"Dakota Blue Richards and the rest of the new generation of Skins became real friends while living together filming the new series of the show.

The young actors all lived in a hotel in Bristol for several months during filming and loved the experience, doing everything together.

Dakota said: "I'm an only child so I'm not used to being around lots of people my age, other than at school and stuff, so having an intense working relationship has lead to really great friendships I think."

Freya Mavor, who plays b****y Mini, revealed: "I loved that because it forced you into a situation where you all had to become close to each other and I remember we'd often go out for a meal or something like that and all end up in a room all sleeping in one bed. And wake up at five in the morning spooning someone else. That sounds so weird doesn't it?! So I think we all became like sisters and brothers."

The boys loved it too.

Will Merrick who plays pothead Alo admitted: "Living in a hotel is awesome," while Alex Arnold who plays metalhead Rich revealed: "It was like Home Alone 2."

But Laya Lewis, who plays Liv, insists it wasn't a non-stop wild Skins party.

She said: "We spent a lot of time together when we weren't filming, but literally just at the hotel watching movies, eating pizza but we didn't really go out at all."

::The new series of Skins begins on E4 this week."

Boyd Hilton gets to hang out with the cool kids on the set of the new, fifth series.

11:11am: Bristol
The studio where they film Skins in Bristol is like a giant shed. In one area, there are bits of sixth-form college you'll recognise from the previous series: the common room, corridors lined with lockers, stuff like that. The all-new, third gang of Skins cast members are filming a big scene together when Heat arrives, so we hang out in the cast's chill out-room. The first to pop in is Freya Mavor, who plays Mini. She's a pretty ruthless, powerful, glamorous figure, but Freya herself is lovely. She tells us that the first scene she filmed with her onscreen boyfriend Nick (Sean Teale) involved her vomiting on him. ''The sick was made out of rice cakes and apple puree and mushy peas, and it tasted disgusting. I had to keep it in my mouth while I was kissing him.'' Freya is also a big Skins fan - she's been watching the show from the start, even though she was only 13 at the time. ''I was a rebellious 13-year-old,'' she explains. This makes Heat feel older than we are. And we are old.

11:45am
Sean arrives. He's energetic, charming and, frankly, intimidating good-looking. Sean's character Nick is a bit of a departure for Skins - he's a proper jock who plays sport and wears preppy clothes. Sean is a hunk, although he wears his hunkiness very lightly: ''Nick loves to take his clothes off, but I don't, and in my first scene I was naked, so that was tough.'' Even though he knew he would have to do nude scenes (this is Skins, after all) Sean didn't realise how many there would be. ''I'm not comfortable in my own skin, so I hate doing them. Don't get me wrong, I love doing the show, but that bit is difficult.'' Sean's mum stumbled across a Skins sex scene when she was watching the last series and registered her concern. ''I had to tell her there's stuff I do in this series that's worse!''

12:05pm
Even though Sean is the official hunk of the series, it looks like the award for Most Nudity In Season Five will be going to young Will Merrick, who plays farmer boy Alo. As we speak he's wearing a minimal vest. He looks cold. ''I'm used to it,'' says Will. ''In the show, I'm naked as much as I am clothed. I don't have the best body in the world, but I'm not really bothered by it. If you go on Skins and you don't get naked, I think you've copped out. I go the whole way!'' That's the spirit. Heat tries to find out what his naughtiest scene has been. ''Oh, I do a lot worse things than go naked...'' But that's all he'll say, damn it.

12:40pm
Next, we meet Alex, who plays metalhead character Rich. He wears big leather boots, a lot of black and has long, lank hair which turns out to be a wig. A discussion ensues about whether we should reveal it's a wig or let fans of the show think it's all Alex's real hair. We decide Skins viewers are sophisticated enough to deal with the reality.

1:15pm
The most enigmatic character and most enigmatic cast member is smouldering Sebastian De Souza, who plays Matty. Seb is devilishly handsome and clearly loves being a mystery man. He says his character is ''a free spirit, a bit of a nymph...'' When the character was in development, he was explicitly bisexual, but this element is now left unsaid. ''I think he'd still happily sleep with boys as well as girls,'' Seb says. Sebastian De Souza, we warn you now, is going to be a big star. Like the rest of the Series Five cast of Skins, we predict...


