E4 sets January return for 'Skins'

Skins will return for its fourth series at the end of January, E4 has announced.

The new series, which sees all of the series three cast reprise their roles, will be comprised of eight episodes - two shorter than the previous.

"We take great pride in the development of raw young voices in Skins," said executive producer Bryan Elsley.

"This year, our writers and cast have stepped up and broken through to new levels of boldness. Funny, disrespectful, edgy, but also poignant and heartfelt, these stories try to go to the heart of what it means to be young today."

The series will feature guest appearances from Chris Addison, Tanya Franks, Paul Kaye, Pauline Quirke, Simon Day, Dudley Sutton, Hugo Speer, Jenny Eclair and Will Young.

> 2010 Preview: 'Skins' series 4