ITS gritty, unfiltered storylines captivated audiences with raw depictions of sex, drugs, booze and terrible teenage angst.
Now, nearly 20 years since E4’s Skins first hit the screens, The Sun takes a look at the mixed fortunes of some of the actors who played the gang of unruly Bristolian students.
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With sticky beer soaked bedroom floors, endless cigarette butts and raunchy sex scenes, it’s little wonder the cult show not only found itself the target of Ofcom complaints, but also major global notoriety.
The series, which ran for seven seasons from 2007 to 2013, saw the making of major Hollywood figures like Dev Patel, Nicholas Hoult, and Kaya Scodelario, who is set to star in the latest series of Netflix’s hit show, The Gentlemen, starting today.
But while some found their calling in acting, others picked up run of the mill jobs working as teachers, writers, and even an OnlyFans star.
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Effy Stonem – Kaya Scodelario
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At 14 years old, Kaya Scodelario was the youngest member of the Skins cast and played Tony Stonem’s depressed little sister Effy, who was a mute until overdosing at a party.
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Despite her noteworthy role as a young femme fatale whose magnetic beauty and rebellious attitude made her irresistible to her male peers – Kaya has no interest in taking a trip down memory lane.
“I’ve never watched it back,” she said earlier this year. I don’t think anyone wants to see their 14-year-old self on screen.”
Kaya had no acting experience when she first took the part and wasn’t confident that she was right for the role. A producer had to persuade her to stay.
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“When we started Skins, none of us were actors, we were all just kids; we didn’t think it was going to get past one series, let alone be as big as it has been. So we all just had a really good time, we’re still all friends now because of it,” she said.
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Two decades later, the 34-year-old has come a long way. Her latest appearance in The Gentlemen, which airs today, sees her starring as a formidable crime boss Susie Glass, a role she has since said she feels she was “born to play”.
The British-Brazilian actress has appeared in a variety of productions since Skins, including playing Cathy in the 2011 version of Wuthering Heights, The Maze Runner trilogy, and Pirates of the Caribbean. She even starred in the music video to Robbie William’s hit track Candy.
She shares two young children with her ex-partner, Benjamin Walker. She is now believed to be dating the director of The Gentlemen, Eran Creevy. The two were recently spotted sharing a kiss while on set.
Nicholas Hoult – Tony Stonem
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Nicholas Hoult first hit the screen in 2002 when he starred in About a Boy with Hugh Grant, where he proved he had buckets of talent and was clearly destined for the stars.
After returning to school and having a normal childhood, he later auditioned for a role in Skins, where he played the somewhat self-centered antihero and older brother to Effy, Tony Stonem.
He left after the second season and went on to establish himself with a series of hit roles, such as in 2013’s Warm Bodies and in the X-Men franchise.
More recently, he starred in Nosferatu, The Menu, and as Superman’s arch-nemesis in the latest 2025 film.
He recently quit the Harry Potter TV series after appearing in the first season. According to reports, Nicholas’s departure was due to conflict with the show’s filming schedule.
Now 36, the actor has been with the American model Bryana Holly since 2017 and the couple have two children. He previously dated Jennifer Lawrence for four years.
April Pearson – Michelle Richardson
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April appeared in Skins’s first ever series as Michelle, one of the main characters. She bagged the part after showing up early to an audition and “chatting teenage b****ks” to a stranger, who she later discovered was one of the directors.
Her character was said to be partially based on the creator’s two children, and gave April a springboard from which to transform her reputation from “uncool” head girl at a private school to “more cool and outrageous” teen.
The role, however, did make her feel “exposed” since it involved various sex scenes and led strangers to shout at her on the streets afterwards.
“It was difficult for me because there was a lot about Michelle’s nipples, she was called ‘nips’ for short, and had one boob bigger than the other,” she previously told The Sun.
“I think we all struggled with the intimate scenes too because they are so awkward and no one can prepare you to perform a sex act in front of a room full of people.”
After the show, April, 37, tried to get an acting agent but “no one was really interested” and she “wasn’t getting auditions” so moved to the countryside for a more sheltered life.
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She later picked up regular jobs, including working in a shop, to pay the bills and which she nevertheless enjoyed.
