Shameless

It's Christmas on the Chattersworth Estate and it looks set to be a white Christmas as snow starts to fall but as always Christmas wouldn't be christmas without a disaster or two. Veronica's mother, Carol, and her brother, Marty, turn up after Marty caught Carol in bed with his best mate and decided to burn the house down in revenge.

When Fiona Gallagher's (Anne-Marie Duff) bag is stolen on a night out in Manchester, a handsome stranger called Steve McBride (James McAvoy) comes to her rescue. He accompanies her to her home in Chatsworth, a deprived inner city council estate, to meet her large family, and the pair begin to grow close, until she receives a visit from the police concerning her alcoholic father, Frank (David Threlfall). Meanwhile, Lip Gallagher (Jody Latham) makes a shocking discovery about his brother Ian (Gerard Kearns) that turns the brothers close relationship upside down, and he also uncovers a shocking secret about the local shopkeeper, Kash Karib (Chris Bisson). Elsewhere, Karen Jackson's (Rebecca Atkinson) father, Eddie (Steve Pemberton), leaves home after catching her in a compromising position.

Frank makes an accidental trip to France, and following a row with Fiona decides to move in with Sheila.

Kev accidentally proposes to Veronica, and although he soon admits he's still legally married to Roxy, they decide to go ahead with a fake ceremony anyway in order to claim a small inheritance from Veronica's father.

Frank is forced to take a job as a window cleaner when his father arrives. But is the window cleaning round really the best form of employment for Frank? Meanwhile Karen eyes up Kev down the pub.

Frank takes a call while partying at Kev and Veronica's, but only much later does he pass on the message that social services are coming to discuss fostering. After a mad clean up, the social worker arrives with a child in tow. Next morning, the boy collapses at breakfast. After an anxious rush to hospital, it is found that he is suffering from nothing more life-threatening than the digestion of last night's leftover hash cake.

A gardening competition is launched, by the council, to find the best garden and reward the winners with a years free rent! Naturally the shabby gardens of the Chattersworth estate suddenly turn into gardens fit for the queen. Carol doesn't wish to loose the winning prize and turns the Gallagher's garden from old wreck to sparkling garden. Veronica wants to do up their garden but Kev isn't too keen, that is until he meets with Tommy who works for the council. Together they steal a Diana Memorial Garden (!) and move it into their back yard. Carol see's it as a declaration of war between mother and daughter and when the garden is trashed things turn even nastier between the warring family. It's later revealed that a group of yobs were responsible for trashing the garden, and others, but this does little to end the argument. Meanwhile Shelia leaves to visit her sick mother in a hospice and leaves Frank with baby Nigel and Delia.

When five year-old Liam denounces religion at his RC Primary School and is subject to a home-visit by his teacher and the local priest, sister Debbie has to think fast. But shaving his head and pretending that he is dying of cancer is NOT one of Debbie's better ideas. In fact, by the time the rest of the Gallagher clan realise what's going on and try to set the record straight, the news has leaked out into the wider community and Debbie's lie lands the family in true Gallagher-style catastrophe. Could things get any worse for Debbie?

Ian meets Jack and soon begins an affair with him. What will Kash say if he learns the truth, and more importantly, why is Jack behaving suspiciously?

Mandy goes into labour after a run in with a masked robber inside the corner shop. Lip desperately wants to visit his new daughter, but will Mandy's parents allow the visit? And if not, just what will it take for Lip to prove himself to them...?

The Gallaghers' return for a fourth series, and its Lip's 18th birthday but not all is going to be clean sailing as there’s a few surprises ready to hit him. First the Maguires expect him to do something for them. But the biggest shock of all is his long-lost mother Monica turning up out of the blue with a bombshell that could turn their lives upside down.

Frank’s desperate to keep the fact that he’s still married to estranged wife Monica from Sheila, and Monica’s not making it easy for him. But Sheila can see that she has competition for Frank and sets about trying to reunite Monica with her estranged lesbian lover. But is Monica still a lesbian?

Monica manages to seduce Frank and sink her claws back in, but he dare not tell Sheila that he and Monica have been sleeping together. Sheila proves to be a frightening adversary when scorned and Frank could be in real danger. But neither Sheila nor Monica want to share him and he has to decide on which wife he wants. But who will he choose?

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.

Mimi is forced to confront her deepest insecurity after an ex-boyfriend makes a cruel comment about her weight, and Paddy's inability to back up her up forces a wedge between the loving couple. And Carl takes offence when Ian becomes romantically involved with his teacher, ruining his chance at wooing a promiscuous fellow pupil.

Monica seeks to make up for lost years with her children after failing a pregnancy test. Paddy is livid after the Jockey is robbed before Mimi's surprise birthday party, leaving Karen with the responsibility of arranging the bash from scratch. Stan becomes smitten when his pen-pan from the Ukraine pays a visit, but Carrie suspects that the charming foreigner has an ulterior motive.

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.

