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Skins (British TV series)

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"Skins" redirects here. For other uses, see Skin (disambiguation).
Skins
File:SkinsC4 450x562.jpg
Main cast of the first series of Skins
GenreDramedy
Created byJamie Brittain
Bryan Elsley[1]
StarringNicholas Hoult
April Pearson
Mitch Hewer
Joseph Dempsie
Larissa Wilson
Hannah Murray
Dev Patel
Mike Bailey
[1]
Theme music composerFat Segal
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersBryan Elsley
George Faber
Charles Pattinson[1]
ProducerChris Clough[1]
Production locationBristol
Running time47 minutes approximately, 60 minutes including adverts
Original release
NetworkE4
Release25 January 2007 –
present

Skins is a British teen drama from Company Pictures which premiered on E4 on 25 January 2007. Skins is one of E4's flagship programmes in their attempt to start showing more British content on their channels.[2] Channel 4 reran the first series beginning 21 August 2007. A second series of ten episodes began airing on E4 on February 11 2008 and Channel 4 on February 14 2008.[3]

The complete first series was released on DVD on 24 September 2007.[4] Much of the popular music used in the original broadcasts is not found in the DVD episodes,[5] however the original music is available in the series soundtrack.[6] The second season will be released on DVD on 21 April 2008[7]. Skins is also available to watch free of charge on Channel 4's 4oD service to viewers in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Plot

Main article: List of Skins episodes

Skins revolves around the lives of a group of 16–18 year-old friends who live in Bristol. The Dawson Brothers claim the series represents the everyday lives of adolescents. The group includes a popular boy, a Muslim boy, a homosexual boy, an intelligent and privileged girl with family problems, a party animal in love with his teacher, and a girl with an eating disorder. These characters attend the fictional Roundview Sixth Form College in Bristol. Each installment has a self-contained theme focusing on each different character respectively, but there are several story arcs that span different episodes.

Series 1

In the first series, episodes followed the pattern of being named after central characters, whom the episode primarily focused on. Accompanying the episode title at the beginning of each episode is a short few second montage of that episode's central character. Episode one, "Tony" is more of an ensemble piece, introducing the characters, format, and themes. Subsequent episodes "Cassie", "Jal", "Chris", "Sid" and "Michelle" focus on specific characters, and "Maxxie and Anwar" was a shared episode between characters whose stories were interlinked. Every episode starts with the eyes of the main character. Episode eight "Effy" also focuses less on its namesake, and more on the central characters' search for her. The series finale is an ensemble piece like the pilot however the DVD makes reference to the title for the episode being Abigail despite her not appearing in the episode at all. At the beginning of this episode, we see the eyes of every character and the episode finishes with a cover of Cat Stevens' Wild World, sung by the main characters, in particular Sid.

Series 2

The second series began on 11 February 2008,[8] however it was made available in four installments to users of social networking site MySpace during the four days leading up to the launch. E4 had stated however, that there was a limit of 5000 viewers each night. The first episode was shown in its entirety on e4.com from 10pm to 12am on 10 February 2008, but due to streaming problems this was extended to 6am. The first episode focused on Maxxie and Tony and features comedian Bill Bailey as Maxxie's father. In episode 2 Shane Richie starred as a college drama lecturer named Bruce. It has been confirmed that comedian Mark Heap will be playing Chris' absentee father at some point in the series. The gang attend the gig by the up and coming Liverpool punk ska band, We Need Leads. The series is set six months after the conclusion of the first. Tony is alive after being hit by a bus, but he is now severely impaired: he can barely write, he struggles to hold a fork and he remembers little about the world around him. The second episode introduced a new character known as Sketch, who has been stalking Maxxie.[9] As confirmed by April Pearson episode 4 was set on a camping trip to Wales. It was also confirmed at the end of series 1 that an episode will focus on the character of Abigail Stock and a later episode will be focused on "Posh Kenneth". The series featured its first death in the third episode, with Sid's father being unexpectedly killed off. This year's guest stars include Bill Bailey, Harry Enfield, Shane Richie, Sean Pertwee, Geoffrey Hughes, Mark Heap,John Thomson, Fiona Allen, Peter Capaldi, Josie Lawrence, Arabella Weir, Josie Long, Mark Monero and Kevin Eldon. It has also been confirmed that Daniel Kaluuya will be writing episode 8.[10]

Cast

Main article: List of Skins characters

Main characters[11]

Supporting characters


Parents

Recuring chracters in the series, in the form of the central cast's parents are often played by well-known British actors, usually credited in a guest starring role, for example Harry Enfield and Nina Wadia are both known as actors and as comedians and Danny Dyer on the other hand, is a well-known British film actor.

