Skins - Can The New Cast Deliver?

NEW CAST: from left to right, Alexander Arnold, Dakota Blue Richards, Sean Teale, Sebastian De Souza, Will Merrick, Laya Lewis, Freya Mavor and Jessica Sula.

A fortnight ago, E4 announced the new eight members who will be pioneering the popular teen drama Skins through the next two series.  Series five, which begins in January 2011, will see a new crop of young actors/actresses who will deal with the crazy hedonistic teenage lives, full of sex, drugs and family disfunctionality based around Roundsview College in Bristol. 

Skins changes its cast members every two years and has become one of the most talked about shows on UK television, since it burst onto our screens in February 2007.  Back in April, open auditions were held in London and Bristol, with approximately 7,000 people auditioning to get a role in the third generation.  Five of these new members have come directly from the open auditions.  Dakota Blue Richards is the only member of Generation Three who has previous acting experience before, having starred in the 2007 movie, The Golden Compass.

Unlike the last generation, which had Kaya Scodelario (Effy) carry on from the initial generation breakthrough, this is a brand new slate for the new group and over eight episodes next winter, they will get their chance to shine.  They certainly have the backing from the executive producer of Skins, John Griffin.

“More people than ever turned up this year for the open auditions in London and Bristol and the standard of young talent was as high as ever.  It was a huge process but incredibly rewarding and we hope that those who auditioned ended up as much fun as we did.”

The new crop hasn’t been given any character names as yet, though they should be revealed soon.  Though I admit that they seem to miss the sex appeal that many fans saw in the likes of Kathryn Prescott, Megan Prescott and Lily Loveless from the last generation, what matters the most is whether this lot can act.  It will be a tough act to follow from the success of the first two generations, but they need the time to rubberstamp their authority on Skins and I do hope the fans will stick by them and give them the time required to settle into a very daunting proposition.  Kelly Brook has already been confirmed as a guest star and comedian Chris Addison will return to play the dynamic college director, David Blood.

Skins have helped promote the careers to fame of Dev Patel, Nicholas Hoult, Kaya Scodelario and Jack O’Connell.  Its success means that it has been E4’s second highest ratings show, after the US sensation Glee.  For those who miss the old members, there will be a Skins Movie which is being written by former writer of the show, Jack Thorne.  Hoult, Patel and Scodelario are all on the verge of being confirming for the showpiece next summer, with more cast members set to be announced in the near future.   Below is a video that was released by Channel 4 yesterday, which shows the lighter side of filming for the last series.

I wish the new generation the best of luck for the future – they all deserve a chance at the big time.

'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!