The ubiquitous Gossip-scored adverts for this achingly hip teen show made it look every inch the tabloid nightmare: scantily clad, pill-addled kids showered in sweat, spew and other sticky substances. Yes, the first episode unashamedly hoists a “Controversial? Us?” sign above its head, ticking off nudity, drugs, sex and death in one 45-minute amphetamine blur. But once the focus shifts from Nicholas Hoult’s smug Tony (the unofficial leader of a gang of ‘average’ Bristol kids who raise hell between sixth-form seminars), Skins relaxes into a funny, sympathetic drama.
