The fifth series of Shameless began airing on January 1 2008, it consisted of 16 episodes, a much longer run than previous series but a trend that continued in the following series. Series 5 saw the departure of Jody Latham's character Lip Gallagher and another addition to Frank and Monica's brood.
Overview[]
From the series beginning we start to see Lip's discontent with life on the Chatsworth Estate, Mandy notices his unhappiness and makes an important choice the future of their child.
Carl begins to show just how grown up he is when he starts an illicit affair with his girlfriend's mother! Liam get's worried when Monica reveals she'll be relying on him for help with the new baby, he runs away but soon comes across his father, who was recently thrown out of the house when baby Katie swallowed his drugs (that luckily turned out to be harmless).
Monica's estranged mother comes to visit, bringing with her a few secrets, one of which is shocking even by Chatsworth standards. And Debbie reveals just who she's been spending all her time with, and later the couple find themselves with an agonizing choice when legal trouble's turn their lives upside down but could be solved by revealing other illegal activities.
Trivia[]
- Debbie's fake kidnap plot in Episode 4 was cited as possible inspiration to Karen Mathews. A British woman who faked the kidnapping of her daughter Shannon for monetary gain.[1]
Episodes[]
| Title | Writer(s) | Director(s) | Airdate | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Countdown | Writer: Ed McCardie | Director: David Threlfall | January 1, 2008 | #501 |
| Frank receives some bad news while in hospital, Lip finds his past catching up to him and ends up in a fight.
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| Other Paddy | Writer: Stephen Russell | Director: David Threlfall | January 8, 2008 | #502 |
| Mimi is upset when an ex boyfriend makes some offensive comments on the weight she has gained over the years and Paddy doesn't defend her.
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| Happy Birthday, Ma Maguire | Writer: Stephen Russell | Director: Paul Norton Walker | January 15, 2008 | #503 |
| Monica vows to spend more time with her children when she finds out she isn't pregnant, Paddy is angry when The Jockey is robbed before the surprise party for Mimi, Stan's colleagues worry when he brings a questionable foreign woman home after meeting her on the Internet.
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| Frank's Big Win | Writer: Jack Lothian | Director: Paul Norton Walker | January 22, 2008 | #504 |
| Trouble ensues when Frank is mistakenly thought to have won the lottery, he soaks up the attention but Liam is kidnapped and held for ransom!
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| Beach Party | Writer: Malcolm Campbell | Director: Lawrence Till | January 29, 2008 | #505 |
| Debbie has an enterprising idea, Shane is happily surprised when the woman of his dreams takes him home, Carrie says she was driving when Stan accidentally hits an elderly woman with the police van but things get complicated when she decides to sue.
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| Nowhere to Go | Writer: Ben Edwards | Director: Lawrence Till | February 7, 2008 | #506 |
| Frank is thrown out when baby Katie eats some of his drugs, Liam runs away when he hears Monica expects him to help with the new baby, when he meets Frank he begins to bond with his usually absent father.
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| Brothers and Boyfriends | Writer: Stephen Russell | Director: Fraser MacDonald | February 14, 2008 | #507 |
| Ian and Mandy vie for the attention of a fireman called out to their gas leak, Carl stays in a relationship to continue sex with the girl's mother, but things get serious when the woman wants to leave her husband for him!
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| I Love Frank | Writer: Ed McCardie | Director: Fraser MacDonald | February 21, 2008 | #508 |
| Frank is smitten with a woman he meets on the bus, Debbie attempts to raise money so the family can go on holiday.
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| Absent Parents | Writer: Emma Frost | Director: Jim Loach | February 28, 2008 | #509 |
| Monica's estranged mother comes to visit, but she has Alzheimer's disease. Stan is torn when he begins a sexual relationship with Yvonne when he wants things to go further while she is happy with no strings. Liam outsmarts Micky and Shane with a business venture when they want money to throw a party.
