Writing episode 2 of Skins - Emily

Ed Hime – Writer of Episode 2

This episode of Skins was my first proper TV job. I'd worked mostly in theatre before, where you work alone, write exactly want you want to write, and hardly anyone ever gets to see it. TV is different, and Skins is completely different - it's written in a team, and watched by millions.

The Skins writers' room is not for the faint of heart. You sit in a circle with a load of clever people, try not to eat all the doughnuts, and wonder why the windows don't open in the middle of June. And you talk about the things you care about, the things you've lived and haven't seen on TV before, the things that can make Skins so much more dangerous than any other show like it. You speak and listen and consider and argue and wait for your turn and not wait for your turn and shout and laugh and occasionally seethe with frustration. To an outsider I imagine it looks like a cross between group therapy and a late night debate in the House of Commons. It's brilliant.

Then there's the fans. I started at Skins as Series Three was airing, decided I wanted to write for Emily.....and then watched Naomily become a bona-fide phenomenon. Woo-hoo! A global audience of millions! Then the terror set in.

The more I thought of all the assembled Naomily fans, who had invested so much love and hope in them, the more I felt a paralysing mixture of fear, duty, and a desperate need to impress. It was kind of like when you meet your girlfriend's parents for the first time- “I know you love her, and I love her too, but I'm going to be doing some things with her that you probably won't approve of”. Cos I wanted to write about the dark side of Naomily. What happens after you've got the girl and walked off into the sunset? Being in love is no guarantee against suffering. And - if the accumulated wisdom of six decades of pop music is anything to go by - it usually means that there's a whole lot of pain coming your way.

So with the blessing (and assistance) of the group, I wrote a Skins film-noir, with Emily cast as the intrepid detective. I can't say exactly why, except that I love detective stories, and the traits that people love about Emily - her purity, intelligence, bravery and tenacity - are also the traits that make a great private eye. And the warning at the core of every good detective story is: Be careful where you go digging, because you don't know what you'll find.

Labels: 4ª Temporada , 4x02 emily , Emily , episode 2 , Generation 2 , Skins , skins season 4