Plus an episode 1 description...

The new cast of Skins arrives, and within ten minutes we have a deep emotional connection with half of them. This powerful opener introduces all the new characters, focusing particularly on Franky (Dakota Blue Richards), a troubled outsider with two gay dads (Gareth Farr and John Sessions) who mercilessly take the piss. It's Skins at it's best.

"Danny Flaherty is a pretty normal 17-year-old – he skateboards, plays guitar, and works at the bagel store. Or rather, he used to work at the bagel store. The Glen Rock rising senior will soon star in the American version of the wildly popular U.K. drama, "Skins," set to air on MTV early next year.

Naturally, things have started to become a little less normal and a little more surreal.

The show business jitters began when he was called back after auditions last November, Flaherty recalled.

"It was a crazy feeling, almost like a dream," he said. "I couldn’t believe it."

Things really started to sink in when Flaherty flew to Toronto in February to film the show’s pilot; it was the first time he was on a large set.

"There were so many people on the crew. It was so unbelievable," he said.

Now the real work is beginning. Flaherty returned to Toronto last Sunday, where he will stay for four months to film the show’s first season. He will receive school lessons sent up from Glen Rock High School’s teachers while he is on the set. And when he returns to Glen Rock, he will probably keep working at the bagel store, he said.

Notorious for its candid portrayal of teenage life, "Skins" is highly anticipated in this country. Flaherty was turned onto the show when friends from Ireland introduced him to it during a trip there.

"I loved the fact that it was so different from anything I’ve ever seen on TV before. It took ‘Degrassi’ to a new level," Flaherty said. "It’s kind of raunchy, kind of raw. It’s not far from what real teenagers do."

When his talent agent recommended that he try out for the role of Stanley, the American version of the character Sid Jenkins, he jumped at the chance.

"I was like, ‘Oh, I love this character,’" Flaherty said.

Stanley lacks confidence, is shy and messy, and is picked on and manipulated by his best friend Tony. He is also in love with Tony’s girlfriend, Michelle, and Tony knows it. He is chided by his friends for being a virgin.

Some characters in the show have difficult family lives, which lead them to indulge in drugs and sex, but each has quirks and edginess. And, as Flaherty is quick to point out, just because the show portrays sex and drugs doesn’t mean it glorifies it, as in some other teen dramas.

"It shows consequences as well," he said.

Critics attribute the success of the original "Skins" series to the unique writing and casting process brought by co-writer and director Bryan Elsley: The actors cast are actual teenagers and are often novices. Teens are also hired to work in the writing room on story lines; the average age of the writers of the first series was 22. The same process will be used for the American version, Flaherty said.

"Bryan Elsley really loves to make it original and make it real," he said. "If he does that, it’ll appeal more to teenagers. That’s why I think they’ll enjoy the show – though parents may not enjoy it as much."

"You’re going to fall in love with the characters," he added.

Flaherty, too, is a bit of a novice. When he was 11 years old, he began taking acting classes with the Nustars program, and soon afterward was cast in a Bergen Community College version of "A Christmas Carol." He wanted to get more involved in acting, and at age 13 he auditioned and signed with Shirley Grant Management, a prominent teen talent agency in Teaneck whose clients have included the Jonas Brothers and Christina Ricci.

After that, he was cast in several independent films by New York University film students, and did some voiceovers for radio.

Now Flaherty is starting to get his first taste of high-profile show business. A few weeks ago, he and the eight other teens cast in the series attended a ritzy photo shoot; soon after, he flew to Los Angeles to attend the journalist-packed Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour, where networks reveal their new programming for the next year.

"There were tons of reporters. I was looking into a crowd of 150, 200 people, all with laptops, all typing away," Flaherty said. "It was crazy."

He acknowledged that this may be the beginning of something special.

"I’m just excited for my career to come," he said. "I hope I can pursue acting farther on, and move on to even bigger and better stuff."

