Series Eight of Shameless began airing on 10 January 2011. Thirteen episodes aired weekly then a break was taken before the series began again on 30 August 2011. This is the first time Shameless has taken on such a format, splitting the series into two halves with separate story concerns and a gap of airing time in the middle. As with previous series of the show, it aired on Channel 4 weekly, with the following week's episode airing on E4 straight after.
Overview[]
The early episodes marked a brief return by Monica Gallagher in an attempt to disrupt the relationship developing between Frank and Libby culminating in the departure on Liam to live with Monica.
After a rocky couple of years in the Maguire household, the stress of a collapsing family and the arrival of surprise baby Cilla, Mimi has a brief brush with insanity. But the family seem to be getting back to normal: Karen and Jamie are back together and the family business seems to be once again back on track. However conflict arises between the Jamie, Shane and Micky over the running of the business.
A major addition to Chatsworth Estate is the Powell family who move in next door to the Gallagher's and the Maguire's, bringing an interesting new dynamic to the estate and new relationships developing with the current residents. Sita Desai arrives to aid and observe Chesney in the running of the Karib's Shop and becomes a potential love interest for Carl Gallagher.
Frank is caught cheating on Libby, leading to her departure from the Estate, leaving her mother Patty behind.
Paddy Maguire returns to the state in a coffin, or so the Maguire's would have the residents believe. Frank discovers a secret about Patty, to his advantage. Marty Fisher returns to the Chatsworth Estate and forges a strong bond with Kelly.
Kevin Ball returns briefly to help Carl get Frank out of possibly the worst trouble he has ever been in. Billy Tutton returns and is revealed to be Cilla Maguire's father, he soon moves in with the Maguires and proposes to Mimi!
Kelly discovers she is pregnant, and with Shane infertile only Marty could be the father. She decides to leave Shane, as on top of the pregnancy she finds herself fallen out of love with her husband. Shane begs her to reconsider and thinking the baby is some random customers he tells her he would be happy to raise the baby with her. Despite Kelly telling him the baby wasn't Marty's, she leaves Shane with his eventual understanding and meets up with Marty.
Carl begins to feel like just another waster on the estate and comes to the decision that he wants to be a Police Officer. He trains and applies to find himself accepted and though he doesn't tell anyone, Aidan finds the letter and reads it with a smile.
Episodes[]
Title | Writer(s) | Director(s) | Airdate | # |
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Episode 801 | Writer: Tom Higgins | Director: Dominic LeClerc | January 10, 2011 | #801 |
Libby and Frank's wedding is put on hold when he disappears on his stag night. Mimi attempts to find the father of her new baby Cilla.
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Episode 802 | Writer: Ian Kershaw | Director: Dominic LeClerc | January 11, 2011 | #802 |
Frank is still missing and finds himself lost in Doctor Who themed fantasies, Monica hears of Frank's absence and wants custody of Liam and Stella, but what are her intentions?
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Episode 803 | Writer: Kevin Erlis | Director: Lawrence Till | January 12, 2011 | #803 |
Shane finds security work at a local school and helps a boy being bullied by his twin. Frank is still locked in a psychiatric hospital, unknown to Libby who attempts to move on with her life.
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Episode 804 | Writer: Ed McCardie | Director: Metin Huseyin | January 13, 2011 | #804 |
Karen moves back into The Jockey but attends the psychiatric hospital as an out patient for her peace of mind and is shocked to find Frank has been there all along.
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Episode 805 | Writer: Ed McCardie | Director: Lawrence Till | January 14, 2011 | #805 |
When Monica reveals her divorce with Frank will be nullified unless he objects Libby tries desperately to break him out of hospital and marry him, but Frank stages a break out of his own and finds out his nurse is in fact Monica's lover! Liam leaves to live with Monica in an attempt to "fix her".
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Episode 806 | Writer: Darren Fairhurst | Director: Metin Huseyin | January 18, 2011 | #806 |
It's Carl's 21st Birthday and he gets a job with the Maguire's but things get serious when Kelly steals some of the money he's meant to drop off and the client blames Carl.
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Episode 807 | Writer: Jimmy Dowdall | Director: Paul Norton Walker | January 25, 2011 | #807 |
Sita calls a terrorism line to teach Chesney a lesson when he neglects the shop in favour of partying in the back room. Shane and Kelly's new sexual fantasy kidnapping business gets them into trouble when a customer is thought to have really been kidnapped.
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Episode 808 | Writer: Phil Charles | Director: Paul Norton Walker | February 1, 2011 | #808 |
Micky starts a shameless new business, a fake child pornography website where subscribers get their credit card details stolen but no porn. Micky argues that it's a deterrent, but the police don't see it that way.
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Episode 809 | Writer: Frank Rickarby | Director: Andy McDonnell | February 8, 2011 | #809 |
Mimi's sanity is in question when she begins to get confused, hallucinate and becomes convinced Shane and Kelly's attempts to fix up the house are a way to drive her out.
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Episode 810 | Writer: Tom Higgins | Director: Laurence Till | February 15, 2011 | #810 |
When Micky feels lonely he gets a cat, which turns out to have Feline AIDS. Lillian introduces him to Phillip, a man with AIDS, so Micky can learn more about the illness, but Phillip thinks Micky is the one with AIDS.
