Skins - Where are they now?

LAST Thursday saw the launch of the new series of E4’s critically-acclaimed teen drama Skins.  The Bristol bunch are back, but it is a new cast.  As they attempt to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, here is what ten of the stars from the first two generations have done since leaving Skins for pastures new.

Nicholas Hoult

POPULAR: Nicholas Hoult has made a decent film career for himself

Who did he play in Skins: Tony Stonem

What his character was like: Tony was a attractive, popular character who took the lead role of the first generation.  Most of the main storylines in the first two series were centralised around his characters.

What has he done since Skins: Before Bristol life, he featured in the film About a Boy.  Since Skins, he has appeared in the movie A Single Man, has recently been cast in an X-Men movie spin-off which is due for release this summer and was nominated for a BAFTA film award in 2010, although he lost in his category to Kirsten Stewart.

Kaya Scodelario

Who did she play in Skins: Effy Stonem

What her character was like: Effy was the only character to have appeared in all four series of Skins.  She had a back part role in the first generation and barely spoke.  She took the lead role of the second generation, taking the headlines for being caught in a messy love triangle with best friends Cook and Freddie.  Effy’s characters traits were very similar to those of her bigger brother, Tony.

What has she done since Skins: Kaya has also made the move into movies since Skins, starring prominently in the gang movie Shank.  She has also had supporting roles in Clash of the Titans, appeared in two of Plan B’s music videos in 2010 and does a lot of modelling for fashion magazines.  Behind her career, Kaya is currently dating the Shameless star Elliott Tittensor.

Lily Loveless

FIERY: Lily Loveless career promises to be full of passion

Who did she play in Skins: Naomi Campbell

What her character was like: Naomi began out as an outsider in the second generation.  Fiery and a real political activist, she thought she knew who she was, and didn’t care about what anyone thought about her.  This was challenged by Emily, who chased and chased Naomi throughout the third series.  Cue the ‘Naomily’ phenomenon, which despite some rocky patches, ended in two happy endings.  In the fourth series, Naomi is more open towards people, due to having found happiness with Emily. 

What has she done since Skins: Lily Loveless has been very busy since finishing on Skins.  She has appeared on CBBC drama Combat Kids, done some short films, with one due to be screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and has just finished filming the Sarah Jane Adventures for BBC.  Her portrayal of Naomi was critically acclaimed by many, and these projects seem to highlight Lily’s high regard to many in the world of television acting.

Mike Bailey

Who did he play in Skins: Sid Elliott

What was his character like:  Sid was Tony’ best friend in the first two series of Skins, but struggled to fit into the stereotypes of the group.  Lacking confidence within himself, his relationship with Cassie was one of the main highlights of the first two series.

What has he done since Skins: Mike is one of the few who has almost disappeared totally since he finished Skins in 2009.  His most recent credit was in the Channel 4 drama; 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth, which was nearly 18 months ago.  

Hannah Murray

PROMISING: Hannah has proved she can do multi-tasking 

Who did she play in Skins: Cassie Ainsworth

What her character was like: Cassie was a very popular character with the Skins fans.  Best friends with Michelle, her on-off relationship with Sid, which went lots of places was a highlight.  The difficult relationship with her parents led Cassie to end up in some very precarious positions.

What has she done since Skins: Since Skins, Hannah is building up a very promising portfolio of work, largely in theatre and TV.  Later this year, she will play the role of ‘Emily’ in her debut movie, Chatroom.

Jack O’Connell

Who did he play in Skins: James Cook

What his character was like: The ‘Cookie Monster’ was one of the leading characters in the second generation.  His charismatic, all thrills attitude towards life saw him in some harassing scenarios.  He fought with Freddie for Effy’s heart in series three, slept with Pandora and ended up in jail for assault.  The whereabouts of whether he survived past series four are unknown, after a final confrontation with Effy’s psychiatrist; Dr John Foster.

What has he done since Skins: Before Skins, Jack had already experience a share of the limelight in Doctors, The Bill and Holby City.  Since Skins finished for him, Jack starred in the critically acclaimed BBC2 drama Dive last summer and played ‘Marky’ in the film Harry Brown.  He also won Best Actor for his role as Cook in Skins at the 2010 TV Choice awards.  Jack has a lot of potential to go a long way in his acting career.

