Simon Bird and Joe Thomas, who of course star in The Inbetweeners, have revealed that the success of the show, and its spin-off movie, is a “double-edged sword” since they now fear anything else they do may not be as successful.

And specifically, Simon and Joe were referring to their new roles in ‘Chickens’, a comedy they co-wrote with Jonny Sweet, the pilot episode of which airs this Friday.

Speaking to What’s On TV, Simon said, “The Inbetweeners has opened a lot of doors for us.

“But at the same time, it is a double-edged sword because [Chickens] is obviously going to be judged in relation to the Inbetweeners – which is unfortunate because we want it to be judged on its own merits.”

In Chickens, Joe plays the role of George, who’s a conscientious objector, while Simon’s character Cecil has been rejected from military service on health grounds. Jonny’s character Bert is “simply a coward.”

Chickens airs at 10.30pm on Friday on Channel 4.