

I've always wondered about this... thanks for digging and clearing it up!

[@MrJonyish]

Jesus with his spotty music career it’s amazingly good casting for Jamie in whatever his name is

[@badda_boom8017]

I always thought it was perfect they had 2 similar characters from the same family

[@jr7845]

Every birthday we do the Sophie n Jamie dance

[@iago4810]

or maybe that kind of teenage weirdness runs in the family

[@simonvaughan6017]

Joe van Moyland also had a small part as the composer Thomas Tallis in the BBC drama The Tudors around that time.

[@thomasjohnson8391]

Jamie was in the wedding episode as well. And was mentioned in the New Years episode about him posting something

[@DG-um3xi]

Where

[@thomasjohnson8391]

DG8802 near the end and in the church watch it again and see

[@grahamryan2481]

@@DG-um3xi The clip is in the video at 4:04

[@jamiedurham4260]

Pictures of his scrotum on Facebook!

[@Matt-so3nm]

I’d always found this odd, and this makes total sense now. Thank you! You can see how it would make more sense with it being Soohie’s brother (Sophie’s dad collecting him after the concert)

[@FreedSpiritProd]

You keep saying Jamie is a one off character but then you show the clip of him at the wedding.

[@captainweekend5276]

to be fair it's not like he had a speaking role in that episode anyway, replace his appearance with an extra in the wedding and nothing at all changes.

[@JV-dj6mo]

@@captainweekend5276 still would have been a lot of effort for the providers to track him down and ask him to appear if his life was so busy. Even if it was with a role where he didn’t speak and only appeared for a couple of seconds

[@frankinsoc2028]

@@JV-dj6mo but in the wedding episode it was before the time he was busy was it not? Wedding was season 4 he was too busy for season 5 so they replaced him

[@k-leb4671]

@@JV-dj6mo The 6th episode and the 1st episode were probably filmed very close to each other, if not at the same time, considering they had to travel to some town to do the filming.

[@benjammin8184]

Saw Jo Lean and co support the Libertines and they were no Executioner's Bong let me tell ya.

[@lazlow9640]

These guys were just saying they wouldn't mind some cheese McCoy's...

[@ps1hagrid355]

Chance would be a fine thing.

[@nix2939]

FANCY SOME TEA?

[@tillerman7272]

I suppose you were expecting someone to say "a fine thing in deed" WELL YOU CAN FUCK RIGHT OFF!!

[@leejones8582]

A fine thing indeed

[@ritchyfox]

Thank you for posting. I love this. Big up Joe, I always did wonder and this kinda makes sense! I kinda wish Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong had a little more output to show for during that time, but they were among the movers and shakers in that 2007 era. Lonely Buoy is a great song.

[@charliecatesby3346]

In series 8 Episode 4 Mark's inner voice states that he has a Masters degree whilst attending his MBA course, claiming that once completed his qualifications will read "MAMBA" (Which is a kind of sexy snake), this is never previously mentioned even in Series 2 Episode 4 (University Challenge) in which he only states that he has done an undergraduate degree in business. Doing a Masters degree would have taken him beyond series 1 in his life and should have featured quite heavily in the series, requiring him to at the very least mention it.

[@ThePwnagePenguin]

You can do integrated masters degrees now. It would still count as an undergraduate degree but you’d end up with an MA/MSc at the end.

[@horstborscht7401]

It roughly works if he'd done a two-years MA. Mark and Jez were at uni in the mid-Nineties ("Britpop was kicking off, 'Four Weddings' just came out... it was mental!"), so there'd still be a few years after finishing his BA and working at JLB.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

We never hear of the Masters degree again after that episode although that could be explained away by Mark quitting it to avoid Stephanie.

[@RaferJeffersonIII]

Barney nicked Jez and Hans sound and did it back to them

[@puppygirllucky]

I’ve watched peep show literally hundreds of times over and I always thought it was the same person, but they got the names wrong on accident, like the Mark’s parents situation!

[@thomaspalmer1938]

Watched the whole series multiple times and never even noticed they were different people XD

[@aooiibhee]

this finally explains it! for ages i was thinking i completely got sophie’s brother’s name when they introduced him as jamie not barney when i was rewatching

[@t4ky0n]

I really thought they were the same person.

[@RaferJeffersonIII]

Don’t know your peep show do you? You can fuck off pal, you can fuck right off.