Dev Patel

Who did he play in Skins: Anwar Kharral

What his character was like: A very humorous character, Anwar’s faith is questioned at times, especially as he doesn’t follow most of the Muslim guidelines.  He believed that homosexuality was against his religion, which put a strain on his friendship with Maxxie.  He ends the show boarding a bus to London.

What has he done since Skins: There can be no doubt that Dev Patel has had the most success out of anyone since Skins.  He took the main role as Jamel Malik in Danny Boyle’s hit movie, Slumdog Millionaire.  Patel won a host of awards for his starring role and should a Skins movie take place, Dev will reignite his character as Anwar.

Kathryn Prescott

CHANGES: Kat's character, Emily went from shy to confident in no time

Who did she play in Skins: Emily Fitch

What her character was like: Emily began Skins life as a wet blanket.  She was very shy and often in the shadow of loud twin sister Katie.  As the series progresses, Emily is more sure of her sexuality and develops strong feelings for teen activist Naomi.  They have to overcome many obstacles, including Katie, her pestering mother and Naomi’s cheating in series four.  After attempting to punish her lover back, Emily eventually forgives Naomi in a heart-warming conclusion to series four for ‘Naomily.’

What has she done since Skins: Kat began filming for a pilot show, Goth last year, which is expected to be picked up by Sky1.  She has also filmed a minor part in medical drama Monroe and will make her film debut in the horror movie, Lethal later this summer.  She has her own website and keeps up-to-date with many of her fans on a regular.

April Pearson

Who did she play in Skins: Michelle Richardson

What her character was like: Michelle was a very confident character, with an arrogant side towards herself.  She was together with Tony at the start of their Skins life, but split up when he cheated on her.  Her hedonistic lifestyle takes her to the edge and Michelle, after briefly dating Sid, gets back with Tony, although their future was thrown into question as they planned to head for separate Universities at the end of the second series.

What has she done since Skins: April made a cameo role in BBC medical drama Casualty after Skins and her first movie and last known work was in Tormented, a horror comedy in May 2009.

Luke Pasqualino

BRUTAL: Freddie's death shocked fans, but Luke is carving a leading role.

Who did he play in Skins: Freddie McClair

What his character was like: Freddie likes skateboarding and smokes weed.  He fights his best friend Cook for Effy’s affections, even shagging Katie when he thinks that Effy wants Cook.  When Effy makes her mind up, it’s Freddie who she wants and their relationship is pushed to the limit in series four, when Effy’s mental health takes a turn for the worse.  There is no happy ending for the pair, as Freddie is brutally beaten to death with a baseball bat by John Foster, Effy’s crazy psychiatrist in the penultimate episode of series four.

What has he done since Skins: Like April Pearson, Luke has appeared in Casualty in Skins, starred in an episode of the award-winning comedy Miranda and just recently, has earnt himself a leading role in the new series of Battlestar Galatica. 

As you can see, Skins opens the doors for many actors/actresses and hopefully, the third generation will get the same opportunities as these terrific ten stars.

The fifth series of Skins continues with ‘Rich’s’ episode on Thursday night at 10pm on E4.

Skins Movie Is Confirmed - Will It Work Out?

Yesterday saw the new that all fans of E4’s teen-hit drama Skins had been waiting for, official confirmation of the production for Skins: The Movie.  Since the fourth series of the teenage drama concluded in the middle of March, full of sex, drugs and breakdowns, there have been growing rumours that a movie was being planned for the future.  Now, it will finally happen.  Production on the film will be based in the Isle of Man and the traditional home of the show, Bristol and starts this September.  The planned launch date is Summer 2011.

The popularity of Skins is huge, with more than 1.5million tuning into the opening episode of the last series.  The show has made big stars out of Dev Patel, star of Slumdog Millionaire and Nicholas Hoult, both actors as part of the first generation.  Generation two’s cast are already getting starring offers to feature in other primetime shows and movies.  Kaya Scodelario (Effy Stonem) has already brokethrough into the box office, with successful movies, while Luke Pasqualino (Freddie McClair) has already been working on a feature-length which is due for a summer release.  The popular lesbian couple on the show, Emily Fitch and Naomi Campbell, played by gorgeous actresses Kathryn Prescott and Lily Loveless are set to star in new shows over the coming months, whilst Jack O’Connell (James Cook) is rumoured to be cast in BBC’s school drama, Waterloo Road.

