Jamie Brittain Enlightens Us

Jamie Brittain, the diligent, meek Jamie Brittain (see below =P) has updated his blog giving as an insight into what is happening on Planet Skins.

Hiya! Quick update to let you know what’s going on. Skins is on holiday at the moment, and we’re just about to start filming series 3 part 2.
My episode, ep 2, was the first to be filmed, and so is the first to be edited. I’m hopefully going to see it today, looking forward to seeing what they’ve done with it.

We’ve got some great guest stars all the way through the first half of series 3, plus some familiar faces. Ep 5 in particular has a couple of great actors and personalities in it, and I look forward to seeing what they can do. Scott Mills was great, apparently!

I’m not too tuned into Skins at the moment, because I’ve been working on this BBC3 show, Phoo Action. Some of you might have seen the pilot broadcast earlier this year - it’s been picked up and they’re making a series of it, which I’m very happy to be involved in. I’m writing episode 4. It’s the first non-Skins script I’ve ever written, and it’s absolutely insane! I get to write complicated fight scenes, mad as trousers dream sequences and come up with loopy as fuck monsters. All in all, good fun. A challenge, though. If I want to write on other shows, I have to prove that I can do so, and this is my chance. Wish me luck!

The other thing that’s going on is that me and Bryan are developing another show, this time for a younger audience. He announced it at a festival the other day (Alex at Skinsnation, diligent, meek Alex, picked it up like the hawk he is). I’m following Bryan’s lead and not saying anything till it’s set in stone and we know we’re going to make it, but I will say this; I am very, very excited. If I get my way, it’ll be something really different, that all ages can enjoy.

ANOTHER thing that’s going on is that I’m involved with a film. I don’t know how much I can say, but it’s an adaptation of a story by Mancunian sci-fi writer, a massive hero of mine, and the director is brilliant, responsible in some manner for some of the best documentaries of the past few years.
Other than that, make sure those of you in London go and see Lucy Kirkwood’s new play, Hedda, at the Gate. Looks really good to me - Lucy is possibly one of the most talented young writers in the country, and anything she does is worth seeing (including ep 9 of series 3 of Skins).

Stay cool, dudes.

Jx.

Partly because I didn’t know (I no longer do English ALevel so I have rightfully forgotten everything), and partly to inflate my ego some more I Google defined "meek" and "diligent" and below I present you with the findings:

Diligent

characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks; "a diligent detective investigates all clues"; "a diligent search of the files"

Meek

humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness; "meek and self-effacing"

 

Love you Jamie!

 

Source: http://theskinhead.blogspot.com/2008/08/news.html

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Jamie Brittain Answers Your Questions

Lovely man!

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Jamie Writes:

w00t Jamie (Brittain - one of the creators of Skins) just updated his blog:

Hello all.

Sorry it has been so long since I last updated, I’ve been alternately busy and lazy and that’s why. As I type, filming on Skins will begin in about four hours (although they did shoot a scene last week for some reason). Last week was spent in Bristol fine tuning my script for series 3, episode 2 following the readthrough. The readthrough was thought by some of those attending to have been one of the best anyone has ever seen, and while I’m not sure of that, there were certainly plenty of laughs. I couldn’t be more pleased with the actor I have got for my episode, for a character I originated. He’s nothing like I imagined he would be; he’s much, much better.

My script is something I’m dead chuffed with - I think it’s the best out of the three I’ve written. The script I wrote last year (Tony) I was very happy with, but it was quite strange and difficult. This one is much more fun, much more energetic, much more classic Skins. I’ve got a great guest actor in it too, though I can’t say who it is yet, nor can I think of a good clue that wouldn’t give him away. Er. He played a beloved character in a sitcom a few years ago. That’ll do till I think of something better.

