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‘Skins’ creator Bryan Elsley: ‘The show is the opposite of pornography’

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“The show is the opposite of pornography,” “Skins” creator Bryan Elsley told The Times in an interview this week. “It isn’t us who are being provocative. I think that some of the people who object to the show are being provocative in the use of that word.”

The MTV drama is up to its kohl-caked eyelids in controversy. Even before its Jan. 17 premiere, the Parents Television Council had launched an all-out offensive against the series. Less than a week into its run, Taco Bell, GM, Wrigley, H&R Block, Schick and Subway had pulled ads from the show, and the parents group is urging the government to investigate “Skins” for child pornography.

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Elsley, creator of both the MTV series and the British version on which it’s based, says he doesn’t foresee altering “Skins” to quell protests about its gritty depictions of teenage sex and drug use. The show inspired some hysteria in the UK, too, where tabloids dubbed out-of-control teen parties with no parental supervision “Skins parties.” Elsley said the media circus never affected the content of the British series, noting that the show “did not invent the concept of waiting for your parents to go on holiday to throw a party.”

You can read more in our feature on the Skins controversy.

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-- Judy Berman

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