It is unclear how many of the former characters will return for the movie, though hints suggest it will be based more around the second generation.  However, there will be parts in the movie for the third generation of Skins.  Already, auditions for Series five and six have taken place, with a new cast to be selected in the summer.  The fifth TV series of Skins will burst onto our screens next January.  The movie is to be made by Company Pictures, the makers of the E4 show.

The transfer to the big screen from a TV show is always a challenge and it remains to be seen whether it can work.  Both Pokémon and Power Rangers failed to complete the transformation successfully, so it remains to be seen whether Skins will buckle the trend.  No doubt it is a gamble, but Jack Thorne, the well-respected scriptwriter and regular writer of Skins and the creator of the show, Bryan Elsley will put their hardest efforts into this ambitious project and give the fans what they want, an unforgettable movie to go alongside the successful TV series.  As an avid fan of the TV series, I personally can’t wait for this to hit the cinemas.  Let’s hope it’s going to be a massive success.   

Skins - Farewell Generation II

Tonight marks the end of another era for E4’s teen drama Skins, as the second generation of cast say goodbye to Bristol, moving onto pastures new.  They have given us plenty of memories and moments to remember, so they shall not be forgotten.  Their acting skills have shone through, particularly in this darker series, where the storylines have sadly, not matched up to the required standard.

It has been a brave move by the writers and creators of Skins to opt down the consequential and deeper route, but they may want to take the fans views into consideration, abandon the idea and head back to the traditional stereotype that Skins has set itself up, since it burst onto our UK TV screens in 2007.  For example, the lack of group scenes between the gang this series has been startling.  It is these types of scenes that make Skins what it is, and therefore, that’s why I think Series four has been the weakest so far.  True, in a character’s episode, they need to take the main focus and understandably so, but without the rest of the gang, it’s not the same.  By choosing the dark and deeper route, it means the storylines have had to be darker than ever before, and this has simply not worked.  Some episodes have left many, including myself feeling far-fetched and confused.  They have tried hard to make things work, but when an experiment fails; the best solution is to go back to basics. 

Also, I struggle to believe that with just eight episodes this series, some actors haven’t had enough screen time.  Naomi (Lily Loveless) and Pandora (Lisa Blackwell) did not get an individual episode, whilst Pandora and Katie (Megan Prescott) have been so under-used this series, and have not had the time they have required to show their real talent.  I just hope this particular cast are not remembered for blunders and mistakes from the writers, because this cast I believe have more talent than Generation I.  When you think of Dev Patel’s rousing success in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and Nicholas Hoult’s Hollywood breakthrough, then surely that bodes well for Generation II.

The curtain-closer tonight brings all of Series four’s storylines to a rapid conclusion.  The main focus will be on the mysterious disappearance of Freddie (Luke Pasqualino) from the gang.  As we all know, Freddie was battered to death last week; rather gruesomely it must be said by Effy’s mad psychiatrist Dr. John Foster, with a baseball bat!  Freddie’s sister, Karen is hunting around for answers, and she believes that Cook (Jack O’Connell) has something to do with it.  Elsewhere, Pandora announces that she is leaving Bristol, but what does that mean for Thomas?  Thomas (Merveille Lukaba) cheated on Pandora in the very first episode this series, proving that there is some use for hospital laundry rooms after all!  Since then, this storyline has faded into oblivion, and the Congo lad’s growing feelings for Katie are intensifying, so he has a big choice to make; Katie or Pandora. 

Also, Naomi will put her feelings on the line tonight, in the final act to win over Emily’s heart.  Like Thomas, Naomi played away, when Emily (Kathryn Prescott) found out about her fling with Sophia, who killed herself ninety seconds into the series.  Since then, Emily can’t even stand to look at Naomi, and is determined to get revenge on her idealistic girlfriend.  However, when Naomi makes one final emotional and moving speech, will Emily finally be able to forgive and forget?  Also, Effy (Kaya Scodelario) is back in the mad world, she has gone fully loop-de-loop, but is she going to find out what happened to Freddie, or is the evil John Foster going to finish the job…

So many questions still to be answered, fingers crossed that these and more will be answered in a dramatic finale that promises a lot of emotion, conflict, confession and trauma.  Skins series four has been a letdown, but hopefully tonight, we are treated to a brilliant final spectacle.  Watch it on E4 at 10pm to find out. 

Finally, the best of luck to Lisa Blackwell, Ollie Barberi, Kaya Scodelario, Jack O’Connell, Lily Loveless, Luke Pasqualino, Kathryn Prescott, Merveille Lukaba and Megan Prescott.  All nine of you have incredible talent as actors, we will miss you massively, thank you for making Skins watchable over the past two years, and I wish you all the best for the future.  FAREWELL GENERATION II. 

