Exclusive: “Skins” boss Jamie Brittain talks series 5, his legacy and leaving the series he co-created

When I sat down with Skins boss Jamie Brittain after the conclusion of series five, I hoped to chat with him about the overtly queer nature of the show’s third generation, but in typical Skins-writer fashion, he turned the story on its head. After five years of writing and helming the award-winning teen drama, Jamie Brittain announced to me that he is leaving the show he helped his father co-create. I met the news with a mixture of wailing and teeth-gnashing, but when I finally pulled myself together, Jamie talked to me about series five, about the responsibility of writing gay characters, and about the legacy he hopes he’s leaving behind.

AfterEllen: Congratulations on the success of the fifth series, Jamie! I thought it was amazing! Jamie Brittain: Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s been pretty well received, I think. We set out to do something distinct and different, and I think though that was a bit of a risk, we’ve just about pulled it off.

AE: There was a definite Skins feel to the fifth series, but I think you’re right – there was something fresh and distinct happening there too. It was certainly a lot less bleak than series four. Was that on purpose? JB: Yes, and it was very much a personal ambition of mine to try and be funnier and lighter. I stand by series 4 and the scripts I wrote for it, but I wanted, for various reasons, to go in the opposite direction for this series. Little, sweet, funny stories about teenagers. That’s what I was after.

AE: Yeah, this series was definitely the funniest one yet. David Blood – just thinking about him right now makes me laugh so hard. I loved the reveal that Grace is his daughter. JB: Monica Padrick, who writes for US Skins, emailed me to say that she thought David Blood was too young to have a teenage daughter. I had to tell her that Chris just looks very youthful – he’s actually in his late 30s. David Blood is a good laugh, and Chris is brilliant. I met him at an awards show and offered him a part on the spot.

AE: What was your favorite episode of this series? JB: Six, I think. Alo. Just because I think it’s the funniest episode of Skins we’ve ever done, but it’s also really truthful and sad. And it is the product of three great young talents: Dan Lovett, who wrote it – his first tv script ever. Jack Clough, who directed it, and Will Merrick, who knocked his performance out of the park. All are so young, and so talented. I’m massively proud of them all.

AE: Where did you film Alo’s episode? I want to live there. JB: The farm was between Bristol and Bath. We all fell in love with the location.

AE: If I move there, I wonder if I can have the Skins production team come in and cross-process the sky for me every morning. Actually, I don’t think I could live there at all after seeing what happened to Alo’s poor cow. JB: Yeah. How mental was that? Dan Lovett comes up with s–t like that before breakfast. Honestly one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I think the dubstep “ultra-wank” may be the stupidest and funniest scene ever in Skins.

AE: Jesus. That banana! JB: That was Cathy Barry, with the banana. She’s a Bristol porn-actress and friend of the show. Chris shagged her in an online episode we did. Don’t know if you remember that one.

AE: Wow, I did not put that together! Good callback. And, of course, Asian Fanny Fun made a return. JB: Yes. That great Skins institution – Skinstitution? – Asian Fanny Fun.

AE: OK, I have to ask you about the queer sensibility of this series. What I love about Skins, what I have always loved about Skins, is that no character – regardless of gender or sexuality – is box-able. JB: That’s pretty much the point of the show!

AE: I don’t know if it was the chemistry of these actors or what, but it seemed like anyone could hook up at any time. I watched the finale with a good friend, and about halfway through it she was like, “I’m pretty sure this is going to end in an orgy.” JB: [laughs] Yes, there’s certainly a lot of chemistry flying about!

AE: So, can I ask you about the Minky thing? I’ll bet you’ll be surprised to hear that half of AE’s readers want Mini and Franky to end up together, and half of them want Franky and Matty to end up together. JB: Matty and Franky are such charged characters. I’m quite proud of the fact that you really don’t know what either of them are going to do next. And Minky. Ah, Minky. Minky Minky Minky. I was thinking of your readers when I wrote the Minky kiss in Grace’s episode, but there were already plenty of Minky shippers before we did that scene.

AE: They were talking from episode one! But, I mean, there’s something there, from Mini’s end for sure, right?

JB: Oh, totally.

AE: Does she know? JB: Mini? I think she’s confused. Liv called it a “girl crush” and maybe that’s all it is. Or maybe it’s something more. Mini doesn’t know. It’s something we’ll be exploring in the next series. We’ve only just started with these girls.

AE: Mini doesn’t seem scared of her feelings for Franky, which is kind of shocking. JB: If you read the novel – which is great by the way, and I’m not just saying that because my little sister wrote it – you get some juicy stuff about Mini along those lines.

AE: Cool! I can’t wait to read it. I’m not asking you to label any of your characters, but is it fair to say that Liv and Franky and Mini are all three pretty sexually fluid? JB: I think that would be a fair assessment. But then again, and this is where me and Bryan keep getting into trouble. I think everyone is at least a little bit sexually fluid. I know a lot of people don’t agree with that, though. Weirdly, I think Liv is the least sexually fluid out of all of them. But I think she’s a really brave girl who’s willing to go a long way to find love.

