A possible sociopath, Tony's manipulative ways go unnoticed by many for some time. He is loved by many and often gets his own way. He is dating Michelle and, although he cheats on her with Abigail and Maxxie, expresses his love for her. Immediately after admitting this, he is hit by a bus, leaving him mentally impaired and unable to recall certain events or people. After working long and ceaselessly, Tony slowly regains his memories and abilities.
Michelle is Tony's girlfriend. After an accident that leaves Tony without memory of his feelings for her, Michelle tries many times to get him to remember. She eventually gives up and gets with Sid instead. After Tony remembers his affection for her and lets her know this, Michelle admits that she loves him as well.
Sid is desperate to lose his virginity. Although a smart boy, he struggles with school and almost fails the entire Lower Sixth year. His love for Michelle makes him oblivious Cassie's affection for him. Cassie's feelings are revealed to Sid, and the two begin a long-distance relationship with each other, after Cassie moves to Scotland. They split up briefly when Sid cheats on her with Michelle. When Cassie runs away to New York, Tony and Michelle buy a plane ticket so Sid can follow.
After suffering from an eating disorder, Cassie is admitted a rehab clinic. She harbors a deep affection for Sid and eventually they get together. They go through a rough period when Sid believes that Cassie was unfaithful during her stay in Scotland. She worries about the different futures they will have after college. When she witnesses Chris's death she flees to New York and gets a job as a waitress.
Chris is the teenage party animal. His mother leaves unexpectedly, and he is forced to live on campus in student lodging. His crush on psychology teacher Angie leads to a relationship, despite Angie's uneasiness with the situation. Chris is eventually expelled from college, consequently forcing him out of student housing and into a job. He becomes interested in Jal, and the two become close, despite some problems dealing with Angie. Jal becomes pregnant with his baby. Chris dies from a Subarachnoid haemorrhage in Series 2, Episode 9 "Cassie".
Jal is a mixed-race girl who plays the clarinet. She spends much of her time practicing for the Musician of the Year, but does not win. She lives with her dad and two brothers, Lynton and Ace. She grows a fondness for Chris, and after the two become a couple, she becomes pregnant with his child.
Maxxie is an openly gay character who loves to dance. He has expressed to his parents on several occasions that he does not wish to further his studies in college, but wants to pursue a dancing career. He is stalked by a strange girl named Sketch, who, when unable to achieve Maxxie's attention, dates Anwar and attempts to turn him into a clone of Maxxie.
Anwar is a Muslim boy with a dominating family, and is criticised because of his selective approach to his faith: he attributes his dislike of gay people to the Koran, but has no qualms about sex, alcohol, drugs or meat. He engages in a sexual relationship with Sketch, even though his best friend Maxxie disproves of their relationship. Sketch attempts to change Anwar into a clone of Maxxie, but when Anwar finds out, he dumps her.
Sketch lives with her mum, who has multiple sclerosis, in the same block of flats as Maxxie. She stalks and obsesses over him, and tells her mother that Maxxie is her boyfriend, despite the fact that he is gay. Maxxie reveals to Sketch that he has no interest in her and that he finds her actions appalling, so Sketch sleeps with and dates Anwar. She attempts to turn him into a clone of Maxxie but is dumped when her plan is discovered.
Supporting characters
Abigail Stock (Georgina Moffat): Abigail is a posh choir girl who is friendly with Tony. Her mother works as a doctor at the rehabilitation centre which Cassie frequently visited. She is the sister of Josh. After Tony's accident at the end of Series 1, Abigail pretends to have been his girlfriend before the accident, and tries to continue this when she sees him. After Sid reveals to Tony that he loved Michelle and not Abigail before the accident, the couple part ways.
Posh Kenneth (Daniel Kaluuya): Posh Kenneth is a posh black boy. Kenneth is the least developed character of the credited main cast, speaking only a few lines. Half of the time he speaks very inner-city, and the other half he speaks incredibly articulately. In the series finale, he displays a romantic interest in Jal. In the first episode of the second season he is seen rapping at a party that the gang attends.
Josh Stock (Ben Lloyd-Hughes): Josh is Abigail's brother, featured in the episode "Michelle". After dumping Tony, Michelle starts a relationship with Josh. He candidly reveals that he believes his mother (Cassie's psychiatrist) is "psychotic" and that she psychoanalyzes and medicates her children, and claims that he is a "different person" off the drugs. Perhaps knowing this from his own encounters with Abigail, Tony sends Michelle sensitive pictures of Abi from Josh's phone, making her believe he is crazy and dumping him. Josh reappears in series 1 episode "Effy" with a vendetta against Tony. Possibly knowing how much Tony loves his sister, he takes her hostage and overdoses her on drugs. When Tony arrives, Josh tells him that the only way that they will call an ambulance for her is if Tony has sex with Effy. After much begging and pleading, Josh finally relents and allows Tony to walk away with Effy.
Pandora (Lisa Blackwell): The new girl at Effy's school who later becomes her friend. She's introduced in Episode 7 of series 2 and will continue to be a major character in the third series.
