Shameless

The ceremonial burning of a stolen car marks the end of summer on the Chatsworth Estate in Manchester. Meet the local family — the Gallaghers. There's dad Frank and his six kids, Lip, Ian, Carl, Debbie, Liam and Fiona. Into their world steps Steve. Cool, well mannered, well dressed and romantic, he makes a beeline for big sister Fiona. Steve's soon getting his feet under the table but why he wants them there, no one quite knows.

Frank, Manchester’s favourite son and world’s worst father, embarks on a series of adventures with his remarkably well-balanced children Fiona, Lip, Ian, Carl, Debbie and Liam - and not forgetting the twins. With more hilarious tales of how one extraordinary family goes about its normal everyday life, Shameless series two is packed with sex, love and scams - but the most important thing is FAMILY.

Puberty catches up with the Gallaghers: Carl discovers sex and ASBOs, Debbie struggles with her grown-up responsibilities and little Liam denounces religion at his RC Primary School. Lip becomes a dad while Ian’s heart gets badly broken. And Sheila’s valium-fuelled white wedding dream turns into the wedding of the century, so even Frank can’t ignore it! Tourettes’ sufferer Marty is loved up with Sue although he has yet to find out about her biggest secret. Next door, Veronica and Kev hit dangerous ground when his real wife turns up. And mum, Carol, finds that shoplifting is not so easy. New councillor Kash proves he’s bent in every way and Karen gets more than she bargained for at The Jockey.

In the fourth series the residents of Manchester's most outrageous estate have two new cops to contend with. But the Gallaghers don't need to worry now they've teamed up with the Maguires. Especially when, after a stint in prison, prodigal son Jamie Maguire arrives to set sparks flying with Karen. Then there are his brothers, the not-so-bright Shane and Micky, a wannabe hard-man struggling with his own secrets. Frank and the kids are sent into a spin when mum Monica turns up, claiming to be back for good. Lip is taking his parental responsibilities seriously until thoughts of university offer him the escape he's always wanted. Carol is back but still having trouble keeping her legs and mouth shut, while Kash is happy screwing the council. And what is the connection between Kev, Veronica, Marty, Sue and a Romanian baby?

An emergency visit to the hospital results in Frank receiving devastating news, prompting him to embark on an orgy of drink and drug-fuelled mayhem, which culminates in a bizarre, drug-induced encounter with his younger self. Elsewhere, Lillian comes up with a surprising way to make money, and Lip's shady past catches up with him and leads to a no-holds-barred fight in The Jockey, with shocking consequences.

Ian is attacked and left shaken and confused as to what he could have done to provoke it. When the stranger strikes again, Ian is left hospitalised and there's more bad news when he regains consciousness: he's got amnesia. Suddenly he's an alien amongst his own family and friends, and even his own sexuality is a mystery. Meanwhile it's Debbie's 16th birthday. Tom decides it's time to go public with their relationship, but Debbie has doubts about whether their relationship was ever really serious. Kelly has bad news for Shane about her pregnancy; Frank and Monica are faced with an impossible challenge when they hear the voice of newborn baby Stella: but do they want to know what she has to say about her parents and Chatsworth? And Ian's amnesia brings him a whole new perspective on his life, leaving him questioning if Chatsworth is the place for him after all.

It's Frank's 50th and Liam has the dubious honour of sharing the auspicious day with him on his 11th birthday. Uncharacteristically, Frank snubs the chance of a party, and instead opts to dwell in his own lonely loveless existence until... Libby, a local librarian falls into his life. His passion reignited, a whirlwind romance ensues - but will Libby's mother Patty (a full-time wheelchair user), bibliophile activists and riot police stand in the way of Frank holding onto his new love? Meanwhile, Liam's inherited the dirty nappies, rubber gloves and responsibility of the Gallagher household. Nin, Liam's great grandmother, offers to move in and help ease his burden, but a selfish Frank rejects her. Liam is infuriated. Unable to cope herself, Nin is spurred into homicidal action and in turn teaches Liam a priceless lesson in surviving as a Gallagher.

Libby and Frank are supposed to be getting married, but this is put on hold when Frank disappears on his stag night. Mimi tries to find out the identity of the father of her new baby Cilla.

The dysfunction Gallagher family returns, but all is not well on the Chatsworth Estate. Half of Frank's neighbours are evicted from their homes as part of Operation New Start, a multi-agency crackdown on the estate's benefits culture. Jamie and Karen become the reluctant leaders of the resistance when the evictees turn to them for help, but while things look bleak for everyone else, Jackson's future appears brighter than ever.

Frank's old excuses fail to wash with the Department of Work and Pensions, so faced with losing benefits his hopes rest with the World of Burgers. Shane and Jackson launch a new enterprise of bootleg booze, but it's rank and nobody is buying their stuff. Billy offers to help and concocts a brew using his extraordinary sense of smell and amazingly it's a great success. But Shane is seriously hacked off. It's time to lay down the law... Meanwhile, Avril supplies pills to Patty, who wants more than her recommended dosage, but when Avril turns down her request, Patty springs into action with a plan to steal them.

It's a grand occasion as the residents of Chatsworth celebrate being awarded an Olympic ring from London 2012. The Maguires toast the expansion of their empire: Mimi's hijacked control of the local school via the PTA and Shane's setting up a new business venture. Business is booming, but the family is thrown into turmoil when Jamie makes a shocking discovery about his family tree and withdraws from the firm. Can Mimi persuade Jamie to return as head of the family before all is lost or will a shocking secret tear Chatsworth's leading family apart? Meanwhile, Frank finds himself climbing the employment ladder as janitor of 'St Mimi's School', conveniently funding his new leisure activity - the Gastric Bandits, a prostitute double act with Sherrilee and Derrilee, who light up his life.