Clubs

Skins. Series Three. Tricky. You’ve got all the weight and baggage of two terrific series about a charismatic, gorgeous group of Bristol teenagers exploring sex, drugs, death and loss, but you’ve got none of the actual teenagers who we came to care about deeply. Except one of course. Enter the wonderfully measured, supercool Effy (in a barely there outfit that would have Mary Whitehouse choking on her Horlicks, were she still around), who sets about causing utter mayhem, but not before an explosive opener that introduces us to three new characters with all the kind of flash bang whizz you’d expect from writer Bryan Elsley.

Things are looking good. Forget careful, considered introductions, this – the first day at Roundview college – has it all; sex, drugs, booze, arson, pornography and the kind of script that, despite its homogenous teen drama look, makes you suspect ‘Skins’ couldn’t ever be shown in the US. It’s not without problems; there’s a tedious obsession with sex, a worrying amount of bare flesh (that should have the dirty old man brigade bolstering viewing figures nicely), too many played-for-laugh ‘Carry On’ scenes and what seems like wholesale character replication in the young cast, but on the whole, a promising 7/10.

'Skins', Thu Jan 22, 10pm, E4.