Where is airing: Channel 4
For what age: 15+
How many episodes in 8 season: 22 episodes
Libby and Frank's upcoming wedding is the talk of the neighbourhood but the plans are thrown into chaos at Frank's stag do. Everyone wants to know who the father of Mimi's new baby is.Avril, Jackson and daughter Letitia Powell have settle themselves into the community and Avril volunteers to host Libby's hen night. Things don't go to plan though when there is a disaster for one of the Maguire clan. Karen returns to town but Jamie is unsure of her motives.
Frank is still missing and Libby is upset when Monica demands custody of Stella and Liam. Frank has regenerated into Chatsworth's very own Time Lord as he remains in a drug fueled state and he battles to return home. Mimi realises she has made a mistake in promoting Shane to head the family business. Karen hopes that her and Jamie can move forward together.
Libby is shocked back into reality after she sees footage from Frank's stag party. Frank remains completely lost in his own sci-fi world. Shane decides to go into the school security busoness. Mickey is worried when his gay pen pal Timmy is released from prison.
After returning to the Jockey, Karen attends the psychiatric hospital as an out-patient and finds that Frank has been there all along. Can he break free and save his relationship with Libby? Meanwhile, Sita is devastated when she fails her exams, and discovers her tutor will pass her if she sleeps with him. Determined to pass her exam, Sita turns to Carl for help. Elsewhere, Aiden, Patty's great nephew, arrives on Chatsworth following his mother's imprisonment, and he proves more than a match for various Chatsworth residents.
After weeks of suffering at the hands of his own mental incarceration Frank is almost fully intact of his marbles and is plots his escape. Libby meanwhile has had the dramatic news that Frank's divorce is about to be nullified and they could lose the family home in 24 hours. The solution is for Frank and Libby to get married and the clock is ticking.
It's Carl's 21st birthday, and Frank, Libby and the Maguires are planning a suprise party for him. Carl gets a job working for Jamie. However, his first job does not go to plan when Kelly steals money which was supposed to go to a business client. The business client in question is a ruthless psychopath. Left alone with him, Carl faces the most darkest experience of his life, and his problems have only just begun when Jamie accuses him of trying to steal from the family. Meanwhile, one of Joe's money-making schemes comes back to haunt Chesney, leaving him and Sita in debt. Mickey encourages Chesney to set up a gay hotline. Chesney is reluctant, but Mickey is left wondering what he has started when Chesney becomes addicted to the hotline.
Shane and Kelly's new business of giving people their sexual fantasy threatens the Maguire family business when their client, Sandra, is reported missing by her husband. As the police swarm Chatsworth searching for her "Kidnappers", Shane calls upon the residents to help him, but Jamie is determined to make Shane see that he is not fit to run the business, even if it means sending his brother to prison. Meanwhile, Sita is annoyed to discover Chesney's new Muslim driving school scheme is a ruse for wild parties at the shop, and fearful that Chesney is losing everything the Karibs have worked for, Sita calls the terrorist line, but her actions result in a robbery at the shop, leaving the Karibs penniless. And, Patty, Mimi and Lillian go to battle over a bingo win, whilst Jackson becomes an unlikely drinking buddy for Frank.
Mickey and Shane think of a way to make some extra money. Their final idea was to make a child pornography site which contained no nude images and took the credit card details of those who subscribed. Their view on the matter was that they were doing a good thing by using the website as a deterant, however the police didn't see it that way.
After sleepless nights with Cilla, Mimi is starting to feel bad and believes that she is going mad, as one of her relatives did, and that the house is haunted. Finally she believes that Kelly and Shane are trying to hug her and locks them out of the house though she recovers after seeing a vision of Mandy, who tells her what to do. Kelly is suspicious of the power new girl Bonnie exerts over Lillian in the brothel, and Avril and Jackson's continuing efforts to spice up their sex life leads daughter Letitia to believe that her father is having an affair.
Micky finds his paternal urges discovering an outlet after he adopts a cat. Sita ends up reaching a new level of understanding and respect with Bradford. Later though she finds herself in trouble with the police after she helps Carl with a job for the Maguires.
Kelly is not happy when she finds out that Lillian has formally adopted Bonnie and given her the business but it is not too long beforeBonnie ends up showing her true colours. Libby employs a carer to look after Patty. Sita ends her relationship with Carl after she reveals that she is leaving for an arranged marriage.
Mimi is shocked after her brother Bobbi shows and announces that he is soon to become her sister. Micky attempts to help Mimi and Bobbi come to terms with their differences. Jackson finds himsrlf becoming involved with a local political party with some extreme right wing policies. Shane's new clamping business causes trouble on the estate.
Following his sexual encounter with Letitia's headmistress, Miss Heller, Frank has had his final chance with Libby, who seems taken with the mysterious Martin. Shane's theft of Tilly Pucker's wheelchair further strains relations between the Maguire brothers, coming to a head in a showdown with Tilly's minders.