With the launch night of the newly redecorated Jockey looming, Jamie and Karen are feeling the pressure in their relationship. The honeymoon period is well and truly over - but can a lesbian encounter put the spice back into their marriage? In the wake of Ian's departure, Micky looks to expand his horizons and enrols on a film course. Soon Micky discover a hidden talent and new friends; his tutor Liz and her husband Ady. The couple soon introduce him to the world of swinging when together they seduce him into their bed. An accident sends Carl to hospital where he takes up a job and is befriended by auxiliary nurse Maxine. Maxine is introduced to the rest of the Gallaghers, but Carl feels left out when Debbie and Maxine spark up a friendship. Meanwhile Stan's attempts to bond with Chesney and Meena land them in trouble with the police and Norma makes a grim discovery while refurbishing the Jockey. And Mandy meets a new man in the form of Jamie's football team mate, Joe.

Frank is not happy when he finds out that he has been a victim of identity fraud. He finds that he is eligible for jury service after his criminal record is wiped clean. Shane and Micky scam some local tourists but Carrie is soon on their case.

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.

The Maguire clan is fully mobilised for the christening of its newest member baby Connor, with Mimi pulling all the strings. Her first act, reallocating godmother duties, leaves now 'ex' godmother Kelly devastated. Shane is stuck in the unenviable position of being forced to take sides between Kelly's need for acceptance and his mum's pursuit of respectability. Kelly demands he permanently cut the apron strings if their relationship is to last. Paddy's attempt to get involved in the family celebration is derailed by his own personal credit crunch. Papering over the cracks in his relationships, Paddy tries to press-gang Shane and Jamie into his new plan for the family business. While the lads turn him down, an eager Mickey is overlooked. Feeling ever more isolated, a fatal mistake by Paddy means Mickey must come to his rescue. At his lowest ebb, Paddy takes the christening opportunity to cleanse his own soul in front of the astonished family.

Karen's obsessive drive to prove herself more than just a mum has Jamie worried. With the help of a trampoline and a battalion of baton twirling majorettes her body is in perfect shape but her mind is in danger of unravelling, leaving the Maguires to pick up the pieces. Liam's pursuit of his first true love is threatened when he becomes tangled in a web of his own lies. His desperate attempts to conceal his Chatsworth life are shattered when Frank is summoned to the school. Maxine's life is thrown into turmoil when she is presented with an urgent choice. At the time she needs Carl most she finds him following in Frank's footsteps at the bottom of a pint glass. She turns to Ian for support. Elsewhere on Chatsworth, Yvonne is in debt and out of her depth when Paddy comes collecting. The Karibs concoct a plan leaving the shop under new management, Paddy enraged and Chesney starting a new independent life. Meanwhile, Mickey finds a plumber to help him with his neglected pipework.

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.

Frank is still missing and imagines that he is in a parallel universe featuring Doctor Who characters. His ex-wife Monica, having heard that Frank has gone, wants custody of Stella and Liam.

Shane finds security work at the local school and helps a boy being bullied by his twin. Frank is still incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital, unknown to Libby, who tries to move on with her life.

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.

Not everyone is pleased to see Carl after he shows up on the estate as a qualified policeman. Jackson finds himself being accused of falsely claiming benefits, resulting in the loss of his job which throws his marriage into chaos. Frank is given the job of becoming a double agent, so that he can get information from Carmen about the future plans for the estate. The residents end up agreeing to a deal with Carmen to save the estate. Kelly loses her baby.

Mimi and Billy decide to have an open marriage. Patty and Lillian's funeral mourning brings them some unwanted attention. Kelly can't grieve and and ends up losing control.

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.

Frank is enjoying his new job at World of Burgers. Wesley is jealous of his influence though and comes up with a scheme to oust him in order to achieve his longed-for promotion. Karen uses some alternative parenting methods to deal with Connor's destructive hobby. Mimi adopts this new approach with Cilla after hearing a few home truths. Shane's search for a missing cat leads to a new experiment.

Marty befriends a Brazilian housemaid and determines to rescue her from her life of servitude. Kelly insists it's none of their business, but that doesn't deter Marty, who liberates her with a stack of cash he was supposed to be banking for Lillian... Dom springs an uninvited guest on Gloria: their birth mother Hazel. There's no love lost between the two, but is it time for Gloria to extend the hand of friendship? And Billy's sick of people taking advantage. Karen reckons the answer to his problems is a self-help tape.

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.

As a member of the PTA, Mimi demands respect. But when the teachers threaten to quit over the return of a notorious troublemaker and Mimi's quick to dole out advice, Headmaster Banbury couldn't care less. When Mimi hears that the school will be failed by School Inspector Edward Clayhill, she decides to save the day. But not without the help of the Chatsworth residents. Meanwhile, Jamie tries to contact his half-brother Kassi, but after the punch-up in the Jockey, Kassi won't pick up the phone. When Kassi fails to show for a drink, Jamie's forced to recognise that maybe having a new brother isn't going to work. Elsewhere, Frank discovers an unexpected perk of being janitor at the school: 24-hour access. Quick to take advantage, Frank invites the Gastric Bandits for an after-hours drug-fuelled romp, whilst Gloria and Dom continue to hide their sordid affair. But how long can they keep their disgraced secret?

Kelly agrees to help save Lillian's savings from police survelliance. But when she discovers how much Lillian has, she is forced to decide what she values more: Money or Lillian's friendship? Meanwhile, Banbury is forced to ask Mimi for help when a problem occurs at the school. Elsewhere, Patreesha plans a housewarming party for Avril which suffers problems surrounding the theme.