The Young Offenders

The Young Offenders is currently streaming in the UK on BBC iPlayer, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Alex Murphy leads a cast with real comic timing. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on BBC iPlayer.

There is a reason The Young Offenders keeps coming up in conversation. The jokes in The Young Offenders land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Two teenage boys from inner-city Cork steal bicycles and ride off on a 160km quest to find an unrecovered bale of cocaine worth 7,000,000 euros. Alex Murphy and Chris Walley lead a cast with the timing to make it work. It hit screens in 2016. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and The Young Offenders holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

The Young Offenders is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Alex Murphy anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.

The Young Offenders was released in 2016, directed by Peter Foott. The full 84-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.