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Episode 811 | Writer: Ian Kershaw | Director: Lawrence Till | February 22, 2011 | #811 |
Libby gets her mother a carer, but things take a turn when the nurse begins mistreating her. Lillian reveals she has signed her house and business over to newly adopted daughter Bonnie, who turns out to have been a scam artist.
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Episode 812 | Writer: Darren Fairhurst | Director: Paul Norton Walker | March 1, 2011 | #812 |
Mimi's pre-operative transsexual brother turns up, causing Mimi to rethink some things about their relationship, Jackson joined the British Alliance Party to get proof of their racist ways but ends up putting Chesney in the line of fire. Shane and Jamie are still at each other's throat's.
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Episode 813 | Writer: Kevin Erlis | Director: Paul Norton Walker | March 8, 2011 | #813 |
Frank relationship with Libby is in trouble when she finds a new man, the mysterious Martin. Jamie and Shane's relationship worsens when Jamie threatens Shane with death unless he leaves for good.
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Episode 814 | Writer: Jimmy Dowdall | Director: Michael Keillor | August 30, 2011 | #814 |
Paddy Maguire returns to the estate in a coffin, but are the residents in for a shock? Elsewhere, Karen decides that children's entertainment is the way forward but Jamie's secret phobia causes problems.
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Episode 815 | Writer: Ian Kershaw | Director: Michael Keillor | September 6, 2011 | #815 |
Chesney gets put into a dangerous position by a wayward employee. Avril is revealed to have been committing fraud, leading to the residents turning on her as well as her spending a stint as an employee at Lillian's Brothel.
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Episode 816 | Writer: Tom Higgins & Lee Warburton | Director: Sarah Punshon | September 13, 2011 | #816 |
Jackson's attempts to break up Letitia and her new boyfriend results in a big secret from his past being unearthed. Frank begins to realize his parenting mistakes when Stella gets chicken pox.
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Episode 817 | Writer: Tom Higgins | Director: Paul Unwin | September 20, 2011 | #817 |
Marty Fisher makes a surprise return to the estate and gets close to Kelly, much to Shane's annoyance. Patty returns with a band of strong Christian missionaries, lead by Jesus O'Toole, who want to turn the residents from their evil ways.
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Episode 818 | Writer: Paul Abbott | Director: Gordon Anderson | September 27, 2011 | #818 |
100th Episode. Frank is accused of mugging an insane local resident when she wins money from a scratch card and with evidence mounting against him, Carl is left to fix things for the first time in his life. Carl calls in Kev for help while his sister Kelly gets closer to Marty.
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Episode 819 | Writer: Kevin Erlis | Director: Paul Unwin | October 4, 2011 | #819 |
Mimi's past fling with underage Billy comes back to haunt her. Micky and Marty bond as they fix up their squat so Marty can see his children, but Micky soon realizes something isn't right between Marty and Kelly. Aidan grows excited when he realizes his mother will be released from prison soon.
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Episode 820 | Writer: Tom Higgins | Director: Gordon Anderson | October 11, 2011 | #820 |
Shane discovers there is more to Marty's time in Spain than he has admitted and reports him to the police, while Kelly agonizes over her feelings for him. Marty decides to go on the run and asks Kelly to go with him. Billy misunderstands Mimi's request and kills a priest!
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Episode 821 | Writer: Ian Kershaw | Director: Lawrence Till | October 18, 2011 | #821 |
Micky's Community Service turns out to be helping mentally disabled adults put on a play, Kelly discovers she's pregnant and with Shane being infertile who is the father? Meanwhile Mimi and Billy decide to break into businesses and steal their petty cash but soon find themselves chased by the police.
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Episode 822 | Writer: Jimmy Dowdall | Director: Lawrence Till | October 25, 2011 | #822 |
Micky discovers Billy writing his wedding vows and spurs Mimi to announce the wedding to the residents. Kelly tells Shane about her pregnancy and admits she needs to leave him. Carl takes his life in a new direction.
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Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Frank Gallagher - David Threlfall
- Jamie Maguire - Aaron McCusker
- Mimi Maguire - Tina Malone
- Micky Maguire - Ciaran Griffiths
- Shane Maguire - Nicky Evans
- Patty Croker - Valerie Lilley
- Libby Croker - Pauline McLynn
- Carl Gallagher - Elliott Tittensor
- Kelly Maguire- Sally Carman
- Karen Maguire - Rebecca Atkinson
- Avril Powell - Karen Bryson
- Jackson Powell - Emmanuel Ighodaro
- Letitia Powell - Kira Martin
- Aidan Croker - Robbie Conway
Secondary cast[]
- Chesney Karib - Qasim Akhtar
- Lillian Tyler - Alice Barry
- Sita Desai - Aysha Kala
- Marty Fisher - Jack Deam
- Monica Gallagher - Annabelle Apsion
- Liam Gallagher - Johnny Bennett
- Billy Tutton - Michael Taylor
Notable guest cast[]
- An apparation of Mandy Maguire - Samantha Siddall
- Bonnie Tyler - Rosamund Hanson
- Kevin Ball - Dean Lennox Kelly
- Mildred Fletcher - Amelia Bullmore
- Bobbi Hepburn - Carl Rice