AfterEllen: Can you tell us a little bit about auditioning for Skins. Did you audition strictly for the role of Tea?
Sofia Black D’Elia: Originally I auditioned for the role of Michelle, but at that time Tea hadn't been written. And I think I was actually the first person to read for Tea once she was written, in New York at least.

AE: What did you think of her when you first read her?
SBD: At that time, she was nothing more than a couple of pieces of paper. I hadn't talked to Bryan yet. I was just another kid auditioning. The only thing I knew about her was that she was a lot like Teo, and I had been reading with a lot of other kids who had been auditioning for Teo, while I was auditioning for Michelle.

AE: What did you know about her?
SBD: I knew she was very funny. When I read for her originally, she was very comedic. Very confident.

AE: Now, were you familiar with the UK Skins?
SBD: Yes!

AE: Were you familiar before you started auditioning?
SBD: Yes!

AE: Pretend [series creator] Bryan [Elsley] is not standing right beside you. What did you think of the show?
SBD: I was a huge fan. I hadn't seen every episode, but I had seen all of the first season. And I fell in love with the second generation before I auditioned.

AE: What was it that appealed to you?
SBD: I love that as a young person who wants to be an actor, there are young people out there pushing boundaries, and I think they're so brave. Every kid on the original series was so brave, and I really respected them for that. And I thought the writing was great. And in The States, at least, I hadn't felt that there was any series that represented teenagers properly. I love a lot of shows on HBO, but they're all for adults, and then when I saw Skins — after a friend told me about it — it was the first time I saw teenagers being represented the way I thought they should be represented. 

AE: It must be kind of exciting to be on a show like this that has launched careers like Nicholas Hoult and Dev Patel.
SBD: Oh, it's extremely exciting!

AE: So you're aware of that aspect of what the show has done for people?
SBD: Yeah, I'm aware of it, but I would say it didn't really dawn on me at all while I was auditioning for it. I was more excited that I was going to meet Bryan. I mean, I'd seen the show and after every episode it had a credit that said, "Created by Bryan Elsley." And I was in a room with him. It was a very surreal experience, in that I was a huge fan. And I believed in the show and in what it does for kids.

AE: So, what do you know about Naomily? Naomi and Emily, the worldwide craze?
SBD: As far as couples go in generation two, I thought they were the best couple on the show.

AE: How does it feel to be doing an American adaptation of a British show?
SBD: It's scary. I mean, I totally understand where everyone is coming from. I was a fan of the original Office, and when I heard it was coming to The States, I was completely freaking out about it — so I totally understand why everyone is so upset. It's normal. When anything gets redone, there are always going to people who will say, "There's no way it's going to be [as good as the original]." But I think that if American audiences just accept that we're remaking the show, and watch it as a new show, they're really going to love it.

AE: Without giving anything away, what do you think will be different about the new show compared to the old show.
[Bryan Elsley stepping in]: There will be a gay character at the center of the story, right from the get go, right until the end of the series.

SBD: There you go.

Bryan Elsley: She didn't know that.

SBD: I didn't, until just right now.

AE: Oh, really? You didn't know you were going to be at the center of season one? So, what three words are coming to your mind?
SBD: Oh my God! Is that good?

AE: That works! There are so few fully developed lesbian characters on television. How do you feel about taking on that — I don't want to say responsibility, but that role?
SBD: It is a responsibility.

AE: All right, that responsibility?
SBD: It's obviously very daunting, but very exciting at the same time because I think that, like you said, it's rare, so if I do it well, I think it's going to be a very talked about character on Skins. 

AE: Now, my generation was very different when it comes to knowing gay and lesbian people. And we're always hearing that your generation is quite different. Do you have gay and lesbian friends?
SBD: Yep. Actually, one of my lesbian friends is very similar to Tea in a lot of ways. Not as intense, but similar. And I think what's so cool about my girl friends that are gay is that they're the cool ones. They're the confident ones in my group of friends and they're the ones who know who they are. They're so comfortable. And that's going to be hard for me [to portray] because it's just a confidence you sense as soon as you meet them. Because it is much more accepted now.

