We've just been to a screening of episode one of Skins, Series Two. And we have to report that it more than lives up to the brilliance of the first series. To start with, we were a bit taken aback. The story has taken a pretty glum, intense turn, with previously ultra-cocky Tony (Nicholas Hoult) changing his personality completely after a bad run-in with a bus. His body doesn't work properly, he forgets things and can barely even write his own name. And all his mates are acting very oddly around him, because they can't come to terms with the loss of the maverick Tony they knew before. But worry not: the show is still as sharp and entertaining as before. We soon see that the only one who seems to be able to deal with the New Tony is Maxxie, who we see in a dazzling dance sequence at the start of the episode and who stays centre stage for the rest of the opening hour. We get to meet his eccentric dad (played splendidly by comedian Bill Bailey), we meet his stupid doofus neighbours who try to bully him for being gay, and we find out that he wants to drop out of college and become a professional dancer. Mitch Hewer does a brilliant job fleshing out the character of Maxxie, and he gets a phenomenally exciting, funny and sexy scene towards the end. All we can say is: don't miss the return of Skins, E4 AND Channel 4 in February. We promise you will not be disappointed.
We've seen the new Skins