In My Skin

Kayleigh Llewellyn interview

In My Skin creator Kayleigh Llewellyn tells us what to expect from the second series.

What can you tell us about the new series of In My Skin?

The new series follows Bethan as she's preparing to fly the nest. She's falling in love, she's thinking about university - in short she's growing up. But she's forced to choose between pursuing her own happiness and her responsibilities to her mum.

How did you find writing the scripts for the second series?

In many ways it was a painless labour, the scripts came to me so quickly and easily this time round. It's like I've been unconsciously writing this thing somewhere in the recesses of my brain for years and it was a relief to finally just let it all out.
And there was a particular joy writing the characters now with the voices of the actors in my head. I had a great time trying to dream up things to shock them, or make them laugh, or just moments that as actors they'd read and think 'I can't wait to sink my teeth in to that'. I was just so excited to give it to them and see where they'd run with it.

I also found writing this series far more emotional than the pilot and Series 1. There was a lot of tears. I was extremely dehydrated by the end.

Why do you think that was?

A lot of soul searching, and revisiting old memories that I'd otherwise locked away. It also gave me a new found gratitude for all the sacrifices my mum made so that I can lead the happy life I am today. Basically creating this show has been like very intense but highly effective therapy. I'm grateful I've had the opportunity to process it all in this way.

How do you feel about the cast?

I'm just thrilled, we could not have found a more talented and wonderful group of performers, thanks in large part to our fantastic casting director, Rachel Sheridan. I'm certain our young cast are all going to be the stars of tomorrow.

Gabrielle Creevy plays our protagonist, Bethan, and she is exceptional, spellbinding. Gabi can convey such nuanced emotion just with her eyes. On set I would sit at the monitors watching her and just think 'we don't need this dialogue' - because she's already telling us everything we need to know. We've watched Gabi grow up on this show in tandem with Bethan, and it's really quite special now to see the ownership she has of her craft.

And then we have our magical Jo Hartley who plays Bethan's mum, Trina. I think Jo is one of the great British actors and it was thrilling to watch her really stretch her legs with this role. Her performance is so powerful, she'll have you laughing and weeping in equal measure.

Together Gabi and Jo are the beating heart of our show, their bond on screen and in real life runs so deep. Watching them together gives you goosebumps.

Can we look forward to any new characters?

Yes we have Cam, Bethan's love interest played by the incredible Rebekah Murrell. She's another extremely gifted performer, she brings so much grace, heart and humour to the role. We also have Steffan Rhodri and Olivia Southgate joining the cast, but I don't want to give any spoilers about their characters...

Is the new series equally as autobiographical as the first?

Yes, although we're never beholden to the autobiographical aspect. First and foremost it's always about telling the best possible story, we're not making a documentary.

The key creatives are mostly female on the series. You worked with Molly Manners, another first time female director for the new series. How important to you was it to support and highlight female talent?

Extremely important, and it was the only way it was ever going to be done. We didn't meet any male directors at all.

And that was a conscious decision from the very beginning?

Yes, I always wanted a mostly female creative team and it was especially important that it was a female director. On Series 1 we were lucky enough to work with the incredible Lucy Forbes. Lucy had been waiting years for a break and we were able to offer her a platform to showcase her immense talents. All it took was that one opportunity for Lucy to launch herself into quickly becoming one of the most in-demand directors in the UK.

And there are so many other extremely talented female directors waiting for their break. Whilst we're making huge strides in the right direction, this industry still tends to view new male talent as untapped geniuses, and new female talent as a risk. So, with Series 2, Nerys (our exec producer) and I wanted to offer a platform to another female director. And in walked Molly Manners.

Her work on this series is outstanding. Her technical eye, the sensitivity with which she communicates with performers, her ability to capture big belly laughs and then underscore the tiniest gut punch emotional texture - she's fantastic. If I was a betting woman I'd say Molly is going to be huge...

Are there any particular moments you're especially proud of portraying in the series?

One of the things I'm most proud of, and it tracks back to Series 1, is our depiction of bipolar disorder. Jo Hartley is so integral in this, the amount of research and forethought that goes into her performance is the linchpin. In Series 1 we only really see Trina in the height of a manic episode, so in Series 2 I really wanted to explore the myriad nuances of the illness. And also to show Trina when she's well, the kind, brilliant, woman that she is.

I'm also really proud of our depiction of Bethan's first love in this series. There are so few lesbian storylines on TV, and I'm really glad that we have what I think is a great one.

And just going back to bipolar? Did you have any advisors helping?

Yes, we have an amazing doctor in Cardiff who is a bipolar specialist. She reads every draft and feeds back her thoughts.

Are there any other moments that you're proud of?

Dilwyn and the domestic violence storyline. In many ways he's an awful man. But I wanted to find the odd moment where we show that he's not a stock monster, he's a traumatized human being himself. And if mental health and domestic violence all sounds a bit heavy, it's also laugh out loud funny. Well, it makes me laugh anyway...

What was your motivation for telling your personal story?

I just had to. It felt like I could finally turn it all into something worthwhile. And it's helped me more than I can say, I hope it does the same for our viewers.

The first series received critical acclaim, and a huge response from people reaching out to you and the cast, how did that affect you?

That's been the most affirming part of it all. I know Gabi, and Jo had the same as well, people reaching out to us to say 'thank you. This is the first time I've felt seen on TV'. That means a lot to me.

What do you hope viewers will take away from the new series?

I hope that if any of the themes we touch upon have affected any of our viewers that they watch it and they feel seen, that they feel a hand on their shoulder saying 'you're not alone, me too'. And I hope that we can forge a way for more lesbian storylines, and storylines about mental health, and domestic violence.

I tried to use the show as a trojan horse. So, there's jokes and there's kids getting drunk and talking about cum. But behind that are the messages that I want to hammer home. That's how I'd sum it up, important messages wrapped up in dick jokes.

We hear this may be the final series of In My Skin, and we can't wait to see how this series develops and where we leave Bethan ultimately?

Yes, the intention was always to do two series. I can't say much more than that, other than the final scene was in my head before I ever wrote any of the rest of it.

What are your reflections on creating the two series?

Making this story with this group of people has been the biggest privilege of my life.

The BBC and Expectation have been such amazing allies to us. I am so grateful that my first experience of creating my own show was collaborating with Kate Daughton, Shane Allen, Paul Forde and then Tanya Qureshi, who gave us so much freedom and artistic license and even though we were technically making a comedy show that is so heavy, they never once got cold feet or tried to force more jokes into it. They just let us create what we needed to create and I feel so lucky that we've had that experience.

Also Nerys Evans from Expectation has been the most incredible, supportive, wonderful, empathetic, smart, executive producer you could ever hope for. And, our script editor Andrew Ellard is an absolute genius who's been integral in shaping the show, and I've been so grateful for his guidance.

We also owe a huge amount to the expertise and artistry of our casting director, Rachel Sheridan; DoP [director of photography], Christoper Sabogal; and editor, Joe Randall-Cutler.