April has since had small parts in Casualty, Doctors and short films, as well as the horror flick The Kindred.
She shares one son named Woody with her husband, filmmaker Jamie Patterson.
Georgina Moffat – Abigail Stock
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Abigail Stock caused a stir on the show when she tried to snatch Tony from Michelle. She revealed she didn’t have much luck off screen either.
She told The Sun she refused to date people her own age, fearing they only wanted to have sex with her because she was famous.
“I felt like I was always being stared at and like I couldn’t let loose. It felt like my identity was being erased and I was just the character.
“I made a conscious decision not to date anyone my age because I was paranoid they would only be with me because of the show or do it to say, ‘Oh, I slept with that girl from Skins’.”
Georgina studied art history at UCL but switched to focus on music production and composition after the show ended. She went on the bag a music contract and has since had a number of hits, including Sail With Me in 2018.
The singer-songwriter has also helped to produce songs for Dido, Keane and Japanese Pop (J-pop) stars.
She lived in Tokyo for years, as well as Los Angeles, London and Australia, where her mother and sister lives.
Mitch Hewer – Maxxie Oliver
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He was the first ever gay character on the show and soon became loved for his sweet nature, dancing passion and distinctive Bristolian twang.
However, after appearing on the show, Mitch Hewer sadly found himself the subject of a slew of homophobic abuse.
Mitch, 37, recalled a night out in Bristol with his Skins colleagues when a stranger said: “You’re that guy off Skins, you better not be gay in real life.”
Mitch told The Sun: “He opened his coat and he had a knife in there. He said, ‘If you’re gay I’ll stab you’… I walked away as quickly as I could.”
Although he is straight in real life, the attack left Mitch so terrified that he never went out in his hometown again.
However, the incident did not hold him back from his career and picked up an array of roles afterwards.
He landed a part in Britannia High before starring alongside Selena Gomez in the 2014 film Behaving Badly and the Take That musical Never Forget.
While living in LA, he was turned down for a role after a producer told him he needed to “sort his skin out” if he wanted to succeed. The painful remarks left Mitch to develop OCD so bad that he couldn’t cope with any kind of human contact.
“I used to scrub the skin off my face and fingers until they bled, I wouldn’t go out if I had a pimple and I wouldn’t see anyone if I wasn’t perfect,” he said.
Fortunately, he met Tash, with whom he now shares a daughter, Aria. He credits them both with helping him to cope with his OCD.
Mike Bailey – Sid Jenkins
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After his two- season stint on the show, Mike Bailey spent a short time searching for acting roles before settling into a “normal” job.
In 2013, he took on a few roles in indie flicks before making his final appearance in the coming of age film, We Are Freaks, but pulled the plug on acting a short while after.
Instead, he now works as a drama teacher in his hometown in Bristol, where he lives with his wife.
Speaking about his transition out of acting in 2017, he told Radio Times: “I kind of thought ‘what the f**k am I doing with my life?’ and ended up getting in a conversation with the wife a couple of years ago and decided that those who can’t act, teach.
Unlike many of his former co-stars, Mike is notoriously private and does not have a publicly-known social media account. However, in 2020, one of his students captured him teaching in a classroom in a 2020 TikTok.”
Hannah Murray – Cassie Ainsworth
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Hannah appeared in the first generation of twisted teens as the best friend of Michelle and later, doting girlfriend to Sid. Her character battled anorexia during the show, offering rugged insight into the painstaking pressures of adolescence and the mental health services struggling to support them.
After Skins, Hannah went on to study English at Cambridge University, and later starred in the 2012 film Dark Shadows next to Johnny Depp. She has also appeared in 2015’s Bridgened, and John Boyega in 2017.
Other notable performances include Gilly in Game of Thrones, which saw her nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award.
However, not everything has been straightforward since the end of her role. Her autobiography, The Make-Believe, released earlier this year, revealed that she was sectioned in 2017 after being involved in a “wellness cult” that sent her into a psychotic episode.
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In 2019, she left Game of Thrones and decided to throw herself into writing. “I no longer have acting agents, and I am fully committed to focusing on this book and trying to build a life as a writer. And I’m really proud of that,” she told British Vogue.