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| Old Friends, New Enemies | Writer: Jack Lothian | Director: Jim Loach | March 6, 2008 | #510 |
| Karen isn't happy when Jamie's former cell mate comes to stay, Norma gets back on the dating scene, Yvonne is surprised when her daughter arranges her wedding.
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| Twin | Writer: Stephen Russell | Director: David Threlfall | March 13, 2008 | #511 |
| Paddy is caught committing armed robbery on CCTV and faces a long jail sentence, the Gallaghers find themselves in debt with Mimi, Tom thinks Carrie is exploiting her new position after she's promoted.
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| Family at War | Writer: Malcolm Campbell | Director: Lawrence Till | March 20, 2008 | #512 |
| Yvonne and Stan's relationship is in danger after a big argument, but when she is held up in the shop and Stan tries to intervene, a shot is fired.
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| Date a Death | Writer: Sarah Hooper | Director: Lawrence Till | March 27, 2008 | #513 |
| Mandy's love life is looking up when she's persuaded to go on a blind date, but things take a turn when her date dies after taking Ecstasy. Left with a corpse on their hands Mandy and Karen must get rid of the evidence.
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| The Ties That Blind Us | Writer: Ed McCardie | Director: David Threlfall | April 1, 2008 | #514 |
| After getting arrested Mandy becomes friends with Tom and tries to help him track down his birth mother, but she soon finds herself falling for him.
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| Assault | Writer: Ed McCardie | Director: Paul Norton Walker | April 8, 2008 | #515 |
| Debbie and Tom enjoy another secret date but when they stumble across a woman who has been attacked, Tom is mistaken for her attacker and arrested. Debbie knows that if she doesn't reveal she was with him he's looking at a long sentence, but if she does there will be a different kind of trouble. Mimi also finds herself in an awkward position.
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| The Ninth Time Around | Writer: Stephen Russell | Director: Paul Norton Walker | April 15, 2008 | #516 |
| A small earthquake sends Monica into labour but Frank is in a coma after falling off his bar stool, stuck in a hallucination of an alternate world.
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Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Frank Gallagher - David Threlfall
- Jamie Maguire - Aaron McCusker
- Ian Gallagher - Gerard Kearns
- Debbie Gallagher - Rebecca Ryan
- Monica Gallagher - Annabelle Apsion
- Carl Gallagher - Elliott Tittensor
- Liam Gallagher - Johnny Bennett
- Mandy Maguire - Samantha Siddall
- Karen Maguire - Rebecca Atkinson
- Paddy Maguire - Sean Gilder
- Mimi Maguire - Tina Malone
Secondary cast[]
- Phillip 'Lip' Gallagher - Jody Latham (Episode 1 only)
- Norma Starkey - Dystin Johnson
- Micky Maguire - Ciaran Griffiths
- Shane Maguire - Nicky Evans
- Chesney Karib - Qasim Akhtar
- Kelly-Marie Ball - Sally Carman
- Lillian Tyler - Alice Barry
- Tom O'Leary - Michael Legge
- Carrie Rogers - Amanda Ryan
- Stan Waterman - Warren Donnelly
- Katie Maguire - Lola and Macy Yoxall
- Yvonne Karib - Kelli Hollis
- Meena Karib - Sarah Byrne
Frank's Intro Speech[]
Tickets this way for the Chatsworth Express. Come and watch pikeys making a mess of the lives they were given by him upstairs and kids they're convinced, aren't actually theirs. What sounds on Earth could ever replace kids needing money or wives in your face. 'Cause this, people rekon and me included, is why pubs and drugs were kindly invented, to calm us all down, stop us going mental. These are Chatsworth Estate's basic essentials, we are worth every penny for grinding your axes. You shit on our head but, you pay the taxes. Imagine Britain without Chatsworth buccaneers, who'll come on your face for the price of a beer. Make poverty history, cheaper drugs now, make poverty history, cheaper drugs now! Scatter! Party!
References[]
- ↑ Karen Matthews Kidnap plot The Times Online. April 8, 2008.