AE: Yes, I totally get that vibe from Liv. JB: Hence the scene with Franky in the finale.

AE: I wondered if maybe there was something there with her and Mini, from the past, that we weren’t privy to. JB: Read the novel! There’s a totally baller scene between those two in there.

AE: In an interview recently, Dakota Blue Richards said her favorite finale scene was a kiss with Mini that was cut. You didn’t want to drive the lesbians wild over the summer or something? JB: [laughs] I actually can’t remember the content of that scene, or when and why it was cut. But the episode we put out is our final statement, and cut scenes are exactly that, cut. They don’t count. Anyway, they got a kiss in episode 7, and by my books, it wasn’t bad.

AE: It was the opposite of bad! OK, it’s time to talk about the hard stuff. After co-creating Skins with your dad, and writing the show for five series, you’ve decided to step away from it. JB: Yes. I’m really sad to leave, but I’m confident that the writing and production team I’ve left behind will do an awesome job.

AE: I want to ask about your Skins legacy, but you’re so young to be talking about a legacy! Did you accomplish what you set out to accomplish when you first pitched the show? JB: Absolutely. Which is not to say there’s not more to do. I’ve just said everything I wanted to say. It’s time for new writers to come forward and portray their truth about teenagers. I’ve been allowed to write exactly the scripts I wanted to, which is unheard of for a first time writer of my experience. That has been just the best thing, creatively.

AE: What were your favorite scripts to write? JB: Jamie: Series 2 episode 6, Tony’s weird one. I kept expecting someone to tell me to stop, to reign in the craziness, but no one did. I watched it fairly recently and I am very proud of how seriously f–king mental it is. And series 5 episode 2, Rich’s episode. Just because I think I finally found a good comedy voice whilst writing it.

AE: Tony’s second series episode is better than Black Swan! JB: It’s basically the same as Black Swan! Except I’m no Aronofsky. On the plus side, I think my sex scene in that episode is filthier than anything in Black Swan.

AE: Beyond the mental scripts and stellar one-liners, what do you hope people have taken away from your work on Skins? JB: For me, it’s a single thing. I hope I have communicated this idea that I feel very strongly that teenagers are the most important emotional signifiers a society. If we want to find morality, compassion, love, honesty and friendship in a given society the best place to look is at it’s teenagers. They are, more than adults, I think, the emotional core of western life.

AE: I agree with you. Is there anything you’d like to say to Skins viewers or AfterEllen.com readers? JB: To your readers, and the Skins viewers in general, I’d like to thank them making working on Skins the most exciting experience I’ve ever had. The level of engagement, even when people haven’t liked what we’re doing, has made my job, and many of my friends’ jobs feel like something important. Even though we’re a little show, it means so much to me that the show means so much to other people.

AE: What’s next for you, Jamie? JB: I want to write a film. I’ve got a pretty good idea for one. It’s about war and music, about a classical music composer in a World War II prison camp. But for now I’m laying low and max-relaxing.

AE: Music is a soul-sustainer for you, isn’t it? JB: Absolutely. I f–king love it. I’ve actually started making some with Matt Simpson (Segal) which has been loads of fun. That’s what I’m doing at the moment, trying to make some tunes.

AE: That’s awesome! Will we ever get to hear any of it? JB: A lot of Skins fans will have already heard it. But I’m not allowed to say where.

AE: Now they’ll be on a mission to uncover your mystery! Can you tell me anything about series six? JB: Six is going to be amazing, I reckon. There will be more episodes, 10 this time. And Neil Duncan and Toby Welch will be running it, and I think they’re just about the most talented, lovely, brilliant people I’ve ever met.

AE: Well, I’ll look forward to it when I’m finished mourning your decision to leave. Your writing has made a huge difference in my life, personally, and I know it has changed things for a lot of queer teenagers. I guess that’s my closing question – Skins has created my favorite queer characters ever. I mean, there will never be anyone like Naomi and Emily on TV ever again. And there was Maxxie. And Franky and Mini and Liv. Why give so much time and attention and authentic stories to the gay community? It’s not the norm, you know. JB: I think because when you’re telling stories about teenagers, certain narratives demand to be told. Not just queer stories – queen bee stories, jock stories, metal-head stories. But queer stories are important because one of the ways the world is changing at the moment, in a kind of drawn out paradigm shift, is the way that we engage with sex, sexuality and queerness. The world is slowly waking up. This is particularly true with regards to youth. Adults fear teenage sexuality, more so when it’s outside the “norm.” We’re not trying to make a political point or agenda. What I’m saying is that these stories, now, at this time demand to be told. If we didn’t tell them, we wouldn’t be doing our job.

AE: Skins has been a significant part of the world waking up. Thank you for being brave enough to tell the kind of stories that matter. If we’re ever on the same side of the pond, I owe you a pint. Or twenty. JB: I look forward to it!

For his latest writing shenanigans and thoughts on music, follow Jamie Brittain on Twitter.