Skins: The Series So Far

It seems remarkable to think for the obsessed fans that we are halfway through the fourth series of E4’s award-winning teen drama Skins.  With only four episodes left for the current cast, before they all get replaced, I felt it was a good opportunity to sum up my feelings on the current series.

All fans were promised at the start of this series that Skins was going to be darker, deeper and grittier than ever before and there is no doubt that this has turned out to be the case.  The death of a random girl, Sophia at a club night just two minutes into episode 1 highlighted the consequential actions that many have felt already throughout the series.

Episode one focused on Sophia’s death and held some severe ramifications for Thomas.  Thomas (Merveille Lukaba) was under-used in the last series, so it was only right for him to have the first episode this time around.  It showed his weaknesses and struggles, which left him questioning his beliefs, friends and family.  He then strayed away from Pandora (Lisa Blackwell) with the beautiful vicar’s daughter Andrea.  Well there are some uses for a hospital laundry room I guess…It spelt the end for Thomas and Pandora’s relationship and probably best, it had been going downhill ever since Pandora ended up being charmed by the Cookie Monster, Cook (Jack O’Connell). 

If the first episode was a little bit vague for a few, the second episode reminded the viewers of the drama and emotion that can be felt through watching a TV programme religiously.  For Emily (Kathryn Prescott), the second episode saw her character go through a vast amount of feelings and expressions, which led to the unravelling for a dark secret.  Emily and her new sweetheart, Naomi (Lily Loveless) return from the summer break as loved-up as ever.  However, Naomi is being haunted by Sophia’s death, as she dealt the MDMLA which sent Sophia to the balcony pole in the nightclub that resulted in her death.  Immediately, ‘Naomily’ is put under scrutiny, as Emily tries to get to the bottom of Sophia’s demise, as she is convinced Naomi is hiding something from her.  Along with leaving home, the stress piles up on Emily and in a dramatic rooftop scene, sees a sketchbook which confirms the worst suspicions for her and to the shock of the audience, reveals that Naomi had an affair with Sophia.  For now, ‘Naomily’ is another relationship that has taken a battering from shocking revelations, but unlike Thomas & Pandora, has more chance of surviving.

Episode three saw attention turn to the volatile Cook, and his downward spiral, which began with him beating up an unlucky individual infront of 83 witnesses at a house party.  We meet Cook’s mum, whose lack of parenting skills have meant that Cook has had to grow up the hard way, probably leading to his violent swings in behaviour.  After smashing up a Bentley, he confides in Naomi, who is still hurting from previous revelations.  Cook realises he must start taking responsibility for his actions, and not only admits the assault at the party; he reveals to the police that he dealt Sophia the powder, not Naomi.  A two-week sentence in custody follows, but will it see a different Cookie when he leaves.

Last night, Katie (Megan Prescott) got her turn to star in her own episode.  Once again, it was a one-hour madness peak, which saw the Fitch family go through an emotional rollercoaster, leading to the repossession of their house.  Katie is also told that she can’t have any kids in the future, devastating her, but rather than going on a complete downward spiral, she works especially hard to get all the Fitch family, including the out-of-control Emily back together as one, strong unit.  It was the best episode by far in the series, possibly in Skins history, as it was full of emotion, drama, funny lines and quirks and for once, a satisfactory ending.

In the coming weeks, Freddie, JJ & Effy will all have their turns to star in their own episodes, before the finale, but there seems to be more questions than answers developing so far in this series.  Is JJ going to get his girl?  Can Naomi & Emily sort out their differences?  Will Cook be a better person for his stint in jail?  Has Effy gone too far and blown her love dream with Freddie?  The next month is bound to answer all these questions and more.  There is no doubt however, that ‘Generation 2’ of Skins have left their mark on the show and hopefully, very prosperous acting careers in the future.  

Skins 4
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'Naomily' - A Perfect Match

This blog was first published on February 4th at http://happydude88.livejournal.com/

 

Sometimes in drama, soap operas and comedies, you get perfect pairings that the audience knows works absolutely perfectly together – whether it may be as a double act or as a couple. Examples would include Morecambe and Wise, Max & O.B from Hollyoaks and Ricky & Bianca in EastEnders. Another match made in heaven is the relationship between two girls in E4’s award-winning teen drama Skins, which has been winning acclaim in all areas. The question is, will they have a happy ending?

