Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr is a weekly Canadian podcast about young adult literature, their film and television adaptations, and everything in between. Now in its sixth season, the podcast—hosted by film critic Joe Lipsett and English professor Brenna Clarke-Gray—aims to highlight the cultural worth of young adult and middle-grade texts, with a focus on Canadian, Indigenous and minority creatives and stories.

Join us weekly for deep dives, as well as a round of YA BINGO.

Book 6, Chapter 39: Skins Series 1, Episodes 1-2

Brenna and Joe kick off our summer programming with a long requested title: Skins.

Every other week we’re watching two episodes of Series 1, starting with “Tony” (episode 1) and “Cassie” (episode 2) and already we’re into the thick of bad parents, hedonistic behaviour, and major empathy for Hannah Murray’s Cassie, who is struggling with disordered eating.

Plus: handlebar moustaches, disgusting food fight parties, and a mid-career Nicholas Hoult!

Read on for more about this week’s episode from co-host Joe Lipsett:

Brenna and I have covered a fair amount of YA television on the pod in the past (see: Dare Me from last week).

With Skins, however, we knew we wanted to take our time and revel in its debauchery, so we’re taking our time.

And so: a new summer project. We’re going to spend the next few months working our way through Series 1. We’ll go a few episodes at a time, digging into what made the UK show such a phenomenon back in 2007 and unpacking each of the characters in their own right.

It should be a good – albeit uncomfortable – time! -JL

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