The other scripts are in good shape too - we’ve got some really good young writers working with us this year. Returning is Daniel Kaluuya, writing ep 3, Ben Schiffer, writing ep 5 and ep 10, Lucy Kirkwood, writing 7, I think. New people are Georgia Lester and Athia Sen Gupta, both only 19 (!) writing 4 and 6 respectively. The great Robin Ince is doing one, and fresh from Shameless, is the lovely Malcolm who completes the writing team along with me Daddy, B Elsley. Josie Long is still helping out, and also the terribly nice and terribly funny Isy Suttie, last seen playing Dobby on Peep Show, is along for the ride.
I got to meet some cool people at the Skins party in London, which was great fun. I can’t remember their names, but the very nice dudes who run Skinsnation and Skinsis interviewed me whilst I was pretty drunk. I’m eager to see what I said - and if I gave anything away that I shouldn’t!
I finally got to meet most, but not all, of the new cast, who are all really nice people, in keeping with Skins hiring policy of only lovelies being allowed. A couple of them had exams so couldn’t be there, but I’m sure I’ll get to meet them soon.

I’m having a break now. I’ll still attend the writers meetings, but my big job for this year is over. I’ll try and update the blog a bit more than I have done recently. I’m about to start work writing for a show at the beeb, then after that another thing with Company that is very exciting - more later.
Oh, and I’ll be on the skinslife website this week taking questions. If you’ve got anything to ask me, head over to skinslife.com and post away.

MGS4 rules.

Jx.

If you see me at Glastonbury, say hello.

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Skincast Video Extra

Thanks to Skinsis

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Introduction to Skins S2 by Jamie Brittain

So. It’s been almost exactly a year since series one of Skins launched on E4. The first episode of the series attracted one of the biggest audiences ever seen on a digital channel and inspired reviews both damning (one) and glowing (the rest). Since then we’ve seen Skins grow into something entirely unexpected. We’ve watched the internet community expand into fan sites, forums, and Facebook groups. We’ve put on crazy parties, invited the fans along and filmed the results. We’ve been shown on Channel 4. We’ve released a soundtrack album, a calendar. We’ve seen the once-unknown stars of the show mobbed by fans. And we’ve been shown on television in France, Australia, Italy and Slovenia.
Not bad going for a low-budget show cooked up in my Dad’s kitchen. Now all we had to do was make the second series of Skins even bigger, even better. Pretty much as soon as series two was commissioned, co-creator Bryan Elsley and I were back in the office with the creative team, scribbling away on a white board. With a year’s worth of experience, we knew we could match if not better the first series. Changes needed to be made though. The creative team needed to be expanded. We had more shows to do this year (ten episodes), and we wanted to fully exploit our investment in new and emerging British talent.

This paid off in the shape Daniel Kaluuya, now 18, from Camden. He was quickly commissioned to write a script after spending a year in our writers group and has turned out episode eight, one of my favourites of the year. I’m pretty sure he’s one of the youngest people, if not the youngest, ever to have written an hour of television drama. Other additions included Sally Tatchell, a ferociously talented writer fresh from working on The Bill, and Lucy Kirkwood, a witty and sharp young playwright whose work is soon to be put on at the Bush Theatre. Both have written superb scripts for us this year. They join myself, Ben Schiffer, Jack Thorne and Bryan Elsley to make up the core writing team behind Skins. We also have our brilliant young contributors, not to mention the comedians Josie Long and Robin Ince. In other words, one of the most diverse teams working in television drama.

Other changes this year are new cast member Aimee-Ffion Edwards, playing the mysterious and conflicted Sketch. There are also a ton of new guest actors and comedians; Bill Bailey, Harry Enfield, Shane Richie, Sean Pertwee, Geoff Hughes, Mark Heap, John Thomson, Fiona Allen, Peter Capaldi, Josie Lawrence, Arabella Weir, Josie Long, Mark Monero and Kevin Eldon. We didn’t ever dream we’d persuade such a talented bunch join our show. And this series sees new directors including BAFTA award-winning Charles Martin, and Harry Enfield who is making his television directing debut.
So. What is series two about? Well, there’s arguments, make ups, make outs, violence, deaths, songs, rapping, music, dancing, drugs, sex, tears, smiles, laughter, posh kids, white kids, black kids, exam results, parents, relatives, holidays and Bill Bailey dancing with a dog. Sometimes light, sometimes dark, always funny, series two is ten hours of ambitious, emotionally-charged television drama that portrays the complex and vivid lives of a group of characters on the edge of adulthood, as they grow and develop.

It’s been an immense amount of fun to make, and it will be even more fun to see how it is received by our much-loved fans who drive a very active and responsive online community, and those beyond.

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