When the fans of Skins first met the Series 3 cast – there was bound to be a lot of trepidation, especially as all the previous cast except Effy Stonem (Kaya Schnoldario) had been axed. Right from the start, it was clear to many that there had been previous between two female characters, Naomi Campbell (no, not the fashion icon!) and Emily Finch.

Played by talented actresses Lily Loveless and Kathryn Prescott, their storyline has captured the hearts of many last series, winning over many new viewers and promoting a teenage issue that has been dealt with from the male gender, but not the female side. Sexuality is always quite a tricky role, to write for and to act, but last year, Skins broke new ground by centring this storyline around two beautiful, if confused college students. This was something that has really not been experimented in UK TV shows, especially between two youngsters, with similar feelings. The only mild possible comparison would be the storylines around Beth Jordache, played by Anna Friel in Brookside throughout 1993-1995, when her character was engaged in several relationships with other women.

To begin with, everyone saw Emily as a shy, quiet girl, living in the shadow of her twin sister, Katy, played by actual off-screen sister Megan Prescott. On the other hand, Naomi was idealistic, strongly opinionated and didn’t really care what anyone else thought of her. Consequently, they went like chalk and cheese together. Emily had liked girls for a while, and had fancied Naomi ages, even if she was denying that in public. As the pair spent more time together, Emily saw something in Naomi that others at Roundsview College did not. This was truly a match made in heaven.

For the whole of last series, the storyline was about the ups and downs of becoming a lesbian couple. Naomi’s denial that she was a lesbian traditionally getting in the way of what Emily actually wanted. When it was revealed to Naomi but the interfering Katy that Emily had broken away from her and slept with JJ in episode 7, it really got to Naomi and the audience was finally able to see that she didn’t just care for Emily, she loved her and wanted to be with her. At the College end-of-term Love Ball, Katy was still doing her best to keep Emily under her control, which led to some of the best scenes of the entire series. However, after a brawl in the school hall between the twins, it was the fans that got what they wanted – a happy ending as Naomi and Emily walked off together, hand-in-hand having declared their love for one another to everyone. ‘Naomily’ as the fan fiction and website term has been used was well and truly born.

So, Series 3 may have had a happy ending for ‘Naomily,’ but what about Series 4? It started last week, with Naomi hiding a dark secret. After a blissful and happy summer where they almost couldn’t keep their hands off one another (read the Skins novel for proof), Naomi was struggling for cash and sold some MDMLA which led to the tragic death of another young girl, Sophia at a nightclub. Keen to protect her new romance, Naomi does everything to stay out of trouble, including lying to the police about her whereabouts with Sophia’s suspicious death, to keep her relationship with Emily intact. For fans watching tonight’s episode, all we know is that Emily does some investigating which could ruin their happiness – for now at least. How will it end is unknown and needs to be found out on E4 tonight at 10pm.

For the future, everyone including myself will want a happy ending, but most shows end with a sad or downbeat conclusion between a couple/double act. Let’s all hope that ‘Naomily’ bucks the trend. The Skins writers and crew need to take great credit for capturing such a dramatic and well-loved storyline, full of romance and passion, to emotion and contemplation and portraying it in such brilliant fashion. Massive credit also needs to go out to the actresses Lily and Kathryn, who have played these roles with such grace, enjoyment and confidence. The general public have been critically impressed with Skins for dealing so brilliantly on such a sensitive issue, and then taking it onto a new level that rarely, if ever has been seen before on British TV. The storyline is up for selection of awards and I personally hope it gets the award recognition it truly deserves.

Series 4 may be the end for the current cast, so there will be no more Emily and Naomi next year, but both Lily Loveless and Kathryn Prescott are bound to have very successful acting careers in the future. I can only wish them the best and really hope they get the breaks they deserve for the future. ‘Naomily’ is truly a perfect match! 

Skins: Can It Get Even Better?

This was first posted on January 22nd at http://happydude88.livejournal.com/

Next Thursday sees the return of E4’s award-winning teen hit, Skins. The show, returning for its fourth series follows a gang of teenagers embarking on sixth form life at Roundsview College in Bristol. Skins deals with sensitive issues such as use and effects of drugs, sexuality, disability, anorexia and disfunctionality within the teen’s families, with each character taking a starring role in an episode. So what is in store for Series 4? If Series 3 has anything to go by, this could be the best one yet….

