The Advertising Standards Authority received 42 complaints about two poster ads for the second series of 'Skins', which is known for its strong language, drug taking and sex.
The first poster showed the character Tony lying flat out in a grimy bath, submerged in water with his eyes open and his face expressionless. His skin was pale and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive.
The second poster showed the character Michelle sitting on the edge of a bed in her underwear with dishevelled hair and smudged make-up. A number of couples were shown embracing at her feet all in various stages of undress.
In the background, the character Sid was sitting up in the bed naked with a pillow over his lap.
Ten people complained that the first poster was offensive and distressing, particularly because it could be seen by children, and two people complained that it could encourage emulation by children.
The majority of the people complaining thought the depiction of nudity and sex in the second poster was offensive and unsuitable to be seen by children. Two people also said that the poster could be seen to condone and/or encourage underage sex.
The ASA rejected the complaints about the first ad but upheld the complaints about the second ad, arguing that it was offensive.
Channel 4 said that although the characters in the drama often embraced a party lifestyle, the series clearly depicted the consequences of hedonistic and irresponsible behaviour.
It argued that the second series was darker in tone to the first, with the characters facing up to the consequences of the lifestyle they had previously enjoyed.
Channel 4 said that it wanted to reflect this in the advertising so that potential viewers could decide whether or not to watch it. It deliberately heightened the fictional setting of the characters putting them in disintegrated and chaotic environments to suggest the dramatic disintegration of their lives and the friendships between them.
Channel 4 also pointed out that both posters carried the E4 logo, the date and post-watershed start time of the programme.
The ASA did not uphold the complaints about the first poster, showing Tony in the bath, but it did uphold the complaints challenging whether the second poster was offensive and unsuitable to be seen by children.
The watchdog said that the poster implied that an orgy was taking place and therefore could cause serious or widespread offence to those who saw it. It also said that the ad was unsuitable to be used in a medium where it could be seen by children.
The complaints about the ad encouraging underage sex were not upheld because the characters were aged over 16 and the actors who played them were aged 18 and over.
The ASA agreed with Channel 4 that the dark and sinister images did not glamorise sex.
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