[@JackSmith-ul6dp]

@@RaferJeffersonIII hahahaha

[@jayshute7873]

I’ve watched this series 4 times the whole way through and I didn’t even realise they were different characters

[@petecodes]

Wow, appreciate the effort on this. I never thought about it. This is better than the Games of Thrones thing of getting at times three different actors for the same role.

[@DTHumphrys]

There was this guy, and he came up to me and said he was from security, but I don't really think he was security...so

[@anaccount8474]

He was definitely a 'this one time at band camp' type of character.

[@b.p.emma.]

the biggest mystery is, when will european bob will finally get out of the crisp age

[@officialmasqq_594]

Wow you really hate the guy who plays Jamie lmao

[@charlesboughton367]

Not as much as he’d mate playing Jamie, what a acting dive gig

[@bimey386]

ive watched this show multiple times and i always thought they were the same person lmao

[@andysmith5997]

My life now has meaning again. Alone,broke and unloved ,but now just a little bit happier. On to the next. Thank you!

[@deantonks9308]

I thought it was two actors playing the same character, I'm surprised that I didn't notice they were different characters with different names 🤔

[@StanleyNoble]

i always assumed it was the same character but recast for season 5 i didnt even realise they had different names

[@joeyodonnell123]

TY for your tireless work 🙏🙏

[@slackerZ1]

I'm glad I at least knew they were different people but the get what you mean. Very strange characters but funny.

[@postnobills666]

Yeah. It's like friends I've had from places like Jersey and Hitchin. They've all kind of the same vibe. So it makes sense that Jamie and Barny have the same traits. I'm in!

[@SteRDLK]

A lot of comments from people saying they didn't even notice, so I'm going to claim that Mark and Jez didn't even notice either and just thought it was the same bloke.

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

Jesus, like others are saying , it wasn't until now that I realised they were two characters

[@CoDVideos4Y0U]

Aw mate live for these vids

[@jos9116]

I was subscribed to the NME in those days and absolutely adored Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong

[@willyboneuk]

With the characters being so similar and the actor who played Jamie having a hectic schedule at the time, your theory certainly makes sense. Personally, though, I never saw the problem. I know they are both similar but they are cousins after all. I've never felt replacing Jamie with Barney detracted from how good 'Spin Wars' was.

[@NotChukkov]

I watched Fresh Meat before Peep Show, now that you mention it it's somewhat apparent how similar the writing styles are And yes I've watched Peep Show 4-5 times and I never really registered what happened with these two characters. I thought they were the same character, but I just felt a sense of (powerful) confusion over it, like I was just remembering wrong... this show gaslit me!

[@SudrianAfro]

A sense of powerful dread

[@michaelnahum6782]

It could just be a theme, Sophie having weird Jeremy worshipping relatives, they could have added some more

[@aquafresh3150]

I’ve watched peepshow many times and always thought they just recast the character

[@nathanjones5457]

I never noticed these were different characters or actors.

[@RaphaelWiggum]

Exactly what I assumed when Barney was introduced.

[@anothermansrhubarb454]

Great stuff. I thought Jamie and Barney were the same character, never noticed the difference before 😂

[@erikkennedy]

Whoa, I had a soft spot for the Pipettes back then; it's so weird that there's a 'Peep Show' connection.

[@BB-mr3vy]

nice research. also I think the reveal that barneys been blowing hans is funnier than it would've been with jamie, since barney seems more innocent and straight laced.

[@nomo3013]

The Jamie actor was also in The Tudors around that time!

[@IngaFrid]

I can't believe I never recognised Jamie in _Fresh Meat!_

[@attentionaddicts]

The same thing happened in S3, where Nancy was replaced by Big Suz due to the actress being unavailable.

[@mrfakename8778]

bruh I've watched peep show like 4 times and never realised these were different people

[@frankinsoc2028]

Am I the only one that thought Neil from season 8 (the guy Jez gave therapy and who he told to break up with his girlfriend. The footie coaching guy) and Joe from season 9 were also duplicated characters just like Jamie and Barney? Neil even mentioned that he'd experimented with same sex relationships which was a setup for the "threeism" to follow.

[@JamesWrigglesworth]

Great detective work! Although you already had my mind blown within the first 60 seconds by pointing out that they were too completely different characters, I must have seen every episode 10+ times and I never noticed!

[@benday1218]

Ah, thanks for unravelling this, it always bothered me!

[@MrAddyG]

I think Jeremy does remember Barney, as they went to the car park and smoked that dope that he bought, that turned out not to be dope ?

