Skins purposefully cast relatively unknown teens to take on edgy roles, and in the years since, stars including Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel and Hannah Murray have enjoyed varied fortunes
Skins made a huge splash when it came out on E4 in 2007. The show, following teenage friendship groups as they navigated sixth form in Bristol, was beloved by fans for its hilarious moment and emotional twists.
It was also very controversial, with some parents bemoaning that it ‘glorified’ sex, drugs, and the party lifestyle. Despite the debate, the Channel 4 show ran until 2013, featuring three generations of teens and even returning for a special 7th season revealing what some of the fan-favourite characters got up to after graduating into the world at large.
Skins won numerous awards, including Best TV Show at the 2011 NME Awards, and catapulted some of its cast into major Hollywood stardom – while some of the cast have also admitted that they’re not as tight-knit as they seemed on screen.
Many fans have slammed seasons five and six, which followed the third generation, claiming the storylines, characters, and acting all went to pot. Loyal followers dub the first two groups as the ‘originals’ – and this is what those originals are up to today.
Dev Patel – Anwar Kharral
Dev Patel is one of the Season One stars who took his role and ran with it, and is now a household name and famous heartthrob. The actor landed the role of goofy Anwar without any previous professional acting experience, and filmed throughout his A-Levels.
Anwar was one of the nicest characters in the show, acting as the perfect Muslim boy for his family while also enjoying plenty of partying with his friends. He went to audition after seeing a casting ad in the Metro, and impressed the bosses so much that they wrote Anwar for him specifically and based some of his personality on Dev himself.
Dev wasn’t even done with Skins by the time his talent was spotted, and spent the second season flying back and forth from India to film Danny Boyle’s box office hit Slumdog Millionaire, which bagged eight Oscars at the 2009 Academy Awards.
An appearance in The Best Exotic Marigold hotel followed, before securing a role in Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom and the ‘porn drama’ About Cherry, cast alongside James Franco and Heather Graham. His work hasn’t slowed down, with starring roles in The Green Knight, Monkey Man, and anthology series Modern Love.
Daniel Kaluuya – Posh Kenneth
Right alongside Dev as one of the British stars taking over Hollywood is Daniel Kaluuya. The Londoner played Posh Kenneth in Skins – a wannabe rapper who couldn’t hide his very RP accent. Posh Kenneth wasn’t a key character of the main crew, but alongside acting the role Daniel also served as a contributing writer during the first two series, even being the head writer for two episodes.
Following on from Skins, Daniel appeared on TV in Silent Witness and Doctor Who, as well as Black Mirror episode Fifteen Million merits. Beyond TV, he’s a major face on the big screen. He featured as Agent Colin Tucker in the 2011 film Johnny English Reborn, was Black Death in Kick-Ass 2.
Daniel has been on the up ever since, having played a supporting role in 2015’s Sicario, before leaving us all terrified as the victim in horror movie Get Out in 2018. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance and received the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
The actor then entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing tribe leader W’Kabi in Black Panther in 2018. He also played a role associated with the real Black Panther Party movement in the 2021 biopic Judas and the Black Messiah, snagging both a BAFTA and an Oscar.
Nicholas Hoult – Tony Stonem
Tony Stonem thought he was the bees knees and had the world at his feet until a road accident brought him down to earth with a crash. Season Two charted the aftermath, as Tony struggled tried to overcome his life-changing injuries while trying to patch up his relationships with his friends and family.
After Skins finished, Nicholas Hoult made a very swift transition into movies with a big screen role alongside Colin Firth in the 2009 drama A Single Man. After appearing in Clash of the Titans, he got his biggest role to date as Hank McCoy (aka The Beast) in the new X-Men franchise.
His first time out as The Beast came in 2011’s X-Men: First Class, but was followed by Days Of Future Past, Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix. Nicholas has secured plenty of other big money blockbusters, including Jack the Giant Slayer and paranormal romantic comedy, Warm Bodies.
Nicholas also starred alongside Tom Hardy in the Mad Max reboot, and played J. R. R. Tolkien in 2019’s Tolkien. Up next, he’s playing Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s Superman – and is fresh off the set of the critically acclaimed Nosferatu. He’s also had plenty to celebrate behind the scenes, welcoming two children with his wife Bryana Holly. He previously dated his X-Men co-star Jennifer Lawrence.