It's a black day on Chatsworth when Paddy Maguire is returned in a coffin. While the residents grieve, Jamie gathers the Maguires to lift the lid on this 'special delivery'. Leticia dares Aiden to break in and take a photo of Paddy, but they're in for quite a surprise. Meanwhile, Karen sets up a kids' entertainment business, but the joke's on her when Mickey, Avril and Lillian join the team. Competition is fierce, but when a catfight with a sexy rival is popular with the dads, Karen discovers a new way to make some extra cash behind Jamie's back. Little does she know the danger she will face. Frank's war with Patty is re-ignited after Libby's departure, and he makes a shocking discovery that leaves Patty at his mercy. And Mimi gets a new strap-on!.
Avril is busy keeping secrets from her family; with no job and no money, but always a gift to hand, something doesn't quite add up. Mimi has designs on fit jogger Neil, but he's unsure of her advances - because he only wants sex. Mimi is keen to spice up her sex life, but Karen raises concerns about Neil's calorific role-play. When 12-year-old Bean tries to shoplift, Chesney phones her dad, Gorky, who is Chesney's delivery driver, but Chesney soon becomes concerned for Bean's welfare and decides to try and rescue her. And the law finally catches up with Avril when a bailiff arrives; she breaks down and confesses leaving Jackson gobsmacked. Will he and Letitia promise to support her and help pay back all the money she owes?.
While cleaning the windows, Jackson spots Letitia kissing Dee Davies in her bedroom. Jackson goes berserk, attacking Dee in front of a social worker who's waiting to assess him and Avril as foster parents. Frank isn't much use in the parent department, staggering to the Jockey and leaving Carl to nurse pox-ridden Stella. Drunken Frank then leaves the pub and accidentally gets on a mini-bus, waking up in a synagogue. He's discovered by Isaac, who promises not to report him because Frank's been sent from God. Frank thanks Isaac for his advice and hospitality by stealing his candelabra and legging it. Karen's fed up with how she's treated in her own pub and plots to get her power back with a card game. Meanwhile, an ambulance is called for the smallest Gallagher. Will she pull through unharmed?.
A new gang has rolled into Chatsworth with an unlikely mission - to save the souls of the community. Jesus O'Toole leads the group and seems to know too much about certain residents. Aidan is certainly open to the possibilities that religion might bring, but love soon turns to hate when local businesses are picketed. An explosion on the Maguire's turf sees the family prepare for revenge. Kelly is attacked by a familiar face - Marty Fisher, who is on the run. And, Patty returns, missing Libby, she turns to the only person who might know of her whereabouts - Frank.
There's uproar in The Jockey when Frank pockets Cynthia's scratch card. And when Cynthia is assaulted, Frank becomes the prime suspect. Carl kicks off against the accusers, but Kelly shows Carl CCTV footage of Frank near the crime scene. Frank remembers nothing but scratch marks on his chest tell a different story. While Frank hands himself in, a distressed Carl seeks to prove his dad's innocence and phones Kev Ball, who returns to the Chatsworth like a knight in shining armour. New video footage jogs Frank's memory, but puts him in a stickier situation. Can a deal be made with gangster Growbag Macready? Frank's fate rests in his hands. Meanwhile, Mickey moves into the Jockey after a disagreement with Mimi, and Marty's presence continues to cause trouble between Shane and Kelly.
Aidan's bad behaviour has landed him in court, but it's Patty who'll decide the outcome. Feeling unwelcome at the Gallaghers, Aiden leaves Chatsworth to find his mother, recently released from prison. Mimi is unexpectedly reunited with Billy Tutton, Cilla's father, and his return to Chatsworth causes tension between Mimi and her children. Frank takes in a Polish man as a lodger. Marty and Mickey become flatmates, and both men reveal their secrets to each other.
Marty attempts to find a job and ends up turning to crime to tide him over. Kelly discovers that there's a price on Marty's head. Billy is determined to stand up for his rights as a father. Mimi ends up giving him an ultimatum. Mickey's flat is raided by the local police. Marty is confronted by Shane about a secret he left behind in Spain. Kelly is heartbroken agter she is told the truth and doesn't know who to believe.
Mickey channels his' inner drama queen' at the community service with a difference. Ray's shug with numbers does not go unnoticed by Mickey, and a trip to the casino seems on the cards. But Ray's only got one thing on his mind, and it's not the jackpot! The community service cast are unhappy with their leader, Michelle and the play. So when Michelle has a timely accident and the centre is shut, Mickey takes the lead, bringing Christmas to Chatsworth early. Meanwhile, Mimi might wear the trousers in the family, but it's time Billy pulled his weight, so Mimi sets a profitable challenge to test his manhood.
Billy and Mimi find the game is up after Micky finds them in a compromising position. Billy is scared as the Maguire brothers want his blood for daring to marry their mother. Kelly's not sure about keeping the baby and Jamie ends up finding out more than he bargained for after he confronts her at work. Kelly realises she has to be honest with him but will he still want her and the baby. Carl sees a crime being committed but walks past, unaware of the consequences. Billy's stag ends up being a night to remember.