James (Sean Verey): A gay cyclist, and Maxxie's love interest since the episode 8 of series 2. The two were instantly attracted to each other upon sight, when they met in the college courtyard where they were both cycling. Maxxie left a note on James' bike, asking if he could meet him again the next day, "with a cheeky spliff", suggesting they get to know each other this way. But Sketch jealously stole the note and slashed Maxxie's tyres, meaning Maxxie had to get the bus and would not meet James on time. James, meanwhile, had already sensed that he and Maxxie were attracted to each other, and was waiting for him. Sketch turned up and asked him who he was meeting. When James replied that he was waiting for Maxxie, Sketch lied that Maxxie was her obsessive ex-boyfriend. Sketch became caught up in her own lies, and when she tried to ensure Maxxie and James would not meet again, it backfired as they both got the same bus. James and Maxxie became an official couple, and moved in together in London.
Family members
Tony and Effy
Jim Stonem (Harry Enfield): Tony's father who in Series One, is easily wound up by Tony and Effy's antics. However, his attitude changes during Season 2 after Tony's accident and is much more helpful to his family during this period. In the premiere of series 3, he is hustled by Cook, and ends up being beat up by a man for harassing his grandmother.
Anthea Stonem (Morwenna Banks): Tony's mother who, unlike Tony's father, is calm and relaxed. After Tony's accident in the series 1 finale, Anthea becomes depressed and relies on Tony's medication to soothe her pain. In the premiere of series 3, Effy states that Anthea may be having an affair.
Michelle
Anna Richardson (Arabella Weir): Michelle's mother. She has been through several husbands over the years, two of which have been covered in the series: Malcolm (Danny Dyer) and Ted (Tim Wallers), the latter of which she moves to the countryside with (along with Michelle) in Episode 4 of series 2.
Scarlett (Sia Berkeley): Michelle's stepsister (daughter of Ted), introduced in Episode 4 of the second series. She has a very open relationship with her father, often relaxing nude in the hot tub or letting him pat her behind. She has a facade of a "bitch", which she later admits to Michelle is only a disguise. She participates in a camping trip for Michelle's birthday, and showed an admiration for Sid, which he didn't return. It was after she attempted to flirt with Sid that Sid and Michelle got together.
Cassie
Marcus Ainsworth (Neil Morrissey): Cassie's father. He has a hobby of painting nude portraits of his wife. He and his wife are very openly sexually, even having rather loud sex with his wife in the house.
Margeritte Ainsworth (Naomi Allisstone): Cassie's mother. She apparently doesn't mind being seen naked, posing naked for her husband even when Cassie walks in.
Reuben Ainsworth (portrayed by unknown): Cassie's baby brother who is often neglected by Cassie's parents, leaving her to look after him.
Jal
Ronnie Fazer (Mark Monero): Jal's father. He has seemed to ignore his daughter in pursuing his music career, but shows a protective love for Jal when Mad Twatter attacks her.
Ace Fazer (Troy Glasgow): Jal's brother. He is an aspiring rapper who ignores her until she needs him most.
Lynton Fazer (Adrian Fergus Fuller): Jal's brother. He is an aspiring rapper.
Chris
Graham Miles (Mark Heap): Graham is Chris's father, who left his family after Peter's death. His voice is heard in episode 4 of the first series, and he appears on screen in the last episode of the second series.
Chris's mum (Annie Hulley): Chris's mum left him in episode 4 of the first series. She appears briefly in episode 9 of the second series.
Mary Miles (Sarah Lancashire): Mary is Chris's stepmother and mother of Chris's stepbrother. She is kind to Chris, in spite of her husband's opinions. She was introduced in the episode 4 of the first series.
Peter Miles: Chris's older brother. His death during Chris' childhood caused the family breakdown. He was 14 years of age when he died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage. As Chris was 7 at the time, this would place his year of birth at 1983. He is said by Mary to have an uncanny resemblance to Chris. He had a close relationship with Chris, and often protected him from bullies. One day after giving Chris clothes, after he peed his pants, he collapsed from the subarachnoid hemorrhage and died at the hospital. It is implied that his death caused Chris, to go from a timid boy, to a promiscuous party animal.
Sammy Miles (Portrayed by unknown): Sammy is Chris' baby half-brother who appears in episode 4 of the first series.
Sid
Mark Jenkins (Peter Capaldi): Mark was Sid's father. He owned an Austin Mini which had been stolen at least twice by Tony. He had a bad temper and was very judgmental of his son, describing him as a "lazy, bone-idle little fucker." He was fond of the seemingly perfect Tony and wished that Sid could be more like him. Due to his frequent angry outbursts and the deterioration of their relationship, his wife left him (in the episode "Sid"). Sid urged his father to try to get her back. It was unclear from the events of later episodes whether or not he was successful—it appears that the couple spent short periods of time back together without fully reuniting. He died in his sleep in the third episode of season 2, after finally getting back at his bullying father Alex and brother Sandy (who had evidently excluded him from the family since childhood), and making his peace with Sid and his estranged wife Liz.
