[Locke.]

The seventh series of Shameless is expected to be cut from sixteen episodes to eight due to cost-cutting at Channel 4.

Filming for the award-winning comedy-drama, which is produced by Company Television, will resume next year. The episodes are currently pencilled in for transmission in early 2010.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the programme's lead actor David Threlfall (Frank Gallagher) confirmed that funding problems at Channel 4 are likely to affect the seventh run.

"There will be a series seven, but we only know there'll be eight episodes instead of 16 because of the credit crunch - but hopefully that might change," Threlfall told the newspaper. "There are discussions at the highest level about it."

The programme's fifth series consisted of sixteen episodes earlier this year. Series six, which starts in 2009, will also run for sixteen weeks.

A show insider told The Guardian: "Obviously Company want to make 16 episodes but at the moment Channel 4 is insistent that there will only be eight. It is a delicate situation and David has rather let the cat out of the bag. We are hoping that this might change."

A spokeswoman for Channel 4 said that the network could not confirm the length of series seven, adding: "Budgets for that year are still under negotiation."

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a1371...be-halved.html

[DamonJ]

I<3 Shameless but it has started to go a bit lame lately.
Hopefully the cut will improve the quality of it & make it more gritty again.
I also think they should stop David Threlfall from directing.

[Tom]

Do people actually still watch it?

[Locke.]

Originally posted by Tom
Do people actually still watch it?

I stopped watching near the middle of series 5, will probably watch series 6 to see if its any better though.

[Jen]

I stopped watching when James Mc Avoy left...

[im_not_Britney]

Originally posted by Tom
Do people actually still watch it?

well i dont. seen bits like. but its just too much like some of my neighbours. shouting swearing and hitting each other. i dont need reminding of all that. i can sit staring/listening outside my front window if i want some of that.

[Jackie]

I never watched it.

[Tom4784]

I think the cut in episodes will do it good, last series wasn't that great because the season was too long I thought. Quality over Quantity.