Danny Brocklehurst reveals the story behind this episode:
This is my favourite episode because it beautifully captures the way I wanted Sorted to be; a show full of life with the space to tell huge stories about ordinary people.
"You can bring Radge's things from his mouth that no other character would dare utter."
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Radge, played by the superb Cal Macaninch, is such a fun character to write. He's a 'do anything, say anything' kind of guy and you can bring things from his mouth that no other character would dare utter. Every good series needs a character like Radge, he is the explosive spark, and so, to give him a story that throws him headlong into emotional turmoil was very interesting for me.
Strange parenting situations fascinate me. There is still a perception that mothers are always the best people to bring up a child, but what happens if the mother is neglectful, selfish or unfit.
Responsibilities
"The beauty of the story is it's simplicity. Two brothers and a child. Who brings up that child?"
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Radge is a party animal, he lives the 'birds, booze and bookies' life, dj-ing in a nightclub, pulling women and never getting anywhere close to commitment. And yet, he's the father of a young boy, Ryan, who has effectively been brought up by Radge's gay brother Phil. But when Phil moves out to live with his lover, Radge has to face up to his responsibilities for the first time in his life.
The script was difficult to get right and I went through various drafts trying to pinpoint the twists and turns of the ride that Radge goes on. My main mistake was trying to include too much, and when we stripped out all the subplots about Radge's debts and the ugly people he owed money to, the story started to sing. Because the beauty of the story is it's simplicity. Two brothers and a child. Who brings up that child? And what sort of father is Radge? That was all we needed and it worked to perfection. The end scenes leave a lump in the throat.
Funny
"What I learned on Shameless is that big issues - such as racism or drug abuse - don't have to be handled in an earnest way."
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And yet, the episode is very funny. The scene where Radge attends Ryan's football match being a personal favourite. Not only do we wring laughs from Radge's attempts at fatherhood, we also run a B-story about Barmpot being accidentally accused of racism.
This story appealed to me greatly. It's based on a real event, a misheard small ad in a local paper came out as 'White person, no DSS'. And suddenly, some poor landlord was being branded a racist. The joy is making this happen to Barmpot, a man who is secretly in love with a black woman. The accusation is mortifying. What I learned on Shameless is that big issues - such as racism or drug abuse - don't have to be handled in an earnest way. Sometimes, it's more powerful if you can make your point through humour. And that's how I approached this story. It's slight, but effective.
For me, Will Mellor excels as Barmpot - he is just the right mix of comic and credible. He brings Barmpot to life in a way I could never have imagined and stakes his claim as one of our brightest young TV actors.
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