Shameless
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shameless | |
|---|---|
 Characters (Series 4) Left to Right: Carl Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Norma, Debbie Gallagher, Frank Gallagher, Monica Gallagher, Lip Gallagher, Ian Gallagher, Carol Fisher. |
|
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Creator(s) | Paul Abbott |
| Starring | David Threlfall Jody Latham Gerard Kearns Rebecca Ryan Jack Deam Marjorie Yates Gillian Kearney Annabelle Apsion Samantha Siddall Elliott Tittensor |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 34 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45 min. approx. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Channel 4 |
| Original run | January 13, 2004 – February 28, 2007 |
| Links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Shameless is an offbeat British comedy drama television series set in the fictional Chatsworth Estate in Manchester, England. Produced by Company Pictures for Channel 4, the first seven-episode series aired weekly on Tuesday nights at 10pm from 13 January 2004. The drama has been accorded critical acclaim by various sections of the British media, including The Sun and Newsnight Review on BBC Two.
Contents |
[edit] History
The programme was created and at least initially, mainly written by Paul Abbott, who is also the programme's Executive Producer. Much of the series is based on Abbott's own experiences growing up in a similar situation to the Gallagher children in Burnley.
"Shameless" is believed to be the first such series on UK television to be repeated the week following the end of its run.[citation needed] The first series was co-written with Danny Brocklehurst and Carmel Morgan: in subsequent series, Abbott and Brocklehurst shared the main writing duties.
[edit] Plot
The programme charts the lives of the dysfunctional Gallagher family, comprising the father, Frank Gallagher and his six children: Fiona (absent since series 3), Lip (Phillip), Ian, Carl, Debbie and Liam. Other characters featured in earlier series included Fiona's boyfriend Steve, a middle-class car thief (absent since series 3); Kev and Veronica (both absent as from series 4), the Gallagher's neighbours; Kash, the owner of the local shop, and his wife Yvonne; agoraphobic Sheila (absent as from series 4) and her daughter Karen; the policemen Tony and Stan, along with various regular background characters. The cast was expanded for the series 2, with Carol and Marty, Veronica's mother and brother, becoming regular characters after guest roles in the first series.
The Gallagher family reside on the fictional Chatsworth Estate, a council estate in Stretford, Greater Manchester, although is actually filmed on location in Gorton, East Manchester. The scenes in the local pub, The Jockey are filmed on a set in west Manchester but the exterior shots are of a real pub named The Wellington which is located in West Gorton, on Gorton Lane. Also in close proximity are other landmarks including Kash's shop and the Tower Blocks.
[edit] Critical acclaim
In April 2005, the programme's first series won the Best Drama Series category at the British Academy Television Awards, the most prestigious awards given in the British television industry.
The programme has been sold overseas, where it airs on channels such as SBS (Australia), Showcase Television (Canada), Nederland 3 (The Netherlands), YLE (Finland) , SIC Radical (Portugal), RTÉ Two (Ireland) and yes+ (Israel).
[edit] Controversy
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The New Year's Special which kicked off series 3 gained most notoriety, focusing on the story of a child the family pretend has terminal cancer. The scriptwriter was concerned about the impact of the show, but reviews were positive and with series 3, audiences were over 3 million, the highest ever.
[edit] Style
Shameless is noted for having a style very different from other British comedies. A "moving camera" shooting technique (employing few masks or filters) is employed, reminiscent of the BBC2 drama This Life. The show’s interiors are filmed on staged sets and occasionally on location. It also employs a regular soundtrack, normally of middle American (somewhat Bolivian) style, with some vocals, especially towards the end of an episode. The music is written by composer Murray Gold.
Every episode begins and ends with one of the regular characters commenting in voice-over, normally about an abstract concept and how it relates to families or relationships. The relationship of the opening commentary to the episode's story is only apparent when the plot ends, and the closing narration is usually humorous in nature, as the point of the episode has already been shown. The commentator of each episode is normally the one on whom the plot focuses. This was much more prominent in the first two series, where a plot revolving one character would normally prevent any other prominent sub-plots involving other characters; in series three, co-abiding plots revolving around different characters are more common. However, unlike many shows, these plots are not entirely separate and the plots always support each other to the episode's conclusion, as is the case with literature.
The show uses wholly local Manchester-based speech, featuring a considerable amount of profanities and it portrays local styles of living, which, characteristically, tend to be violent and criminal. Whilst the two policemen, Stan and Tony, are rather likeable individuals, the police force as a whole is portrayed as a major antagonist. An underlying tenet of the show is the strong underlying bond and loyalty which binds the Gallagers as a family unit, in the face of any vicissitudes. The family, which usually includes only the cohabiting siblings with no custodial figure present, is always wary of the authorities becoming aware of their living situation and separating them; indeed, many episodes’ plots involve evading the authorities. There is some idealisation of this living manner, making poverty and criminality become the norm while somewhat antagonising other classes. (Steve’s middle-class status was often to his disadvantage.)
[edit] Episodes
To date, 4 series (33 episodes in total) of Shameless have been broadcast on Channel 4, together with a Christmas special which preceded the series 2 and a New Year special which preceded series 3. The dates that the series were broadcast are as follows:-
Series 1:
- 7 Episodes 13 January 2004 - 24 February 2004
-- *Christmas Special: 23 December 2004 --
Series 2:
Series 3:
- 8 Episodes 3 January 2006- 21 February 2006
Series 4:
- 8 Episodes 9 January 2007 - 27 February 2007
Series 5:
- 16 Episodes have been commissioned by Channel 4 for future broadcast.
With effect from the second episode onwards, each episode was premiered on the partner channel to Channel 4, E4, at 11pm each Tuesday evening following the Channel 4 episode. Following the yearly pattern, the third series started at 10pm on Channel 4, on Tuesday 3 January 2006.
Such was the popularity of the first series that the third was commissioned at the same time as the second.
[edit] Cast
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Buried |
British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Series 2005 |
Succeeded by Doctor Who |
