Skins: Volume 3

Skins is back, and the critical darling now has a brand new cast!

It's another year at Roundview College and it brings with it a new class of drug-fuelled, party-seeking, sexually inquisitive teenagers.

The new queen bee is the beautiful and mysterious Effy (Kaya Scodelario, Skins Series 1 and 2). The charming but volatile Cook and his best mate Freddie have fallen under her spell, leaving their friend JJ caught in the middle as they fight for her attention. Identical twins Katie and Emily aren't as similar as they look - Katie wants to gain her individuality, and when Emily is abandoned by her, she finds a friend in the beautiful idealist Naomi. Kooky Pandora is the group's sweetheart, she finds love with Thomas; but is their relationship over before it has begun?

Episode 1 - "Everyone"
It's the first day of the new term at Roundview College and time to meet the new students. Best friends Freddie, JJ and Cook's world collides with Effy's when Cook pulls off a practical joke. Totally smitten, the three lads compete for her attention. Realizing their intentions, Effy issues the three friends with a challenge - the first one to break all the rules listed during an eventful orientation assembly gets to "know her". The game is now afoot and to the victor comes the spoils.

Episode 2 - "Cook"
Anything goes as Cook is celebrating his 17th birthday. He sets out to have a wild time in a bar with his schoolmates but his party fizzles. While looking for a sign of greater things to come, Cook overhears an opportunity to crash an engagement party and drags his reluctant party goers with him. Little does he know he has just stepped into notorious gangster Johnny White's world.
Cook has always counted on his friends to save him from trouble but as he spirals out of control and into danger -- he may just be on his own this time.

Episode 3 - "Thomas"
Times are tough for Thomas. He has just arrived form the Congo and is struggling to survive in a foreign country. To further complicate matters, he gets strong armed by notorious gangster Johnny White and is forced to come up with a lot of cash, quick. Lucky for Thomas, Pandora and Effy and the rest of the crew are up for helping him out of the jam.
As love blossoms between Pandora and Thomas, the rest of the crew learns that he has many hidden talents and can handle himself by helping them out of trouble as well.

Episode 4 - "Pandora"
Pandora invites the girls over for an innocent pajama party. The party turns out to be anything but innocent as the girls decide they need to liven it up a bit. Things quickly get out of hand when some uninvited guests show up and wreak havoc. Pandora, still upset about Thomas, is pushed to the brink as her party spirals out of control and she questions her friendship with Effy.

With her night potentially a bust, Pandora makes an attempt to salvage it and loses more than she knows as a surprise awaits her in the party's aftermath.

Episode 5 - "Freddie"
Freddie's problems are mounting and he's close to the breaking point. He feels alienated from his family, is growing tired of Cook's malicious antics, and he's trying desperately to win Effy's affection. And if this weren't enough - he's forced to sit by and watch his sister use their mother's death to gain sympathy votes in a singing competition.
Freddie decides it's time for him to take a stand. He needs to gain some control and stop "skating by", but he soon realizes that he's now more vulnerable than ever.

Episode 6 - "Naomi"
On the surface, Naomi seems to have it all figured out. In reality she's hiding her insecurities beneath a tough exterior, and fighting off Emily's advances forces her to make peace with her true feelings. Guided by her politics teacher, Kieran, Naomi decides to run for student president but one obstacle stands in her way - Cook.
With trouble brewing at home, at school, and with friends, Naomi comes to terms with what she can truly control and finally asks herself what she really wants.

Episode 7 - "JJ"
All JJ really wants to be is 'normal.' He's aware of his social anxieties but struggles to keep them under control - especially when his closest mates are feuding and pulling him in different directions. Fortunately, a chance encounter with Emily gives him some support when he discovers that she's dealing with asserting herself emotionally as well. The pair set out to help JJ resolve some of his problems but soon realize not everything is as it seems with their friends.
Freddie, Cook and JJ may never be best mates again but that doesn't stop JJ from trying to get their friendship back to 'normal.'

Episode 8 - "Effy"
Effy seems to have lost her spark. While she finds Cook appealing, her love for Freddie is becoming all the more painful to ignore - especially now that Katie and Freddie are an item. Katie, quick to take the upper hand over Effy, invites her to drive the gang into the woods for a party. The party doesn't go quite as Katie planned when she recognizes she's in danger of losing Freddie, and tensions boil over between all of the friends.
Effy gets confronted at a vulnerable moment and is left to deal with the consequences of her actions more broken-hearted than ever.

Episode 9 - "Katie & Emily"
Emily has always followed Katie's lead but their relationship faces new challenges as she becomes more comfortable with herself. Ashamed and still recovering both physically and emotionally from the incident in the woods, Katie decides that they should go to Roundview's "Love Ball." Still disapproving of Emily's lifestyle, Katie forces her into a double date and schemes to get Naomi out of the picture. Once again Katie's plans go awry culminating in a dance the school won't soon forget.

Episode 10 - "Everyone"
Effy and Cook have been on the run living the wild life, and their travels lead them to a small town where Cook's estranged father lives. Reality sets in for Effy when she sees they're headed down a dead end path of self-destruction. Looking for help, Effy reaches out for friends to guide them out of the mess they've created. Cook is reluctant to throw in the towel, and his situation goes from bad to worse.

Cook, Freddie and Effy have many unresolved issues to work out, and their friendship is truly put to the test when presented with real danger.

Directed by Charles Martin, Simon Massey
Written by Bryan Elsley, Jamie Brittain, Daniel Kaluuya, Georgia Lester, Ben Schiffer, Atiha Sen Gupta, Jack Thorne, Lucy Kirkwood, Malcolm Campbell
Produced by Chris Clough
Executive Produced by Bryan Elsley, Charles Pattinson, George Faber