Kelli Hollis, who played Yvonne Karib in the Channel 4 show, has opened up about her time on the iconic comedy drama and how she recently re-watched it for the first time in years
Two decades have passed since gritty comedy drama Shameless first graced our television screens – and one of the programme’s stars has recently revisited it for the first time in years.
The Channel 4 series ran for nearly ten years and was based on the fictional Chatsworth council estate in Manchester, where Frank Gallagher and his enormous family caused chaos at every turn.
Kelli Hollis, who also appeared in Emmerdale, memorably portrayed Yvonne Karib, a character who operated the neighbourhood shop and gave work to Frank’s son Ian, who subsequently began an affair with her spouse.
Speaking with the Manchester Evening News, Kelli, 49, revealed that she recently turned to Shameless for some evening viewing – and wasn’t let down.
“Shameless,” she remarked with affection. “I actually watched the first episode fully for the first time in years the other day. Everyone always asks me about Shameless and I watched the first episode which was interesting. You forget how good it is!”
Commending the programme created by Paul Abbott, she added: “When you say Shameless you think nudity, bad language, drugs and Frank Gallagher (played by David Threlfall) is the iconic character.
“But I think rewatching it, it is so beautiful when I think of some of the scenes. It is so well put together and it is actually a lot deeper than what people think. When you go back and watch it, you think, oh God yeah, it is actually really human in that respect.
“It is not just telling scandalous stories from a council estate. There is so much more to it so I really enjoyed watching it the other day.”
Shameless, now available on Netflix, aired its final episode in 2013 after an impressive run of 11 seasons and 139 episodes. Its popularity even sparked a US version – a successful series that ran from 2011 until 2021.
Despite the years, many fans still approach Kelli, a native of Beeston, Leeds, with questions about the show, and many recite memorable lines from Frank Gallagher, affectionately known as “Frankisms”.
One of his legendary quotes was: “People say the children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way. But after you’ve had eight of your own, you realise that’s a load of ********. Darwin had the right idea; just leave the ****** to fend for themselves.”
Another gem included: “Son when you have them, little babies, you love them. Even if they’re real mingers. I mean when Ian was born he looked like David Gest.”
Kelli returned to the UK in November after spending over two years in Thailand. She reflected on Shameless following a powerful interview about her father, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison.