TV Blog: The best (and worst) of the week's telly
I’m one of those people who tried really hard to hate Skins, (Thursdays, 10pm, E4) the teen drama that arrived in a hail of sex, drugs & vomit in 2007 and which is currently airing its 4th series. My hostility stemmed from the experiences of my teenage years being so far removed from the hedonism onscreen; while the Skins cast are out clubbing and shagging every night, me and my friends spent our teens swapping Doctor Who stories on VHS and engaging in role-play (the non sexy kind). That Skins portrays a glamorised fantasy world makes it an easy target for criticism until you realise that the show is not so much about how teenagers actually live but how they perceive their lives; the way in which at seventeen every emotion and drama seems to be massive, mythic and magical.
When taken on its own terms the show is frequently wonderful – if a little inconsistent. Achingly, gorgeously shot and soundtracked; series four picks up with the new cast who were introduced in the third run. In case you’ve been living under a rock (or been similarly resisting tuning in) Skins operates by each week presenting stories focused on one or two characters from a larger ensemble while keeping the longer arcs moving in the background. For a programme that presents itself as edgy, it’s a bold move to start a series with a quiet episode about a poor immigrant wrestling with his conscience and faith but Skins is at its best when subverting expectations. Some of the following episodes are more conventional in their scope but equally rich in quality and don’t shy away from dealing with sensitive issues with real deftness and wit.
The programme is occasionally let down by 2-Dimentional supporting characters who seem to have wandered over from a ropey sitcom and it resorts to punctuating the drama with sex scenes set in cupboards waaaay to often but - jarring as these things are - they are faults that can be overlooked in a drama partly plotted by 16-21 year olds. Despite spawning a genre of racy teen dramas (see The Inbetweeners, Misfits) series four of Skins shows no sign of running out of steam and is frequently bowl-you-over-brilliant. Just keep reminding yourself that it’s not real and you won’t be left feeling like the uncoolest kid in school.
All four series of Skins are available to watch online on 4od and youtube.