Skins
Season 7
DVD cover art for the seventh series of Skins
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes6
Release
Original networkE4
Original release1 July (2013-07-01) –
5 August 2013 (2013-08-05)
Series chronology
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Series 6
List of episodes

Skins is a British teen drama created by father-and-son television writers Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain for Company Pictures. The seventh and final series, entitled Skins Redux, began airing on E4 on 1 July 2013 and ended on 5 August 2013. The final series sees the return of several characters from the first two generations of the show.

Summary

Notably, all of the characters featured have undergone enormous personality changes since their last appearances: Effy has cast her party-hard lifestyle and issues aside, and has become more mature and ambitious. Naomi has lost much of her ambition as a principled young woman and is now a layabout and stoner. Emily has become more confident. Cassie has overcome her mental issues, but has become solitary, serious, principled and tired, and Cook has become much more subdued, serious and calculated, as a result of having spent years on the run. In addition, the series leaves behind its traditional setting in Bristol, moving to London where Effy, Cassie and Naomi now live, as well as Manchester where Cook now lives. Its subject matter moves on from teenage problems to more adult issues, such as insider trading, terminal illness, rough living and the criminal underworld.

Background

On 8 March 2012, Channel 4 confirmed that Skins would come to an end after a seventh series of six episodes, which would feature characters from the first and second generations. The third generation would not be involved in the seventh series. Channel 4 promised "a celebration of this truly iconic series".

Jamie Brittain, who had quit the show after series 5, returned as part of the writing staff. Brittain also revealed via Twitter that filming would begin in late October.[1]

Series seven marked a departure in style with former stars Hannah Murray, Jack O'Connell and Kaya Scodelario returning to the roles which had shaped their careers in three individual stories, each one broadcast in two one-hour parts.

The three stories had distinct titles: 'Skins Pure' (featuring Cassie), 'Skins Rise' (featuring Cook) and 'Skins Fire' (featuring Effy). Lily Loveless (Naomi) and Kat Prescott (Emily) also appeared in guest roles. Each two-part episode centres on the characters now in their early twenties.

Episodes

Main article: List of Skins episodes
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleFeatured character(s)Directed byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
561"Fire (Part 1)"Effy StonemCharles MartinJess Brittain1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)0.872

Effy, now aged 21, is working a dead-end job as a receptionist for a leading London hedge fund and lives in a flat in Canary Wharf with Naomi Campbell, who is an aspiring stand-up comedian, while Emily is currently in New York on a lucrative internship.

Note: Also featuring Amy Wren.[2]
572"Fire (Part 2)"Effy StonemCharles MartinJess Brittain8 July 2013 (2013-07-08)0.706[5]

A few months have passed since Part One. Effy is in a fully-fledged relationship with her wealthy boss Jake and, despite her illness, Naomi is becoming a successful and popular stand-up comedian, though she still can't afford rent.

Note: Also featuring Kathryn Prescott, Lara Pulver,[3] Craig Roberts[4] and Amy Wren.[2] Final appearances of Effy, Naomi, and Emily.
583"Pure (Part 1)"Cassie AinsworthPaul GayBryan Elsley15 July 2013 (2013-07-15)0.499[6]

Cassie, now 23, attempts to make sense of her life by spending time alone in London, but she soon realises someone is following her. Suddenly a strange friendship blossoms out of mutual loneliness, but she is unsure the new relationship can survive in the real world.

Note: Also featuring Olly Alexander and Neil Morrissey.
594"Pure (Part 2)"Cassie AinsworthPaul GayBryan Elsley22 July 2013 (2013-07-22)0.53[7]

Cassie's strange new relationship is tested to its limits in the concluding part of Skins: Pure

Note: Also featuring Olly Alexander and Neil Morrissey. Final appearance of Cassie.
605"Rise (Part 1)"James CookJack CloughJamie Brittain29 July 2013 (2013-07-29)0.547[8]

Cook lives a life on the run, working as a drug peddler for a powerful crime boss in Manchester. When he is asked to help his employer's girlfriend find a house and finds that she is irresistibly attracted to him, he sets off a chain of events which will lead him into a world of savage revenge and a confrontation with his own dark past.

Note: Also featuring Liam Boyle, Lucien Laviscount.[2]
616"Rise (Part 2)"James CookJack CloughJamie Brittain5 August 2013 (2013-08-05)0.59

In the final part of Rise, Cook's dalliance with his employer's girlfriend has devastating consequences.

Note: Final appearance of Cook.

References

  1. ^ Twitter / jamiehotsors: @Lewis_v Later this month x
  2. ^ a b c Waring and McKenna - Personal Management Agency, Mayfair, London
  3. ^ 'Skins': Lara Pulver, Kayvan Novak to star in final series - Skins News - TV - Digital Spy
  4. ^ Twitter / kScodders: Director Charles Martin working
  5. ^ "'Skins' returns with over 600,000 viewers on E4".
  6. ^ "Andy Murray documentary scores nearly 4m on BBC One".
  7. ^ "Royal baby arrival fails to beat 'Coronation Street' in ratings".
  8. ^ "The Ratings Thread (Part 51)".

External links

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