BBC Three and BBC Wales confirm brand new comedy series In My Skin
The joint commission of new comedy In My Skin comes following the stand-alone pilot, which premiered as a Comedy Slice for BBC Three last year.
From Expectation, In My Skin (4 x 30') is a dark comedy series from writer Kayleigh Llewellyn, who has mined her own experiences to create this coming-of-age story about a teenage girl leading a double life.
Picking up from where the 2018 pilot left off, we follow Bethan (Gabrielle Creevy) as she desperately tries to keep the truth of her home life a secret from her friends. But when your mother (Jo Hartley) is sectioned in a mental facility near your school and has a penchant for breaking out, and your father (Rhodri Meilir) is a Hell's Angel who drives a rag-and-bone truck, flying under the radar ain't so easy.
Nevertheless, Bethan is determined to save her own blushes. But her cheek and wit can only carry her so far, as she digs herself deeper and deeper into a hole of her own lies.
Along the way there are lesbian infatuations, tough love from her Nana, and non-stop interferences from her bulldozer teacher, who is always on her case.
It's funny, raw and heartbreaking at times, as we vicariously relive our adolescence through Bethan - the confusing, intoxicating, painful mess of it all.
Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning for BBC Wales, says: "The reaction to In My Skin has been stunning. Gabrielle Creevy's performance as Bethan, a funny, sassy, melancholy teen enduring a unique coming-of-age experience, is profoundly moving. Kayleigh, who wrote the piece based on her own experiences growing up in Cardiff, has to be one of the sharpest observers of family life in Britain today. It's the best news that this pilot will soon be a series."
Nerys Evans, Creative Director for Comedy at Expectation, says: "I'm so excited to be making more of In My Skin for the BBC. We've been so lucky to gather such a talented cast together, bringing Kayleigh's fantastic writing to life. I can't wait to see what Kayleigh has in store for us over the series."
Kayleigh Llewellyn says: "I'm thrilled to be working with the BBC and our exceptional cast and creative team from the pilot to continue telling Bethan's story. It's one close to my own heart, and I hope in some way we can help to chip away at the shame that so often surrounds mental illness."
Shane Allen, Controller of BBC Comedy Commissioning, adds: "In My Skin heralds a bright new comedic voice in Kayleigh who paints an unvarnished, complex and truthful coming-of-age story full of heart and humour. The ambition of the writing has been matched through the alchemy of casting, setting and production to offer the BBC Three audience up something wholly original and truly sublime."
Filming will begin later this year.
In My Skin is an Expectation production written and created by Kayleigh Llewellyn. The series will be directed by Lucy Forbes (End Of The F***king World 2, Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe) and executive produced by Nerys Evans (Intelligence, French and Saunders, Miranda).
In My Skin was ordered by Shane Allen, Controller of BBC Comedy Commissioning, and Fiona Campbell, Controller, BBC Three and Nick Andrews for BBC Wales. The Commissioning Editors for the BBC are Kate Daughton and Paul Forde.
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