It's the end of an era tonight as we bid farewell to Frank Gallagher (David Threlfall) and the Chatsworth Estate he's roamed in assorted states of alcohol and drug-induced delirium for 11 seasons. It's been a shadow of its former glories of late but at its peak, Shameless was a truthful, bawdy and poignant portrait of working-class Britain struggling to survive through hard times. It also launched the careers of a raft of top acting talent and some its former stars, including Anne-Marie Duff, Dean Lennox Kelly, Elliott Tittensor and Jody Latham have returned to bow Shameless out with one helluva party!

Paul Abbott's rambunctious drama has been in steady decline for years now, so it's time it signed off. Ironically this cracking final episode highlights just where things went wrong: the moment the focus shifted from that clan of lovable rogues, the Gallaghers, to the more straightforwardly criminal Maguires.

But as Frank is released from jail - in for benefit fraud, naturally - and is confronted by an unwanted surprise from Monica, the stage is set for many of the old regulars to return as the Gallaghers feel the push and pull of fractious family relations.

Anne-Marie Duff, Dean Lennox Kelly, Elliott Tittensor, Jody Latham and Kelli Hollis all turn up, but really it's David Threlfall's show to steal. He's never been more nauseating, compelling and heartbreaking as the reprehensible Frank, struggling to face further family responsibility. Will the feckless waster ever appreciate anything more than a party?

Like a pair of well-worn, knock-off designer trainers, Shameless has seen better days. But those of us who revelled in its glory years will be taking a nostalgic stroll - baseball bat in hand - around the Chatsworth estate tonight as the 11th and final series kicks off.

Familiar faces from the past will pop up later in the run but tonight's mix of potty-mouths and pathos is centred around a shock revelation regarding Jamie Maguire's parentage.

The comic relief is provided by David Threlfall's Frank Gallagher and his encounter with a brace of luxuriously upholstered harlots called Sherilee and Derilee. You know, like the cheese.

Ironically, Shameless comes to an end just as the BBC's latest fly-on-the-wall ­documentary People Like Us causes the residents of another Manchester suburb to complain they're being made to look like a bunch of criminals, alcoholics and benefits scroungers.

But as the eleventh and final series begins tonight, Frank Gallagher (David Threlfall) kicks off proceedings with a brand new poem in which he dares to compare himself to Her Majesty the Queen. And the residents of Chatsworth have strung out the bunting to celebrate their estate being presented with one of the Olympic rings.

But local pride soon turns into a riot when the icon that's unveiled turns out to be a more accurate symbol of Chatsworth's value than locals had bargained for.

While Frank and the Jockey pub remain the only links to the first series, when Shameless still smelled fresh, many viewers will agree that Paul Abbott's creation is now past its sell-by date.

But it still has some surprises up its sleeve. The biggest of these tonight is reserved for Jamie Maguire (Aaron McCusker) when mum Mimi (Tina Malone) drops a bombshell that will cast a magic mushroom-shaped cloud over his entire life.

The 11th and final series of the cult Mancunian drama arrives. We're promised an epic 14-part run, with many of the departed stars (including Anne-Marie Duff) returning for the finale. In this colourful opener, it's a double celebration on the Chatsworth Estate: the residents have been awarded an Olympic ring from London 2012 (well, sort of), while the Maguire family toast the expansion of their dodgy empire. Meanwhile, Frank Gallagher (the brilliant David Threlfall) has become a school caretaker.

After nine years, Shameless begins its drunken lurch off our screens with the premiere of its 11th and final series this week. The focal point of the first episode is Jamie Maguire (Aaron McCusker), who begins to question himself after making a shocking discovery about his family.

Elsewhere, everyone's favourite pissed-up reprobate Frank Gallagher (David Threlfall) continues his transformation into an honest working man... while mingling with some of the area's finest prostitutes. Also, keep an eye out this series for the return of departed Chatsworth favourites such as Monica (Annabelle Apsion) Lip (Jody Latham), Carl (Elliott Tittensor) and Fiona (Anne-Marie Duff), all of whom will be showing their faces before the Shameless final curtain.

David Threlfall talks about life as Frank

As Shameless begins its final series on Channel 4 this week, TV&Satellite Week caught up with David Threlfall to talk about his 10 years as TV's favourite layabout, Frank Gallagher...

David Threlfall interview

Frank Gallagher is probably the most famous layabout on TV, but after almost a decade on-screen, Shameless is coming to an end. The 11th series is the last chance to catch up with the goings on of the residents of the Chatsworth estate. TV Choice caught up with David Threlfall, who has played Frank since 2004.

The fearsome pincers of the Department of Work and Pensions have finally closed upon Frank (David Threlfall). His assorted maladies have been cruelly dismissed, his ingenious tactic of being deliberately sacked outwitted. Shockingly, once he plunges into the world of work, it turns out that he's a natural: fluent, witty, adored by his colleagues. So much so that his new boss, Wesley, is becoming rather peeved. Meanwhile, Karen is conducting a dubious flirtation with alternative parenting.