Over the years there have been many great comedy-dramas. The likes of Scrubs, Orange Is the New Black, Glee, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine have kept us thoroughly entertained with just enough tension mixed in to last a lifetime. However, what is it that these shows are missing? A dose of British. Comedy-dramas from the UK exist, but there is one that stands out above the rest. One that takes home the prize for being the most entertaining. One that is so popular it has now been remade in the states. That show is Shameless. If you needed any more proof, Shameless took home the British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Drama, as well as the BAFTA for Best Drama Series. The proof is in the pudding. After nine years on our screens, we sadly had to say goodbye to the show in 2013, but whatever happened to our beloved cast members? Did they ever make their way off the estate, or was the pull of Shameless too much to tear away from?
Creator of the show, Paul Abbott, has worked on many shows over the years including the children’s drama Children’s Ward, and the hit soap Coronation Street. However, it was an idea in 2004 that would lead this writer to great success. Shameless focuses on the Gallagher family and their local neighbours who all live on the fictional Chatsworth Estate in Manchester. The Gallaghers are made up of Frank (played by David Threlfall) and his six children: Fiona (played by Anne-Marie Duff), Lip (played by Jody Latham), Ian (played by Gerard Kearns), Carl (played by Elliott Tittensor), Debbie (played by Rebecca Ryan), and Liam (played by Joseph Furnace). Together they all struggled through life as a working-class family with a drinking dependant father. These characters were also joined by their neighbours the Maguires, the Karibs, and the Powells, including many others. From teen pregnancies to rivalries in the neighbourhood, this show really does have it all.
With so many characters, and even more intricate storylines over the years, we often wonder about what happened to the cast when the cameras stopped rolling for the final time. Did the actors and actresses manage to carry on acting, or was the pressure of starring in Shameless too much to carry on? Perhaps they left the TV world altogether, or was Shameless the first rung on the ladder of a successful acting career? Five years have passed since the finale first aired on our screen, and now we’re itching to see what these stars have been up to over the last few years…
[post_page_title]Samantha Siddall as Mandy Maguire[/post_page_title]
Mandy is Paddy and Mimi Maguire’s only daughter and generally abides by the law more than her rebellious family members. Mandy quickly forms a friendship with Ian Gallagher which goes as far as to see the pair pretend to date. However, when Mandy discovers she is pregnant, she reveals the father is, in fact, Ian’s brother, Lip. Sadly, Mandy is kidnapped in the sixth series by Maureen, and the pair both get caught in a gas explosion in the house marking the end of Mandy’s Shameless timeline.
