Creator: Paul Abbott
Starring: David Threlfall, Rebecca Atkinson, Annabelle Apsion, Tina Malone
Running Time: 672 Mins (approx.)
Certificate: 15 (TBC)
Extras: None
After eleven seasons and one hundred and thirty-nine episodes, the residents of the infamous Chatsworth estate gather for one last party, as SHAMELESS comes to a close.
Since its first broadcast in 2004, SHAMELESS has entertained regular viewers with its frequent displays of filth, debauchery, crime and scum. Season Eleven continues right through to the end in that fashion, with school hijackings, shootings and the usual drugs/parenthood aplenty. But over nine years in, the cracks are clearly showing and the jokes are beginning to ware thin just a bit too quick. The main cast is as excellent as ever (especially David Threlfall as Frank Gallagher, who was clearly born to play the role) but the fatigue is unavoidable. Simply put, SHAMELESS has finally lost the edge that made it stand out all those years ago, the sex and violence and all round nastiness dulled and overshadowed by more recent and even more controversial and shocking televisual fare.
The return of previous regular characters such as Lip, Carl, Kev and Fiona is most welcome, lending the finale a sense of nostalgia. And the final episode itself is a pleasing yet light affair, complete with cameos, some great character moments, some minor revelations and, as expected, a ‘Parrrtttaaayyy!’
Whilst SHAMELESS may well have run its course and then some, its importance cannot be overlooked. Go back through the show’s first few years, and there you’ll find a show that wasn’t afraid to tell grim stories of urban life with a massive side order of tongue in cheek humour. Watching this final collection of episodes, there’s still something there, a faint impression of brilliance, even if the edge and the uniqueness that came with its early seasons have long since deteriorated.
Shameless Series 11 DVD and Shameless: The Complete Series 1-11 Boxset are both available to own on DVD from Channel 4 on 2nd September.