Elizabeth "Liz" Jenkins (Josie Lawrence): Liz is Sid's mother, separated from his late father. She had a German lover in Episode 3 of series 2, Manfred (Kevin Eldon).
Alex (Maurice Roëves), Sandy (Michael Nardone), Lex (Jonny Forrest) and Ally Jenkins (Bryan Wilson): These formed the gruff Glaswegian family of Sid's late father, Mark. Alex, Mark's father, is dying from cancer. He despised and belittled Mark, and showed heavy favouritism towards his other son, Sandy, who is revealed as the heir to the lucrative family dry-cleaning business. Alex and Sandy both display a fondness for Mark's wife Liz which borders on lust. Sandy's two sons Lex and Allie are moody, football-mad and violent. Mark and his branch of the family have evidently been excluded from the family since Mark's childhood: it is notable that every member of the family apart from Mark and Sid is known by an abbreviated form of the name Alexander.
Anwar
Istiak Kharral (Inder Manocha): Anwar's father. A quiet, undemonstrative man, he is devoted equally to his Muslim faith and to pleasing his wife. He surprises Anwar by accepting Maxxie's homosexuality despite his faith, stating that he does not understand homosexuality, but that "one day God will help [him] understand."
Bibi Kharral (Nina Wadia): Anwar has an overbearing, overprotective and comically naïve mother.
Uncle Muneer (Nish Nathwani): Anwar's mother's brother is a crass joker who frequently humiliates Anwar. Anwar's father Istiak describes him as a "complete tosser". He acts as DJ for Anwar's 17th birthday celebrations.
Anwar's sisters: Anwar's 3 older sisters, who take immense pleasure in annoying him ceaselessly.
Maxxie
Walter Oliver (Bill Bailey): Walter is Maxxie's father, a builder. Although himself a keen amateur dancer (he enjoys line dancing with his dog), he is against the idea of Maxxie pursuing a dancing career, feeling that it should remain a hobby, and expects Maxxie to join him in the building trade. However, he subsequently accepts that Maxxie wants to dance professionally (so long as he completes his final year at college).
Jackie Oliver (Fiona Allen): Jackie is Maxxie's mother, a down-to-earth woman who used to clean for Anthea Stonem and look after Tony when he was a baby.
College staff
Angie (Siwan Morris): Angie is a psychology teacher at the college who has shown an affection for Chris. She began sleeping with him during the trip to Russia, but is ashamed of the relationship. In the Series 1 finale, Chris finds out that she has an estranged husband. It is made clear that the relationship will not develop further as she has departed from the college by Series 2, although her farewell note to her college class fondly recollects "monkey man" (Chris) and his "spaghetti". She then reappears in Series 2, Episode 5 looking for a flat.
Tom Barkley (Robert Wilfort): Tom is a history teacher at the college who sometimes struggles to empathise with his young students with his view on their 'lingo', which he frequently attempts to emulate, with cringeworthy results. He harbours an affection for Angie, and gave Sid a second chance after he fails his year (Sid is given two days to rewrite his dissertation, and succeeds). While accompanying the college history trip to Russia, he takes great pride in being the tour leader, although his organisational and communication skills (not helped by his appalling grasp of the Russian language) are shown to be dire.
Doug (Giles Thomas): Doug is a teacher at the college. He passed on a complaint to Claire about her foul mouth, but later slept with her. He has since appeared taking over the school's production of "Osama: The Musical" after Bruce Gelcart was fired. He appears to teach Biology but substitutes Angie in Psychology when she doesn't return.
Bruce Gelcart (Shane Richie): Bruce is the college drama teacher, and writer and director of the school production of "Osama: The Musical". He is an exceedingly arrogant and flamboyant man. He displays an overt lust for Michelle, who is cast in the lead role in the musical, at one stage forcibly snogging her in a rehearsal as a demonstration to the homosexual Maxxie (in the male lead role) of how it is done. He refuses to cast lighting assistant Sketch in Michelle's role on the basis that Sketch is not attractive enough (interestingly, Maxxie also considers her a 5/10 in terms of beauty). Bruce is sacked after Sketch falsely claims that he sexually molested her, one of a long line of complete lies told by Sketch, who subsequently schemes her way into playing Michelle's role anyway, Sketch's mother finds out about this, but was later tied to the bed by Sketch, so it was unknown if Bruce was given his job back.
Marnie (Wendy Brierley): Marnie is a lunch lady at the college who believes that Jamie Oliver is a "smartarse blonde fucker" for inciting changes in the school's lunch program.
Josie (Josie Long): Josie is the Career's Advisor at the college. She first appeared in the Unseen Skins, and also appeared in Chris' episode in Season 2, and can be seen with the rest of the cast at Chris's funeral, in the last episode of Season 2. Josie Long is also a writer for the series.
Claire (Pooky Quesnel): Claire is the constantly-swearing music teacher who conducts the orchestra which Jal plays in.
Emily Fitch enjoys being a twin, but is very much the quiet one. She is often bullied and taken advantage of by her dominant sister Katie.[2] She is a lesbian, but is in denial.[3]
