I've written reviews for each season of "In My Skin" so I thought I'd put something here to sum up my overall feeling about it.
"In My Skin" was a show that I came across via the Guardian's "Best TV of 2020" list. It's a five-part series, based on the short film / pilot that was released in 2018. Though at times it's pretty grim subject matter, it often undercuts that with genuine humour and odd fantasy moments.
16-year-old Bethan Gwyndaf (Gabrielle Creevy) is a bright student, who should have a decent future open to her, but her home life is rocked by a lazy drunken father (Rhodri Mellir) and a mother (Jo Hartley) who is affected by a severe Bipolar disorder and is in and out of institutions. She constantly lies about her home life to her friends and teachers and withdraws to fantasy moments, and she is developing a crush on popular girl Poppy (Zadeiah Campbell-Davies).
You can't not start with Gabrielle Creevy who is phenomenal in the series. A real star in the making. She (and the plot) keeps Bethan on the right side of your affection even though she undertakes a few questionable actions along the way. The rest of the cast is great too, I only really recognised Jo Hartley and Bethan's grandmother, played by Di Botcher, whose been a consistent face on UK TV for decades.
Tonally, it's half grim kitchen sink drama and half sitcom, occasionally quite a broad sitcom too. The PE teacher, played by Laura Checkley from "The Detectorists" feels particularly like she's been shipped in from a different show. But somehow it balances really well. The idea that "This is going to end badly" never goes away, that disaster is going to befall one of the characters in the next scene. But also, it's funny, and funny in several different ways - either the wittiness of the characters or the use of a particular swearword at the right moment.
Warm and uplifting, Funny and comical, grim and dark. A excellent time.
"In My Skin" was a show that I came across via the Guardian's "Best TV of 2020" list. It's a five-part series, based on the short film / pilot that was released in 2018. Though at times it's pretty grim subject matter, it often undercuts that with genuine humour and odd fantasy moments.
16-year-old Bethan Gwyndaf (Gabrielle Creevy) is a bright student, who should have a decent future open to her, but her home life is rocked by a lazy drunken father (Rhodri Mellir) and a mother (Jo Hartley) who is affected by a severe Bipolar disorder and is in and out of institutions. She constantly lies about her home life to her friends and teachers and withdraws to fantasy moments, and she is developing a crush on popular girl Poppy (Zadeiah Campbell-Davies).
You can't not start with Gabrielle Creevy who is phenomenal in the series. A real star in the making. She (and the plot) keeps Bethan on the right side of your affection even though she undertakes a few questionable actions along the way. The rest of the cast is great too, I only really recognised Jo Hartley and Bethan's grandmother, played by Di Botcher, whose been a consistent face on UK TV for decades.
Tonally, it's half grim kitchen sink drama and half sitcom, occasionally quite a broad sitcom too. The PE teacher, played by Laura Checkley from "The Detectorists" feels particularly like she's been shipped in from a different show. But somehow it balances really well. The idea that "This is going to end badly" never goes away, that disaster is going to befall one of the characters in the next scene. But also, it's funny, and funny in several different ways - either the wittiness of the characters or the use of a particular swearword at the right moment.
Warm and uplifting, Funny and comical, grim and dark. A excellent time.