This is a British TV programme set in working class Manchester. It revolves around a family called the Gallaghers. The patriarch is the perpetually inebriated Frank. He has six kids who are basically brought up by his eldest daughter as his wife ran off with another woman. It has quickly become a favourite of mine and when it was on here I used to dissect it with a work colleague the following morning. This particular colleague ended up getting the first three series on DVD and leant them to me. I find the show hilarious as well as frequently poignant. I think part of the attraction is that it is so different from my middle class experience of life. I find it alluring and at the same time scary. Initially I thought of it as hyperbole, but I think that it is probably reality for many people in various places around the world.
Having borrowed the DVDs, I didn't want to have them for too long, so I have been immersing myself in them for the past couple of weeks. That in itself has been an interesting experience, to watch so much of a particular show (about 30 hours worth) in such a short period. It has been good to catch up on some episodes that I missed and have some of the missing links explained.
Apparently series 4 & 5 are also now on air in the UK. Well worth a look.
2 comments:
Hi Campbell,
I did the same thing with “24”; the Emmy and Golden Glove award-winning American television series set in the fictional U.S. government Counter Terrorist Unit, staring Kiefer Sutherland. I watched the first 2-years of programs on DVD in a marathon viewing session. There were times I felt removed from my own surroundings because I’d become so submerged in the world of intrigue, espionage and the romantic entanglements of the characters. There are more DVD’s available, but since I’ve sworn off TV, my interest has waned…
However, if I could ever find the entire “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” series (1976-1977) I’d be glued to the boob tube.
Happy viewing!
Oh Campbell, you have such exquisite viewing taste, first "Prison Break" now "Shameless". I also have some of this series on DVD. I LOVE it!
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