Daniel Kaluuya – Posh Kenneth
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Daniel Kaluuya, 37, was known as an avid writer to his cast mates when he appeared as a supporting character in the first generation of Skins. So much so that many were “surprised” to see his acting career soar afterwards.
He held breakout roles in Johnny English, Charlie Brooker’s series Black Mirror and eventually was cast in horror flick Get Out and Marvel movie Black Panther.
His career has even seen him picking up a number of awards, including a BAFTA and Oscar for his portrayal in the Black Panther biopic Judas And The Black Messiah.
Aside from a number of voice performances, Daniel has remained largely absent from the screen over the last few years, but is due to star in Misty Green, which is set to be released in September.
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Dev Patel – Anwar Kharral
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After playing the cheeky, sex obsessed character Anwar, Dev Patel quickly rose to global stardom after clinching the lead role in Danny Boyle’s critically acclaimed 2009 film, Slumdog Millionaire.
The director’s daughter had watched Skins and was such a fan that she encouraged her father to give him the role, which even saw him win a BAFTA.
Dev, 36, later went on to date his co-star Frieda Pinto before calling it quits in 2014. He is now with Australian actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey.
He later had snagged roles in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, HBO series The Newsroom, Lion, and The Personal History Of David Copperfield.
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He made his directing debut when he co-wrote, produced and directed the action thriller, Monkey Man. The film was so successful that it landed him in Time’s list of the 100 most influential people.
More recently, he appeared in Rabbit Trap, a 2025 horror film.
Joe Dempsie – Chris Miles
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After his taking on the role of party boy Chris, Joe Dempsie continued to hone his acting skills. He appeared in several Doctor Who episodes, played Higgy in This Is England ‘89 as well as starring as Gendry in Game Of Thrones until the finale in 2019.
He said previously: “Chris, my character in Skins, is the role that turned acting from a hobby and a pastime into a career. He’s also a character that I think has been the most enduring out of any I’ve played. He’s one that people still want to talk to me about.”
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In 2025, he appeared alongside Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood and Robert Carlyle in the mini-series Toxic Town – about the Corby toxic waste case.
Earlier this year, he joined the cast of Sherwood, a critically acclaimed Nottinghamshire BBC drama, to begin filming the show’s third season.
Megan Prescott – Katie Fitch
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Megan Prescott played the wild red-headed twin, Katie Fitch, but admitted she struggled to find acting work after leaving the show.
She blamed her difficulties on what called “elitism” in the industry since she didn’t have traditional acting training. However, she did manage to score parts in Silent Witness, Holby City, and a handful of short films.
In her early twenties, she took on an array of jobs in pubs, security and even working as a party princess.
After years of struggling to gain financial security, a stripper friend suggested she try out adult dancing. She managed to keep a low profile for a while, with few recognising her at London clubs.
Since then, she has participated in body building competitions and more recently, forged a career on OnlyFans. Megan said she “wouldn’t have been able to survive the last two years” without it after joining the adult site during the pandemic.
“I would easily make a lot more than I did working in a pub and it was more empowering than having to clean maggots off the bottom of a beer pump,” she said.
She told The Sun: “I’d spent so many years in acting, trying to get things moving and nothing [was] happening.
“Going on OnlyFans and realising all this content that I was making for free, people would pay for and people would like to pay for, just changed my entire point of view and it really did improve my creative outputs.”
Kathryn Prescott – Emily Fitch
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Katie’s notably quiter sister, Emily Fitch, was known for having one of the few queer love stories. Throughout her time on the show, Kathryn portrayed a lesbian teenager hopelessly in love with her schoolmate, Naomi.
Since the show ended, Kathryn has enjoyed some acting success, performing in the 2017 Netflix film To The Bone, alongside Keanu Reeves.
In 2021, she was rushed to hospital after being struck by a cement truck while crossing a road in New York.
Megan flew out to take care of her sibling, who broke her pelvis in two places, both of her legs, her foot and left hand.
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She shared an update to Instagram, writing: “She is incredibly lucky to be alive. She narrowly avoided paralysis. The doctors are hopeful that she will make a full recovery but this will only be possible with the correct care right now.”