[@TheArdenDisastra]

Fresh meat was such a good series, only watched it a couple months ago but I binge watched it in a couple days and when it ended I was so sad haha. Usually not a fan of that kinda stuff but it was great

[@leeoreilly6797]

I genuinely thought it was the same person until I watched the series again. Mandela effect type thing going on, 'The Barney effect'

[@bellesiee141]

I always wondered about those two !

[@pookachu64]

Hey, the Pippettes were cool!

[@keepXonXrockin]

I'll come out and say it - I don't think I ever consciously registered that they were two different characters.

[@HellNation]

I noticed they were different characters, the brother and the cousin. But somehow i thought they were the same actor. I think this is an example of the Mandela's effect in a sitcom.

[@hughman9975]

They look so different. Jamie looks like my friend though so I recognised them easy haha

[@victorymansions]

Jamie looks a lot like Theon Greyjoy.

[@LukeDHarrison2002]

The first time I saw it, I thought they were the same characters.

[@MichaelJirochVisualArtist]

Sophie’s Parents is my all time favorite episode. And I, too, thought the these two characters were one and the same. On a Side note here: in the USA Peep show has been playing on different platforms over the years. It’s now playing on Amazon Prime. But the kicker is, the thumbnail they use now doesn’t use Mark or Jez’s face, it uses Sophie’s face to sell the show, due to her rise in fame and popularity.

[@stevencross8877]

Right here me out How can barney smoke that stuff that turned out not to be hash at the wedding with jez, if jez got in the car with Mark and left with him?

[@jedwards1792]

They’re both very cute.

[@maxguzman3489]

Man you need to return to make peep show videoanalysis

[@mrrizzla4961]

I have seen both episodes, multiple times. And have only now just realised that Jamie amd Barney aren't the same character!!!

[@deanlinney6111]

This was explained in the dvd commentary.

[@toby2636]

I actually thought they were the same character. I had no idea they were different.

[@Khayyam-vg9fw]

It's a situation not a million miles from what happened in 1959 to the U.S. TV series "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis". Bob Denver, the actor who played Maynard Krebs (the best friend of the title character), was drafted into the U.S. army, and instantly replaced by Maynard Krebs's "cousin", Jerome (played by Michael J. Pollard). Maynard and Jerome were essentially identical characters (both beatniks who employed "hipster" language). In the end, Denver was quickly rejected for military service and "Joshua" was quickly exchanged for "Maynard". (A shame, in a way, since it would have been interesting to see Pollard in a few more episodes.)

[@anaccount8474]

I remember initially thinking they were the same character but later realized their names were different. Maybe the writers didn't want to go down the road of having a character being played by a different actor so made Barny the cousin. I don't think many people would have even noticed if they just made him the same character with a different actor.

[@Microtonal_Cats]

I'm just now realizing Jamie and Barney aren't the same character. I've seen Peep Show all the way through at least 20 times.

[@brittlebonez666]

I didn’t realise they were different people either 😂

[@marlowphillips7543]

I got confused first time watching Peep show and thought they were both the same person with different actors or something

[@markrice23]

I've just realised they're different people 👍

[@alexa1591]

I feel disgusted in myself that I actually remember those shit pointless bands (by name at least)

[@axw]

Just pretend you remember those mid 2000's boy bands all ironically, that makes everything suddenly more socially acceptable - somehow.

[@BenHall289]

Really? I hear he's a big fan of yours.

[@alexa1591]

Ben Hall of old Greg? Who isn’t

[@Joshamon1]

Joe lean and the jing jang jong were big news to anyone who obsessively read NME around 2007

[@totigerus]

tl;dr scheduling conflicts

[@billyb6001]

I've watched the show through 4 times and I thought they were the same person.

[@taylorhamblin1540]

Heartbreak Tuna

[@mattparkin7224]

I feel like the way it turned out actually worked better - i think there was a bit too much character development for Jamie for them to really get away with the sucking off and mental destruction. Barney was a quick in and out so you have slightly less empathy for him.

[@drexlspivey5828]

I don't know why this video exists or why so many people in the comments section have had their mind blown, it couldn't have been any clearer they were two different characters

[@fgaze72]

Judging by the comments, it definitely could have been clearer

[@justinvardy2652]

The jam

[@meursault7030]

I legitimately didn't realise they were seperate characters lol

[@gnomeflight]

3:16 actually a very profound point

[@SteRDLK]

and that's the bottom line...