Skins Alum Megan Prescott Blasts Show For ‘Glamourising’ Sex And Drugs — And Explains Life After The Series

Megan Prescott criticises Skins for ‘glamourising’ dark storylines

Megan Prescott says she was only 16 when she took the role of Katie Fitch on Skins, making her two years younger than the show’s official 18 rating. She now argues that the series intensified and glamorised storylines — including sex, nudity, drugs and violence — at an age when many of its cast were real teenagers.

Prescott, now 35, told us that the show dramatized elements that she doesn’t think should have been glamorised. That hindsight informs her view of how young actors were treated on set during that period.

How early fame landed — and what she experienced on set

Major storylines and on-screen trauma

As Katie, Megan appeared in series three and four, with some intense arcs across both seasons. In her first year the character was subject to unwanted touching by an older boyfriend and was attacked by Kaya Scoldelario’s Effy while the character was high on magic mushrooms.

Season four brought further heavy material for Katie — an infertility storyline, a spell of homelessness and the responsibility of supporting Effy after a suicide attempt. Those plotlines made for emotionally demanding work for a young cast.

Thrown in at the deep end

Skins was only the second acting job Megan ever had, after a single episode of Doctors. She says she was thrown in at the deep end before she’d even been to university, and recalls a pre-MeToo culture in which young actors felt replaceable.

Looking back, Prescott wishes she’d asserted herself more on set and pushed for better treatment and recognition for the young actors who helped make the show successful.

“I wish I’d had the confidence to say no and to demand to be treated with respect — young actors deserve that protection.”

Reality after the show – not the fairy tale fans imagine

Megan and her twin sister Kathryn were living in Palmers Green, London before Skins, and the success of the show didn’t translate into long-term financial security for her. When filming wrapped, Megan went back to working in a pub rather than living off an acting paycheck.

She’s made that point repeatedly — she didn’t come from money and couldn’t rely on anyone else for stability. Fans who assume major TV roles mean lifelong wealth often get the reality wrong.

OnlyFans, income and new projects

Prescott joined OnlyFans in 2020 after previously revealing she had only £300 in her bank account. On the platform she sometimes earns three times what she made on Skins, and has parlayed that into both financial independence and new creative opportunities.

She will soon appear on Race of Wits, a Taskmaster-style series on OFTV, the platform’s “safe for work” streamer. The show launches on 25th August and pairs Prescott with comedian Freya Mallard.

Adam McKay collaboration and climate conversations

Megan has also teamed up with Adam McKay to create an OnlyFans series that combines environmental discussions with her signature adult content. In the series she talks about renewable energy while removing her clothes — using an unconventional format to reach an audience on climate issues.

She says the approach has prompted some fans to rethink their stance on the climate crisis — an outcome she hadn’t expected and one she finds encouraging as trolls and sceptics have begun to open up to the conversation.