The first and second series are based upon a group of nine friends Tony, Michelle, Sid, Maxxie, Anwar, Cassie, Jal, Chris and Sketch. Each of the episodes within the series is based upon either one or two characters lives. The series appears to represent teenage lives to an extreme as the characters go to endless parties/events, continuously have sex with one another, take drugs, get drunk all the time and yet still go to sixth form everyday and study for their a-levels. The relationship between Michelle and Tony seems somewhat one-sided at times as he constantly seems to be either putting her down or flirting with anyone and everyone. Whilst Sid, Tony's bestfriend appears to be totally smitten with Michelle but does not stand a chance with her as she soon tells him"I love you like a brother". Then theirs Cassie who has an eating disorder that she is able to hide from her parents through means of distracting them. Maxxie who is gay and wants to be a dancer but his father is encouraging him to follow in his footsteps, Anwar who is Maxxie's bestfriend and is completely obsessed with the opposite sex and the idea of losing his virginity.Sketch who is totally obsessed with Maxxie and is stalking him to ridiculous extremes to get close to him but is left heartbroken when he says him kissing her during the play meant nothing as he felt nothing. This does not detour her much as she dates his bestfriend Anwar who she encourages to dress like, do his hair like and dye his hair just like Maxxie, the relationship rapidly dissolves after that but the two remain friends. Jal who is utterly brilliant at playing the clarinet and is aiming to get a scholarship to university but falls pregnant by Chris who constantly takes drugs and the viewing audience later found out he has a human genetic disease that killed his brother when they were younger and later goes on to kill him. The series represents an illusion of being able to take drugs, drink and attend sixth form without any side effects or mishaps. That your able to do all these things and still lead a normal life. They do not seem to take in account that one or all of the characters could have a reaction to the drugs they are constantly popping or the weed they dabble with. It just paints a perfect picture of drugs and the amazing effects it can have on you.
"And... when I'm with you, I feel like a better person. And I feel happier, less alone... less lonely" Naomi.
The third series seems somewhat more realistic as we see the bad effects drugs can have. Within this series we have a complete new set of teenage students to follow, Effy, Cook, Freddie, JJ, Pandora, Thomas, Emily, Katie and Naomi. There's Effy who is Tony's younger sister from the former series. She seems like someone who is not bothered by anything but truth be told it's just that she is not coping to well with what is going on at home with her parents as her mother is having an affair with her fathers close friend. Freddie who is lives with his single parent family and sister as his mother has died and his father is doing what he thinks is best which in turn leads to his sister constantly getting her own way even at the expense of using her mothers death to try win a dance/singing competition. The identical twins Emily and Katie who are different in every possible way, they don't like the same music, they are not into the same things and they appear to have different sexualities as well. Naomi an only child who appears to be quite confident, assertive and says exactly whats on her mind but she is soon confused and becomes quite aggressive towards Emily when she realises she has a mutual attraction to her and does not know how to come to terms with the fact that she fancies a girl and could possibly be gay/bi-sexual or could just possibly like this one girl. Cook who seems to have to take care of himself as neither of his parents are around and he seems to rely on having sex with any and every girl as well as taking any drugs that he can get his hands on. Thomas who is only recently come to London from the Congo who lands himself in immediate trouble with a gangster within the area when he moves into one of his squats without his permission but he is soon saved by the help of his new found friends. Pandora an unique young girl who is completely obsessed with her bestfriend Effy and has to hide her rebellious and outrageous side from her overpowering mother who seems to want to her daughter pure and innocent but seems to be only further pushing her towards the corruptions she thinks she is shielding her from. JJ who has high-functioning autism, he seems to lack all social skills but has a close knit bond with Freddie and Cook who he has known from his childhood. He soon develops a somewhat close friendship with Emily and even sleeps with her but she soon lets him know that it was a one off as she is a lesbian and fancies someone else. This series shows a more realistic side to drugs than the first two, as we see Effy tripping over mushrooms when they go camping which leads to her clabbering Katie over the head with a rock after she tries to beat her up. We see the effects of Cook taking JJ's medication which leads to him first having a fight which JJ and Freddie have to join in to prevent him from being beaten to a pulp and then him telling Thomas that he has slept with his girlfriend Pandora. The effects of narcotics which encourage Naomi to make a move on Emily in the middle of the woods.