Over the last ten weeks I've been watching series 3 of Skins, E4's acclaimed teenage drama. The problem is,  whilst it's been entertaining, it's just never quite lived up to series 1 and 2. It's felt a bit like one of those BBC3 drama pilots a few months back which were oh so desperate to be like Skins! I strongly suspect that - taken in isolation - I would have found the series pretty entertaining, however it never quite captivated me in the same way as the "original" skins. I haven't quite been able to put my finger on why, which has frustrated me intensely. The new series had a whole new cast, and I've thought that the difference between Cook and Tony (from series 3 and 1/2 respectively) was probably quite indicative of the more general differences between the series. But just what was that difference? Now series 3 has finished, I've just gone back and watched the first episode of series 1 to see if I could work it out.

Cook was an absolute bastard, to his friends and everyone around him. He was rude, divisive and unpleasant. Yet so was Tony. So why is it that I always disliked Cook, whereas Tony somehow remained likeable as a character despite his unpleasantness? I think, having watched episode 1 again, that much of the difference lies in intelligence. Tony would scheme, manipulate and control his friends, but he'd do it by devising a clever plan. I had a respect for his intelligence, even if I disliked his behaviour. Cook, on the other hand, would shout and punch his way through life, using brute force to get what he wanted. Tony would get his mate into big trouble with a drug dealer, but he'd throw in literary quotes along the way. He's join the girls scool choir to meet girls, but he'd do it by auditioning properly and singing well. Cook on the other hand would run away from his friends, pausing only to throw in a few choice swear words.

The writing too just seems a little more clever in the early Skins. Little details like the man on the bus who looks over Sid's shoulder as he scrolls through pictures of Michelle on his phone. The dirty old man is there to be laughed at, but it's subtle. It's well known that the programme involves drug use, but somehow in the original Skins it seemed part of the story, whereas in series 3 it was almost thrown in just to shock. In fact that's a theme which runs through series 3 - I get the impression that they were just trying to out-do the original on shock value. Drugs, swearing and sex don't necessarily make for entertainment!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed new Skins, and I will look forward to series 4. But where I bought the DVDs of series 1 and 2, I don't think I'll bother with series 3.