Jamie Brittain, one of the creators of Skins, has said that the Bristol-based show never would have happened under a private Channel 4. Teen drama Skins first hit our screens in 2007, and documented the lives of fictional teenagers living in Bristol as they navigated difficult (and sometimes controversial) life experiences such as substance abuse, mental illness and adolescent sexuality.
Brittain created the show with his father, Bryan Elsley, who had the initial idea to write a teen drama which laid bare, as opposed to pretending that teenagers do not indulge in risky behaviours. When the show was released in the late noughties, although some critics complained that it was stereotypical and unrealistic, it received positive reviews, and has since been watched by millions in the UK and beyond.
This week, the government has announced that it hopes to privatise Channel 4, which broadcasted Skins when it aired, and is responsible for programmes such as Gogglebox, A Place in the Sun and Naked Attraction. Channel 4 makes money through advertising rather than public funding, and with TV advertising revenues dwindling, the government now wants to privatise the channel.
