SmlLa 8oy

"Sk|ns" Ana|ys|s
now do the chorocters their representotion in "5kins" he/p the
dromo to oppeo/ to torqet oudience
Lhe very flrsL eplsode of Skls we geL Lo dlscover a varleLy of characLers ad how Lhey have bee
represeLed l Lhe serles Lo appeal Lo Lhe LargeL audlece
1he key characLer 1oby ls Lhe flrsL characLer Lo be lLroduced ad ls ldeally Lhe proLagolsL of Lhls
serles accordlg Lo ropp's Lheory ad durlg Lhe lLroducLlo a upbeaL rocky backgroud score
ls used whlch reflecLs Lhe characLer as lL emphaslzes Lhe youLhful mood ad LasLe he has however
hls room seemed very Lldy whlch ls very ucoveLloal for a Leeager's boy's bedroom
uurlg Lhe flrsL scee 1oby's frleds are also lLroduced l whlch we see all Lhe characLers mally
lvolved l sex ad lusL elLher physlcally or emoLloally whlch coforms Lo Lhe Lyplcal vlew o
Leeagers of Lhe socleLy as Lhey have [usL hlL puberLy ad have developed a ldepedece ad a
sese of freedom however Maxy 1oby's gay Lap dacer frled subverLs from Lhe usual lmpresslo of
Leeage boys as mosL Lelevlslo dramas show LhaL Lhe socleLy does oL happlly accepL
homosexuallLy wheLher lLs pareLs who ob[ecL for example Syed ad ChrlsLla l LasLeders or Lhelr
frleds
uurlg Lhe youLh mosL Leeagers are busy wlLh Lhelr moblle phoes ad soclal eLworklg slLes
such as face book LwlLLer ad as show l Lhls eplsode 1oby ls Loo busy calllg all hls frleds up o
a Suday morlg (Assumed by Lhe church bells LhaL wake 1oby up aL Lhe sLarL of Lhe eplsode)
uurlg Lhese phoe calls we are lLroduced Lo aoLher of 1oby's coLacLs hls Musllm frled (played
by (uev aLel) who ls meaL Lo be praylg l hls mosque buL ls dlsLurbed by 1oby's call whlch resulLs
wlLh hlm belg klcked ouL by hls ucle whlch shows LhaL Leeagers Lhese days ca'L follow Lhelr
famlly LradlLlos ad are Loo busy wlLh Lhelr soclal llfe
1hroughouL Lhe whole eplsode all hls frleds ad 1oby are swearlg all Lhe Llme whlch ls Lyplcal lf
we see school sLudeLs l reallLy ad lL's very sLereoLyplcal for Lelevlslo dramas Lo lclude
characLers LhaL use harsh ad bad laguage as lL provldes a more exclLlg ad dramaLlc evlromeL
whlch reflecLs Lhe reallLy we llve l however lL porLrays a much uclvlllsed lmage of Leeagers l
geeral
We have also dlscovered Lhe characLers of 1oby's ad 1oby's frled's dad who supposedly are Lhe
aLagolsLs coslderlg ropp's Lheory as boLh of whom do'L share a pleasaL chemlsLry wlLh Lhe
proLagolsL Led Lo swear a loL ad have ager problems whlch subverLs from Lhe coveLloal
faLher flgure who ls meaL Lo acL as a auLhorlLaLlve flgure acLlg as a role model Lo Lhelr sos ad
Lherefore glves a egaLlve represeLaLlo Lo Lhe audlece of Lhe dad belg aggresslve ad Lherefore
glves a bad represeLaLlo of Lhe assumed reallLy LhaL Lelevlslo dramas are based o however Lhls
may due Lo 1oby cosLaLly wldlg hls dad up for example whe he locks Lhe baLhroom door ad
seaks ouL of Lhe house or whe Lhere's a shoL of 1oby's uad's bum almosL showlg ad 1oby
laughlg abouL lL whlch shows hlm almosL mocklg hls dad ad coveys Lhe relaLloshlp beLwee
ma[orlLy faLher ad so
SmlLa 8oy

coLrasL 1oby's mum coforms Lo mosL Lelevlslo drama characLers where Lhey are Lhe more
carlg of Lhe 2 pareLs ad provlde warmLh for Lhelr chlldre Lhls eplsode we see Lhe mum
agglg aL 1oby's uad for swearlg whlch glves Lhe audlece a poslLlve lmpresslo of Mums l
geeral
1he relaLloshlp beLwee 1oby ad hls slsLer seems Lo go agalsL Lhe Lyplcal relaLloshlp we see
beLwee slbllgs l mosL Lelevlslo dramas as whe she reLurs form a laLe lghL ouL 1oby helps her
seak l by dlverLlg hls uad's aLLeLlo Lo hlm whe he plays hls loud muslc whlch agal coveys
Lhe relaLloshlp beLwee pareLs ad chlldre Lhese days where Lhey preLed Lo be followlg Lhelr
rules buL however are culgly dlsobeylg Lhem whlch glves a egaLlve represeLaLlo of pareLs
who are oL aware ad caoL coLrol Lhelr chlldre maklg Lhem seem Lhe less clever oes
1he several dlffereL represeLaLlos of characLers LhaL Skls has Lo offer appeal Lo Lhe LargeL
audlece LhaL have dlscovered Lo be Leeagers l geeral as Lhe vlewers are able Lo relaLe Lo
slLuaLlos ad lcldeLs l Lhe eplsode whlch may have occurred Lo Lhemselves ad lL ls very reallsLlc
as Skls llke mosL Lelevlslo dramas use Lhe world we llve l as a lsplraLlo for ew sLorles ad for
whaL Lo base Lhelr shows o ad Lherefore Lhe eplsode wlll appeal Lo Leeagers who may share Lhe
same relaLloshlp wlLh Lhelr slbllgs frleds pareLs Leacher eLc besldes audlece always have
pre cocelved ldeas of slLuaLlos wheLher lL's l reallLy or l Lelevlslo dramas ad Lhls ls where
sLereoLypes comes Lo play where audlece seek Lhe aswers Lo Lhe quesLlos Lhey have wlLh a
already Lhough ouL posslble ouLcome ad hopefully Lhe dramas should be able Lo saLlsfy Lhe vlewers
Lhrough Lhe coLeL of Lhe drama whlch ls ldeally how dramas appeal Lo Lhe LargeL audlece