Britain’s most badly behaved sixth-formers are back. TVChoice talks to Skins' Laya Lewis — aka man-mad Liv…

How do we find the Skins gang at the start of the series?
They’re in Morocco having this crazy, amazing time. They’ve all become friends after finding peace at the end of the last series, but then things start to go a bit weird.

Liv was — how can we put this? — a bit of a slapper in the last series. What was the reaction like?
It was really mixed. Some people liked her because she was very naughty, but a lot of people didn’t like her. She did some pretty harsh stuff to her friends.

But she was still sympathetic…
Oh yeah. That’s the clever thing with Skins. The audience judges a character and then you find out about their home life. She’s a wild child outside her family because her home life is a mess. She has a sister in prison, her mum is all over the place and she has to look after her kid sister Maude.

You’re the only cast member who’s actually from Bristol (where Skins is filmed). Do you become the ringleader when you have a night out?
At first I did a bit, but then I really felt I was missing out socially because I’d go home after filming and the others were in a hotel. In the end I was crashing there all the time!

Who’s your best friend on set?
I think you get close to who you have lots of scenes with, and last season I spent so much time with Jess Sula [who plays Grace] that we ended up like sisters. But I love all the guys equally, and me, Will Merrick [Alo] and Freya Mavor [Mini] are going to move in together soon.

What’s your advice to the next generation of Skins stars?
Don’t hold back. Having been really confident in the audition process I was then terrified once I got the part and I held back in a few of my early scenes. You have to remember that you’ve been cast for a reason.

You’re a couple of years older than some of the younger members of the Skins cast. Do you feel more mature?
Not really. Now that I’m 19 I realize that the age gap is really nothing. But it’s interesting. I think if I’d been cast when I was, say 16, I would have behaved very differently. I actually went to the auditions a few years ago but turned back when I got to the door. I just knew it wasn’t my time.

Ben Lawrence