Shameless

Actor Sean Gallagher was originally cast as Frank Gallagher. However, after filming had begun it was decided that he was too young to play the character. It cost makers Company Pictures £100,000 to re-shoot the scenes already filmed with David Threlfall as the new Frank.

Bill Nighy and Matt Lucas have both asked for cameo parts in Shameless. However, creator Paul Abbott said the show would lose its realism if celebrities appeared in the show, so the offers were turned down.

A pilot episode of an American version of Shameless was filmed in 2009. William H. Macy starred in the Frank Gallagher role, with Allison Janney as the romantic interest for Frank.

Since Series 5 the show has been filmed on a purpose built on a 3.17 acre 'Shameless Estate' in Wythenshawe, Manchester.

The buildings are replicas of the West Gorton Estate originally used as the exterior of the fictional Chatsworth Estate.

It took a team of 20 people 90 days to build the new Shameless Estate.

Pebble dashing the houses took 12 tons of sand and 6 tons of pebbles. A ton of rubbish and odds n ends has been collected and used to "dress" the estate.

The estate also features 10 lamp posts, 50 aerials and satellite dishes fixed on the roofs, over half a mile of phone line and one Manchester issue phone box, vandalised of course.

4000 paving flags were used to build the pavements and grass seeds were diligently planted in the paving slab cracks and on the brick walls to build up 'weed count' and make it look unkempt. Moss was collected and used to "age" the roofs of the houses and buildings too.

Natural yoghurt was also spread on the roofs - it initially looked like bird droppings, but has encouraged more moss growth.

Official Manchester City Council plant troughs were bought too - but filled with rubbish not plants.

At one end is a 45,000 square feet warehouse which houses the studio - with all the interior sets of the Chatsworth Estate. Sets include: the Gallagher and Maguire houses, Yvonne's shop and the Jockey pub. The production department includes: a full editing suite, cutting room, design department, script department, costume, make-up, individual dressing rooms, canteen and cast green room.