Ages of Two Oldest Boys


All throughout the 6 episode series, Paul and Estelle mention they've been together 20 years. The two oldest boys seem in their mid-to low twenties. Past high school age.

How could that be? Were Paul and Estelle only married 20 years, but had 2 kids before tying the knot? That's the only way I could see it working out.

The youngest, Edwin, really does seem like a teenybopper. Unlike teens on American shows who seem at least 23.




No two persons ever watch the same movie.

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This isn't the only problem with the show, but yeah, the ages just ain't right. She is waaay to young to be the parent of the oldest two. The actress that played her was only 38 at the time, adding to the age discrepancy.




I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.

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From what I can tell, Rory (a university student) is from a previous marriage of Estelle and so is Paul's stepson. But the guy who played him was 27. The second son is also out of school and is his late teens early 20s, but the actor who played him was possibly older.

It's not unusual for older actors to play younger characters- all the guys in The Inbetweeners are all in their 20s

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Rory is not Paul's stepson, he is his biological son. Teens graduate from school at 17 in the UK and, if they were in sixth-form at the time, go to university for 3-4 years. That would make Rory 20-21.

The second son obviously has not finished university and, like Rory, is now working at his first job.

A little knowledge is a bad thing. So is a lot. ~ Albert Einstein

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Cumberbatch is Sherlock Holmes now and very good !!!

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[deleted]

I think Rory is from a previous relationship of Estelle. Maybe she had him when she was sixteen or so? With the age she and Rory are at, that would make sense. Plus, in the first episode, Rory calls Paul by his first name. That definitely indicates he may be his stepson. I heard him call Paul by his first in another episode too, but he calls him dad also. Again, stepchildren calling step-parents mom/dad and by their first names is common. Also, the way Rory says "She's my mother" can also indicate this too. To me, Paul and Rory just act like stepfather/stepson. Most of my closest friends have stepparents and they're mannerisms and language are very similar to Paul and Rory.

When I watched this show a few years ago (like four years ago in middle school), I always thought Rory was Paul's stepson and Estelle had him in her teens. That may not be right but that's how I always saw it and still see it. If Rory is Paul's stepson, I liked that they didn't make a HUGE deal about it. None of that "You're not my real father" stuff. Rory is in college and is past that stuff.

Also, I always thought "Rory" was cute before it was "cool". When I got my friends to watch Fortysomething in middle school (my mom is a huge Hugh Laurie fan and ordered this on DVD like in 2006) and high school, no one thought he was attractive. Thanks to Sherlock, everyone does now. I like Sherlock, but he'll always be Rory to me (and Edmund from "To the Ends of the Earth").



The course of true love never did run smooth~ William Shakespeare

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Stepfather and stepson? I think it's pretty clear that they are biological father and son.
For example, towards the beginning of the 5th episode when Paul is eavesdropping on Rory and Estelle in the kitchen, Rory says about Paul: "Later on today the two of us, father and son, are hosting a men's consciousness raising group".
Later on in episode 5 when Paul is talking to his friend Jeff Shaw about Rory he says: "I know my eldest son better than anyone else in the world".
In episode 2 Paul says "Why is it that while you girls are discussing your relationship with this [some word I can't make out] (referring to Daniel), Rory's left out of it? It's nothing to do with me of course, I'm just his father (referring to Rory), and his father (referring to Daniel)."
And the text at the very end of episode 6 mentions "Which is still less than any of his children".
I'm pretty sure there's other references to all 3 being Paul's children but I think that's enough examples. Also, I could remember wrong, but I thought the other sons sometimes call him Paul as well? Couldn't remember any specific times though so I'm not totally sure.

As for their ages, we know that Paul is 44 turning 45 because in episode 1, Estelle says to the woman on the bus on the way to work that Paul will be "45 next birthday". As for Estelle, early in episode 1 when she's examining her upper arms in the mirror she says "I'm not happy with my upper arms. No woman over 40's happy with her upper arms". It's mentioned that Paul and Estelle were married young (episode 6 when Estelle is talking to Gwendolen), and that they met at a party when they were both students it seems (episode 6 when Paul is hypnotised), which makes me think that they're around the same age. Therefore, even though the actress was 38 when it came out, her character is supposed to be older, obviously over 40, and maybe either the same age or a bit younger than Paul.