Online presence

Unseen Skins

Main article: List of Unseen Skins episodes

Accompanying each episode of the program was an online mini-episode, released after first broadcast. The storyline of this mini-episode interweaves with the main episode and shows parts of the story that may not have been elaborated upon before. The mini-episodes for the final two episodes have not been released online and are only available on the series' DVD.[12]

A second series of Unseen Skins has now started to become available on the official Skins website.

Secret Party

E4 launched a "Secret Party" and invited fans to get involved. This was the second time the show has offered UGC competitions to encourage the involvement of creative and talented fans. The competitions involved the chance to design a projection for the party, to interview the cast or to take official photographs at the event. A competition was also launched on MySpace to win tickets for the event, that would give fans a chance to be spotted by members of the casting team who would be on the lookout for extras at the event. The Oxford band Foals are featured on the episode performing the song "Hummer" at the party.

The Lost Weeks

During January 2008, E4 began publishing webisodes to bridge the gap between Series 1 and 2. The few minute episodes are designed to show various developments of the characters in order to enhance the understanding of the events that have taken place between the first and second series. As of 4 February 2008, all episodes have been released on the website.

Skins Christmas Special

Not much is mentioned in this feature (7.22) about Tony so it is thought he is still in hospital. It opens with the gang in a pub having a talk about the turkey they're going to have. Chris and Anwar don't want to celebrate Christmas so decide to go off on their own. It mainly follows them throughout, until they join the others. Kenneth and Maxxie do the infamous "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" dance. Anwar also proceeds to 'tongue', 'chew' and 'fondle' the turkey.

Reception & Ratings

The pilot episode of Skins averaged 1.5 million viewers,[13] averaging 1.2 million viewers for the first series.

The first series received mixed, though generally positive reviews, with some critics complaining that the series depicts teenagers unrealistically and stereotypically.[14] Others criticised the excessive promoting of the show (specifically, in the U.K.) and having relatively mediocre writing in comparison to other similarly themed shows. The shows has also received praise for being 'entertaining', 'engaging' and 'showing heart'.[15] Actor Nicholas Hoult defended criticism of the extreme storylines, saying they wouldn't reflect "everyone's teenage life", adding "It is maybe heightened for entertainment but all of it is believable."[16]

Comedian and writer Stewart Lee has remarked during an interview on the BBC4 programme 'Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe' that he feels lucky for having been a teenager watching TV for teenagers in the 1970s and not the 2000s as "there was something really comforting for nerds and weirdos about programmes like Children of the Stones and The Changes," and that such programmes, "made you feel less alone, and that's a really great thing that art can do.", whereas he said that watching Skins as a teenager today would make him feel lonlier.[17]

Gordon Farrer writing in the The Age called it a "refreshing, entertaining and worthy series" and wrote it was "compulsory viewing for parents of teenagers as much as for teens"[18].criticism

The ratings for the second series which launched on E4 on Monday 11th February 2008 peaked at 884,000 viewers (a further 160,000 watched it an hour later on E4+1) which gave it 5.9% audience share and taking 60% of the 16 - 24 demographic, however this was still more than 500,000 viewers down on its series one premiere.[19]. 809,300 tuned in to the second episode, which aired one week later in the 10pm slot.

Cultural influence

The programme has given rise to the term a 'skins' party, referring to a debauched night of heavy drinking and light drug use.

During the 2007 Easter holiday a girl in County Durham threw a house party; it was advertised on her MySpace as an Unofficial Skins party, referring to the party in the first episode, with the subtitle "Let's trash the average family-sized house disco party". 200 people turned up, causing over £20,000 of seemingly deliberate damage and breaking into the house. She alleges that her account was hacked and someone else placed the ad.[20]"[21]

Club nights marketed as 'Skins Secret Parties' to 16-years and over have also taken shape in Leicester.[22] Following this, a series of parties were run by Company Pictures in Spring 2008.[23]

To see if it is a real 'Skins' house party check the E4 / Comapny picture websites to avoid damage and press.

