INBETWEENERS star James Buckley has hilariously revealed that he was playing Football Manager during the birth of his son.
The 36-year-old is best known for playing compulsive liar Jay Cartwright in the E4 sitcom, where he became a staple of British TV history with his foul-mouthed catchphrases and ridiculous boasts.
One of these lies was telling on-screen pal Neil Sutherland that he had “completed” videogame Football Manager – an impossible feat.
It seems Buckley’s character has become part of him though, as the actor told of how he spent “ages” playing the videogame whilst wife Clair Meek gave birth to their son.
A clip from the pair’s latest episode of their podcast In Sickness and in Health sees Meek reading a confession from a listener.
She reads: “Me and my partner have been together for 12 years and there’s been an argument that’s been going on for about 11 and a half of those years.
“He had Football Manager on his phone.”
The camera cuts to Buckley, who nods in familiarity with the game as Meek continues: “It took over our life.
“Unfortunately – in quotation marks – the game somehow got deleted off his phone.
“Now, before you think I definitely deleted it, I didn’t. Of course, he doesn’t believe me, and I’ve tried to plead my innocence but he’s not having it.”
Meek looks knowingly at the camera as she addresses the fan: “You did delete it, didn’t you?”
Buckley chimes in: “I think she deleted it as well.”
Meek replies with an air of confidence: “She did.”
Buckley then says while crossing his legs: “In his defence, you can put in a lot of hours in Football Manager.
“Getting your team right, getting it into a position where you want it to be.”
Meek then takes a jab at her hubbie, sarcastically saying: “Absolutely. Things shouldn’t get in the way. Even things like the birth of your first child.
“You should still play Football Manager all the way through it.”
Buckley then hilariously begins to try and justify his actions as he says: “I didn’t have a lot to do when Harrison was being born.”
Meek replies emphatically: “All the way through it.”
Buckley then outrageously jokes: “He took ages to turn up, you were just in a bed.”
Meek chuckles in disbelief by her husband’s comment as Buckley continues: “I didn’t even get a bed Clair. You were lying down.
“I had to sit there in one of those hospital chairs that they make to be uncomfortable.”
Meek jokes: “Remember I asked you to put a sock on and they gave you those medical socks?
“Actually, I didn’t ask you. The nurse gave them and said, ‘Can you put them on for her?’
“You f*ing aed about, fiddled about and I was like, ‘Leave it. I’ll do it.'”
The couple shared the episode on social media today, writing: “Find out what James got up to during the birth of his first child.”
The post received hundreds of likes and dozens of comments as many were left tickled by the story.
One person wrote: “The stare after ‘You were just in a bed.’ Relatable.”
Another said: “Sackable offence that is, James, mate.”
A third commented: “My partner was in my bed when I was in slow labour with our first because I couldn’t lie down.
“It hurt too much. So, he slept in my bed.”
Another added: “I would have deleted it and I would take it to my grave too.”
A fifth joked: “Completed it mate.”