In episode 3, Edwin says that he's 16. As for Daniel, in episode 1, Paul says to him "You're a graduate now, shouldn't you be taking over the world or something?". Whether this means high school graduate or university/college graduate, they don't say. In episode 2 Daniel says "I'm not just some callow, sexist student. I'm Daniel Slippery", which makes it sounds like he is a student (just not a callow and sexist one). So this makes me think he just graduated high school and is now in university (so I'm not sure how the job fits in with that then - maybe it's just part time?). I'm not sure what age that would make him - maybe someone from the UK would be able to answer that question better (JudyBT said 17). If he's a university/college graduate then maybe he's more like 20. Rory doesn't seem to be too much older than Daniel, as they're both starting their first jobs/work experience, move out together, used to pick on Edwin together (as Edwin is telling Woj in episode 6), and then there's their relationships with Laura and Lucy. Rory's doing work experience so maybe he's just out of university, or perhaps even still studying. So, I would assume maybe if Edwin's supposed to be 16, maybe Daniel would be around 18/19/20, and Rory 20 or 21. So maybe Rory was born before they were married, but I definitely can't find any reason to believe he's from a previous marriage/relationship of Estelle's, and as shown above, there's plenty of evidence against that theory. Plus with different fathers, Rory and Daniel would have to have a bigger age gap I would think, which as I mentioned before, I don't think they do. Maybe Paul and Estelle got married partly because Estelle was pregnant with Rory? Estelle does mention to Gwendolen in episode 6 that "We were married young. We didn't know each other, not really". But there's nothing to back up that possible theory, it was just a thought, and seems to fit the timeline.

Oh and trying to guess how old the characters are supposed to be based on the actors' actual ages is pretty unreliable considering Benedict Cumberbatch (Rory) was 27, and both Neil Henry (Daniel) and Joe Van Moyland (Edwin) were 20 when the series came out. As kralvarez1987 says, it's not unusual for older actors to play younger characters, and I think they look pretty well the ages that the characters are supposed to be. I certainly don't think Benedict looks 27 in the show, and Joe looks more 16 than 20!

So say Estelle was around 22 and Paul around 24 when they got married, and they had Rory pretty much straight away, it would make their ages in the series approximately: Estelle 42, Paul 44, Rory 20, Daniel 18 and Edwin 16.

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Plenty of kids call their folks by their first name, some do it since birth like a family I know of. They believe in being equals without hierarchy.
Some people do it when their kids hit 16 or reach voting age.

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I took it from dialogue Daniel was a high school graduate, making him about 18. Rory could be 19 or 20. That means they had their kids early and close together but I don't see an issue. The actors are a few years older than their characters, I think, but there's nothing odd to that.


Om Shanti

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In Britain, we don't talk about 'graduating' from High School.
He's graduated from university and so is 21+.

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Thanks. I'm an American viewer, as you may have worked. My apologies for the ignorance there. But as to the show, if that's the case, something seems really amiss with the backstory, unless Paul and Estelle were together unwed for a few years.


Om Shanti

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They could easily have been married themselves, while Paul was at university studying to be a medic. He and Estelle were at university together, but she wasn't a medical student. She would have finished when she was 21.

Rory could have been born the following year and Daniel the year after.

If Paul and Estelle are 44, that could make Rory 22, Daniel 21 (Both finished university).Edwin came later.

I don't know what is so unbelievable.

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It would be believable, but the first episode revolves around their twentieth wedding anniversary, if I'm not wrong. Are we to assume two out of three were born before marriage? Obviously it's possible but I can see why some people would find the backstory murky. "Unbelievable" is not the right word so much as unclear or ambiguous.

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Well then, they had a child or possibly two, out of wedlock.
Which strange Dickensian world do you live in?

Look, I'm sorry if I'm sounding like a git. But, the whole thing is perfectly plausible.

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As I said, "obviously it's possible", and not necessarily implausible. But it 's never explained. Ambiguity is not necessarily bad, but I get why some people are uncertain. They make such a big deal of the twentieth anniversary. It's clearly possible to make things fit comfortably with a little imagination, but it's true that some of the backstory is left to imagination.

Just to clarify, I like the show. I'm just meaning to acknowledge questions left open.

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