Production

The writing team includes the Dawson brothers, Steve, Andrew and Tim (Balls of Steel, Dirty Tricks), Jack Thorne (Shameless) and Josie Long.[24] They also have guest writers for certain episodes, such as Simon Amstell (Popworld, Never Mind The Buzzcocks). Skins is filmed in Bristol; the school scenes are all filmed at John Cabot Academy. Moreover, some other places from Bristol — such as the clock from the Bristol Cathedral — are shown during the series 1 opening credits. Many of the other locations used during filming, such as the cafe and diner, are real locations in Bristol. Skins was shot entirely in High Definition and edited using Apple Final Cut Pro, Autodesk Lustre and Autodesk Smoke at BBC Post Production, Bristol.

DVD releases

The Complete First Series
Set details Special features
  • 9 episodes
  • English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Subtitles: English
Release dates
 United Kingdom
 Ireland 		 Australia  France
24 September 2007 20 February 2008 25 March 2008
The Complete Second Series
Set details Special features
  • 10 episodes
  • English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Subtitles: English
  • To Be Announced
Release dates
 United Kingdom
 Ireland 		April 21, 2008[25]

International

Country Name Station Status Timeslot Premiere
United Kingdom
Ireland 		Skins E4
Channel 4
Channel 4 HD 		Airing series 2 Mondays, 10:00 pm GMT

Thursdays, 10:35 pm GMT

25 January, 2007 (series 1)

11 February, 2008 (series 2)

Belgium Skins Jim TV Aired series 1 Wednesdays, 9:00 pm CET 4 July, 2007
New Zealand Skins C4TV Aired series 1 Mondays, 9:30 pm NZST 10 September, 2007
Brazil Juventude À Flor Da Pele HBO Plus Aired series 1 Tuesdays, 9:00 pm BRT 2 October, 2007
Russia Молокососы MTV Россия Aired series 1 Monday-Thursday, 9:00 pm MSK 11 October, 2007
Canada Skins Super Channel Airing series 1 Everyday, check these listings 02 November, 2007
France Skins Canal+ Aired series 1 Thursdays, 10:15 pm CET 06 December, 2007
Skins Virgin 17 To air series 1 TBA TBA
Australia Skins SBS Aired series 1 Mondays, 10:00 pm AEST 07 January, 2008
Italy Skins MTV Italia Airing series 1 Sundays, 11:00 pm CET 20 January, 2008
Slovenia Mularija Kanal A Aired series 1 Fridays, 9:30 pm CET 9 November, 2007
Sweden Skins Kanal 5 Aired series 1 Thursdays, 10:00 pm CET 6 September, 2007

References

  1. ^ a b c d Company Pictures: Skins
  2. ^ Oatts, Joanne (2006-11-20). "E4 opts for more homegrown content". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2008-01-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Skins to get second series on E4 | Media | MediaGuardian
  4. ^ Skins DVD Release, play.com. URL last accessed 2007-03-17.
  5. ^ http://theskinhead.blogspot.com/2007/09/dvd.html, Co-creator's blog.
  6. ^ Skins CD Release, play.com. URL last accessed 2007-03-17.
  7. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skins-Complete-2-Harry-Enfield/dp/B000X9VTCG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1203753015&sr=8-2
  8. ^ Skins Dates! - E4 Skins Forum
  9. ^ Television - Tube Talk - I'm stupid now - Digital Spy
  10. ^ http://www.national-student.co.uk/magazine/tv/features/skins_series2_jamie_brittain.htm
  11. ^ http://www.e4.com/skins/the-gang.html
  12. ^ "Channel 4 Forums - Unseen Skins News". 2007-03-22. Retrieved 2007-03-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (2008-01-07). "Celebrity Hijack hoists E4 ratings". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2008-01-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Lucy Mangan on last night's TV | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited
  15. ^ First Night: Skins on E4 | Organgrinder | Guardian Unlimited
  16. ^ Skins series 2: The countdown begins...
  17. ^ http://youtube.com/watch?v=XWcpkNbIJZg
  18. ^ TV Reviews TV & Radio Entertainment theage.com.au
  19. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a89186/skins-return-pulls-more-than-pulling.html
  20. ^ [1] The Telegraph: Police arrest MySpace party girl 14 April 2007
  21. ^ [2] Sunderland Echo: House trash party girl: "I'm sorry" 15 April 2007
  22. ^ http://www.artsinleicestershire.co.uk/rockgigs.htm
  23. ^ http://www.skinslife.com/parties
  24. ^ Wilkes, Neil (2006-08-04). "'About A Boy' star for new teen TV series". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2008-01-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Amazon.com listing - Skins : Complete Series 2". Retrieved 2008-02-26.

External links


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