Asbo for boy, 16, who disrupted TV show

A teenage boy who disrupted the filming of the television drama Shameless has been given an antisocial behaviour order after bombarding the cast and crew with verbal abuse.

A teenage boy who disrupted the filming of the television drama Shameless has been given an antisocial behaviour order after bombarding the cast and crew with verbal abuse.

In a scene that could be straight out of the show, set on a gritty Manchester sink estate, Steven Birchall, 16, persistently interrupted filming of the second series of the acclaimed show.

The order bans Steven, from Gorton Estate, where the show's fictionalised Chatsworth estate is set, from using abusive, insulting and racist language or behaviour in public, as well as acting anti-socially.

The drama follows the lives of an alcoholic father and his six children - including a teenage arsonist suffering from Tourette's syndrome - whose mother has deserted them. One of its actors, Michael Skeffington, was revealed to be the subject of an Asbo last September by the city's newspaper.

Steven, who lives in West Gorton, was part of a street gang who terrorised residents and disrupted filming, Manchester magistrates' court heard last week. A police officer was called to the set at Gorton Villa Walk on 13 May, after officers received complaints.

A statement read to the court from PC Tracey Burns said: "One of the directors spoke with me at the set stating the youths had persistently disrupted filming over the past few days and had acted in an intimidating fashion towards the film crew, actors and security people."