The crème de le crème of Series 3 are back for seconds out, round two and in their graduation year, there are sure to be plenty of fireworks, agony, tears and drama. First up, is Effy (Kaya Scodelario). Effy is the only character to still be remaining from the original cast and had a turbulent time last year, enduring a bitter divorce between her parents, plus the nagging attentions and rivalry from Katy (Megan Prescott). That ended in episode 8, when Effy ended up whacking Katy round the head with a rock. Effy also ended up playing a significant part in the series finale, as she was caught in a complicated love triangle with best buddies, Cook (Jack O’Connell) & Freddie (Luke Pasqualino). Initially, she isn't around to begin with, but when she returns to college, expect the usual load of mischief and torment from her.

Pandora (Lisa Blackwell) is the sweetheart of the group. Seen as naïve and enthusiastic, with a weird sense of imagination, her on-off romance with Thomas (Merveille Lukaba) was one of the highlights of last series. This year, an incident at a club night in the very first episode leaves Thomas questioning his beliefs and aspects of his life. It sees a complete change in his character, which means he freezes out his mates. This leaves Pandora with a lot of problems and growing up to do.

The volatile, but cheeky Cook is back and up to his usual way of dealing with life. Smashing up cars, partying all night and never afraid to love the ladies, viewers will meet Cook’s mum this year, will this mark a drastic change? Can Cook also forgive and hang onto his strong friendship with Freddie? At times last year, Freddie kept Cook from completely losing his cool, but ended up stealing Effy away from him. Has that love triangle concluded? I doubt it, so Freddie could have a fight on his hands, to hold onto the girl of his dreams. Completing the dream team is the funny, but always unlucky in love JJ (Ollie Barbieri). JJ is forced to deal with asperger’s syndrome (a scenario that hasn’t really been tackled by anyone other TV drama) and at times, his disability was put to the test by the constant bickering between Cook & Freddie. As childhood friends, will the three be able to stick together forever? JJ’s amazing magical tricks have failed to impress the women, despite a one-off with Emily (Kathryn Prescott), but he does find new love this series in the form of new character Lara (Georgia Henshaw). Will this bring new responsibility to JJ’s life, or will it just make him more vulnerable.

Katy (Megan Prescott) is still feeling vulnerable after the events of last series. Her pride and confidence were dealt a huge blow by a failed relationship with Freddie, the attack by Effy on her and Emily’s determination to move out of her shadow. This series, Katy has taken a new look, will it turn her fortunes around.

Her twin sister on-screen and off-screen Emily (Kathryn Prescott) is less popular with the college, but found a new friend, in more ways than one. Emily’s lesbian relationship with the idealistic and opinionated Naomi (Lily Loveless) was another stand-out storyline of the third series. Emily’s reluctance to admit her sexuality early on, coupled with Naomi’s fear of being unable to keep their relationship a secret saw the two win fans over for some of the most powerful, romantic and juicy scenes of Series 3. So much so, a website named after the couple ‘Naomily’ has been set-up and the writers of Skins, plus both actresses deserve to take a load of credit for dealing brilliantly with a tricky storyline. The fans got their happy ending last time, as Emily & Naomi admitted their love for one another at the College Love Ball. At the start of this series, their romance moves onto another level, all loved-up and happy and Emily even leaves home, in an attempt to become more independent. However, the honeymoon doesn't last as Naomi is hiding a dark secret, which threatens to ruin everything between them. Can they weather the storm and stick together?

Maureen Lipman, Harry Enfield, Sally Phillips & David Baddiel were amongst the guest stars in the third series. Already confirmed for guests roles this time round are the likes of Pauline Quirke, Will Young and Chris Addison.

This year marks the end for the current cast, as they move on after two years. If the success of Dev Patel, who took the lead role in the Oscar winner ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is anything to go by, I predict a bright future for the likes of Lisa Blackwell, Lily Loveless, Ollie Barbieri and Kathryn Prescott, all having star acting quality. Talk of a movie for the future which could see both generations of characters meeting would be interesting if it came true. As for the future of the show, that remains in the balance, as it should do when a whole cast leaves for pastures new. However, the ingredients have been made for what could well be the best series of Skins yet. I personally can’t wait for it to begin….

More info can be found on Skins at www.e4.com/skins
Fans of 'Naomily' should check out www.naomily.com for exclusive Emily & Naomi content.