  

AE: What do you think about Tea?
SBD: From what Bryan and I have talked about, I think it's going to be interesting to see a character on Skins that can compete with Tony, in the sense that while you're watching series one of the original show, no one really matches up to him. But I think that Tea has it in her. Whether she uses it or not, I don't know. But she's definitely very strong. She's a really, really strong character. And I think it's cool because a lot of girls are really insecure when they're teenagers, and here's a character who is not insecure one bit. And she's completely confident in who she is, and I'm excited to see where she goes because I don't know yet.

AE: OK, last question: You have to deal with another tricky stereotype. You are playing a cheerleader. How are you going to approach her? There are a lot of cheerleading stereotypes.
SBD: Well, I think the great thing about Tea is that she doesn't fit any of the stereotypes except that she just likes to cheerlead. I know people who absolutely love cheerleading. It's like a hobby. They don't do it just to cheer for the football team or be that girly-girl. I mean, that is a stereotype. The cheerleaders we've worked with on the pilot are extremely intense people that are athletes. And Tea also does it because she gets to be around a lot of girls all the time, and there's nothing wrong with that!

AE: Good answer! Anything else you want to say about the character, or about being on the show?
SBD: I don't think so, except that I understand where people are coming from with Maxxie being changed to a girl, but I also think she will bring a lot to the show, and if you just watch and try to have an open mind about it, I think that people will really accept her.

"All My Children fans will recognize Sofia Black D'Elia as Bailey, but otherwise you're probably not familiar with her at all. The relatively new actress will soon be gracing our screens as the lesbian teen Tea on the U.S. adaptation of Skins, as the cast was announced yesterday at the TCA panel.

The rest of the cast is as follows: James Newman as Tony, Rachel Thevenard as Michelle, Daniel Flaherty as Stanley, Ron Mustafaa as Abbud, Camille Cresencia-Mills as Daisy, Jesse Carere as Chris, Britne Oldford as Cadie and Eleanor Zich as Eura.

Sofia reportedly left All My Children in early 2010 because she was "a very young actress, and she did not want to make the move to California, according to Sue Johnson, vice president, talent development and East Coast programming at ABC. Well it look as if this role made her change her mind!

So far, from the first 15 minute pilot MTV has released, it is clear up front that Tea is out because she is on the phone telling someone it's her "big gay night out." No skirting around that issue. As co-creator Bryan Elsley recently told Heather Hogan:

"This new character (Tea) is going to be at the center of everything right from the get go."

He also referred to her as "messy, challenging and hopefully fascinating."

"Alright Skins fans, as you probably know, Series 5 is well on its way… and we’ll be announcing the new cast next week!

Come back to e4.com/skins at 5pm next Thursday (5th August) to meet the latest bunch of actors appearing in Skins. Excited already? Yep, me too.

Set yourself a reminder now.

PS, I’m Thom btw - the new Layla, if you will - a pleasure to meet you all. Expect loads more from me very soon."

"The U.S. Skins cast have officially been chosen and the filming has already started. The pilot for the show was filmed last week, which means the show won’t be aired until around September or so.

Fortunately for you, my friend knows someone who is auditioning, so I’ve got a picture for all of you.

However, at this time I am unsure of who is who or what characters the people in this photo will be playing. I also do not know whether they are rewriting a plot or what the plan is. I do hope it allows for all the famous sex-driven alcohol-loving party-crazed teen kicks as the U.K. series."

They're cute, they're cool and they know how to have a laugh. We met the Skins cast and we SO want to be part of their gang. Want to know how Kathryn Prescott (Emily) and Lily Loveless (Naomi) found snogging on screen? What Megan Prescott (Katie) really thinks of her twin? Why Jack O'Connell (Cook) has a nan that's proud of his bum? How Lisa Backwell (Pandora) and Merv Lukeba (Thomas) felt after watching themselves get steamy on screen. And what about how mybliss.co.uk almost had to break up a fight between Luke Pasqualino (Freddie) and Kaya Scodelario (Effy). Find out all below...