Jal (Skins series 1)

Lore & Background

Jal Fazer is a student preparing for the Young Musician of the Year final. She is called into the college director's office and asked to tell the BBC how the college helped her succeed despite a disadvantaged background, a request she believes to be racist, as she comes from a wealthy family. She later goes shopping for a dress with Sid Jenkins, revealing to him that she knows he has a crush on Michelle Richardson. At home, she struggles to practice the clarinet due to her brothers Ace and Lynton playing loud grime music, and her father Ronny Fazer, a successful grime singer, shows little interest in her needs.

Reader's Guide

Jal's episode in Skins series 1 explores themes of family dynamics, racial assumptions, and personal ambition. The episode highlights her struggle to balance her classical music aspirations with her family's grime music background, as well as her confrontation with institutional bias. Her character serves as a lens through which the series examines class and race, as she is from a wealthy family yet is stereotyped as disadvantaged. The episode's narrative, told from her point of view, allows viewers to engage with her internal conflicts. Jal's significance lies in her role as a grounded, talented character navigating complex social pressures, and her story contributes to the series' reputation for addressing contemporary issues faced by teenagers.

Did You Know?

• Jal's episode was written by Bryan Elsley and directed by Adam Smith.
• Jal's father Ronny Fazer is a successful grime singer.
• Mad Twatter smashes Jal's clarinet in an alleyway.
• Ronny Fazer and his bodyguard kidnap Mad Twatter while Jal performs at the competition.