Hannah Murray – Cassie Ainsworth
Hannah Murray played Cassie Ainsworth on Skins – a fan-favourite who won many fans with her kooky personality. The teen sadly suffered from a crippling eating disorder and other mental health issues.
She had an on-off romance with Sid, who went all the way to New York to find her after she moved, with fans praying for them to become a couple from the start. In season seven, it’s revealed that Cassie moved to London following her time in America, and lived with flatmates while working as a waitress.
Actress Hannah initially turned to the stage for post-Skins success, making her debut as Mia in the West End production, That Face. After that she moved over to film, appearing in the teen horror-drama Chatroom and working with Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows.
Her biggest role to date has been as wildling Gilly in Game of Thrones – becoming one of the longest-serving characters in a show known for killing everyone off. After having a recurring role as Samwell Tarly’s girlfriend she became part of the main cast for the final four seasons. While promoting her memoir Make-Believe, which is yet to be released, she revealed that she was sectioned in 2017 after being lured into a wellness cult, which severely impacted her mental health.
Joe Dempsie – Chris Miles
Joe Dempsie is yet another Skins alum to become a superstar, after having his first role as party boy Chris. The character was even more drug-addled than his mates, and was a magnet for trouble as well as women. Fans were gutted when Chris’ life came to a tragic end, dying of a hereditary brain condition before even finishing sixth form.
Unlike most of the others, Joe had a couple of acting credits before he was cast in Skins – but it wasn’t until playing Chris that he found his big break. After the show, Joe went on to star in Doctor Who, Merlin, and This Is England, and made the jump to the silver screen in football film The Damned United, and soon got bigger roles in shows cuch as Adult Material and Toxic Town.
Things peaked in 2011, when he joined co-star Hannah in getting a role in Game of Thrones. Joe played Gendry, the illegitimate son of King Robert Baratheon – meaning he had a strong claim to the Iron Throne. His character became a meme after going off in a rowing boat at the end of season 3 and not returning for another four years – when he reconnected with Arya Stark and helped her family to win the war against the Night King.
April Pearson – Michelle Richardson
April Pearson won a Golden Nymph for her work as Michelle, nicknamed “nips” by boyfriend Tony. Michelle contended with her mum’s string of ever-changing husbands alongside Tony’s narcissism, but got back with Tony after his car accident.
After Skins ended, April made her film debut in comedy horror slashes Tormented in 2009 before moving into theatre roles. April then transitioned into horror and independent films – and has also appeared as three different characters on Casualty.
Discussing whether she still sees her former co-stars, Michelle suggested that they weren’t as close as they seemed, with some having left the others behind. She told NME: “Oh no, they’re Hollywood stars now. I think a lot of them do still hang out, but I don’t see them as much as I would like to. When Skins finished I wasn’t ready to jump straight into moving to London and going to auditions all the time, so I took a bit of time. “
Mike Bailey – Sid Jenkins
Dorky Sid started off as a desperate lad trying to lose his virginity and hanging onto Tony’s coattails, but quickly became a fan favourite. Almost everybody could relate to Sid’s inability to conform to teenage expectations without getting sweaty palms or falling over himself.
Following on from Skins, Mike appeared in Channel 4 drama 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth as well as teen comedy We Are The Freaks in 2012. The Bristolian got married in June 2015 – and it’s believed some of his Skins co-star were there to celebrate.
Unlike the others, Mike doesn’t act at all anymore. Instead, he quit the industry in 2017 and took a drama degree. From there, he went through teacher training, and gave up the spotlight to be a high school drama teacher and train the next generation.
Danny Dyer – Malcolm
Some people might not remember that EastEnders alum Danny Dyer was in the first series of Skins. The Football Factory star played the idiotic Malcolm, who was married to Michelle’s cougar mum. Toyboy Malcolm was often sat around eating Coco Pops and would get into rows with step daughter Michelle, who was closer in age to him than his wife.
The marriage became strained due to Malcolm’s schemes, which included buying boxes of ornament giraffes and sausage dogs, so they got a divorce. Danny, of course, was already very well-known before joining Skins, but has gone on to become a national treasure, starring in a host of British TV shows and calling out politicians on live TV.
Jack O’Connell – Cook
Cook was much like the Chris of the second generation, always getting into ridiculous or downright dangeorus situations with his buddies the ‘Three Musketeers.’ Jack O’Connell returned to the role for the follow-up adult series where Cook was nearly killed while living life as a hard-up drug dealer in Manchester.
The actor has gone on to have one of the most successful careers of anyone that appeared in the show. In 2009, Jack starred in hard-hitting vigilante thriller Harry Brown alongside Michael Caine, who named him as a “star of the future”.
He played Bobby Charlton in TV film United in 2011 and an Athenian warrior in 300: Rise of an Empire. He starred in Angelina Jolie’s war epic Unbroken in 2014, receiving much praise and a BAFTA Rising Star Award. More recently, he lead the cast in the BBC series SAS: Rogue Heroes, and his latest film Sinners – also starring US actor Michael B Jordan – is in cinemas now.
Kaya Scodelario – Effy Stonem
Effy Stonem made her debut in the first two series of skins as Tony’s little sister, before becoming a main character in the next two seasons. A seemingly quiet teen, she lived a double life – transforming into a troubled night-owl, partying beyond her tender years once the clock struck midnight.
Kaya Scodelario is known for being one of Skins’ youngest cast members, auditioning for the role with no prior acting experience when she was just 14. Kaya originally feared she was too young and almost left, but bosses saw her talent and encouraged her to read for the part.
She made her film debut in sci-fi thriller Moon in 2009 before appearing in the Hollywood blockbuster remake of Clash of the Titans. Things have only got better from there as Kaya has become a Hollywood mainstay as well as modelling for Teen Vogue, Nylon, Instyle UK, Elle UK and Vogue.
The actress starred in all three films in the Maze Runner trilogy and alongside Johnny Depp in the latest Pirate of th Caribbean movie – Dead Men Tell No Tales. She even returned to the series that made her as an adult Effy in Skins’ special Fire episode. In real life, Kaya now shares two daughters with Benjamin Walker, from whom she split in early 2024.
Luke Pasqualino – Freddie McClair
An all-round heart-throb, skateboarder Freddie proved to have a heart of gold. He was taken by Effy from the moment he met her at college, causing havoc when a love triangle emerged between himself and Cook for her affections.
Luke Pasqualino’s time on Skins came to an abrupt end when Freddie was brutally murdered in a gory scene that still haunts viewers to this day. After that shocking exit from Skins, Luke went on to have a very successful acting career.
He went on to star in Warner Bros. horror movie, The Apparition, alongside Harry Potter’s Tom Felton and Twilight’s Ashley Greene. In 2013 he starred in post-apocalyptic thriller, Snowpiercer, featuring Tilda Swinton, John Hurt and Chris Evans. While there have also been appearances in Casualty, Miranda and as D’Artagnan in BBC One drama, The Musketeers. Luke’s most famous role came as Michelle Keegan’s love interest Elvis in Our Girl, who also had a tear-jerking death.
Megan and Kathryn Prescott – Katie and Emily Fitch
Katie and Emily were the identical twins sisters with very different personalities. Dominant sister Katie was often mean to her twin, claiming she was more popular and better with boys. She was also furious that Katie started a relationship with Emily and was deeply homophobic to her sister’s girlfriend Naomi.
The real-life twin sisters have gone their separate ways after Skins, and Kathryn previously vowed never again to work with her sister following the series. In an interview in 2010, she admitted they found it appearing in TV shows together and prefer to have separate careers.
“It is trying working with Megan because it’s very full on,” she told The Sun in 2010. “We’re not very close twins – we went to separate schools and never wanted to do the twin thing in our careers, but Skins was too good an opportunity to miss. Now we will definitely go our separate ways again.”
Since starring in Skins, Megan has appeared in Silent Witness and Holby City, while her sister is getting known over the pond in America, after landing a main part in MTV’s Finding Carter. Since 2016, Megan has been bodybuilding and has kept fans updated with her jaw-dropping transformation. Meanwhile, Kathryn’s last role was in New Amsterdam in 2022.
