Ian Gallagher

British version

Character biography

Ian Gallagher is the third oldest Gallagher sibling and is aged 15 at the beginning of the first series in 2004. He is the son of Monica Gallagher (Annabelle Apsion) and Gary Bennett, revealed when his blood group was found to be incompatible with the rest of his siblings'. His half-brothers are Phillip "Lip" Gallagher (Jody Latham), Carl Gallagher (Elliott Tittensor), Liam Gallagher (Johnny Bennett) and Sean Bennett, and his half-sisters are Fiona Gallagher (Anne-Marie Duff), Debbie Gallagher (Rebecca Ryan), Stella Gallagher (Nikita Brownlee) and Ben Gallagher. He has a step-brother Nigel and step-sister Delia (born to Frank and Sheila). He has one niece, Katie Maguire, who is the daughter of Lip. He used to work at The Jockey as a barman but in more recent series his employment, if he has any, has not been shown.

In the early series, Ian is depicted as closest to his brother Lip, with whom he shares a room, and is initially the only member of his family to know that he was gay. The brothers often have to look out for each other more than any of the other characters, due to being party to each other's secrets. In later series, all the family, except his step-father Frank Gallagher (David Threlfall), are aware of his sexuality. However, Frank was hinted to be aware of his sexuality and may have ignored it.

Ian often identifies as gay, having various relationships with older men throughout the first four or five series. Kash Karib (boyfriend, though he has a brief relationship with Sean Bennett, and an ongoing friendship, sometimes sexual, with Mickey Maguire (Ciarán Griffiths). He has a relationship of convenience with Mandy Maguire (Samantha Siddall), to protect his secret, which nearly turns sexual when they're both at a low point, but they fumble about until Ian decides it's a bad idea. In the seventh series, Ian begins a serious relationship with Maxine Donnelly (Joanna Higson). When Maxine's brother, Bruce (Philip Hill-Pearson) asks if their being in a relationship means Ian is now "bisexual", Ian pauses, before saying he just believes he has found the right person.

Due to Gerard Kearns' break to work on a film, Ian leaves in the first episode of the sixth series after suffering amnesia after being struck by a car. He is seen in episode two in a clip of him partying abroad and appears on webcam in later episodes. He returns in the seventh episode; this features the debut of Danny, a deaf teenager whom Ian unwittingly transports back to the UK in the boot of his car. Ian now lives in the house of Danny's deceased grandfather, which was leased to him by Danny's aunt, Pegg, in gratitude for looking after him. Danny and Pegg later move to Spain.

In Series 7 in 2010, it appears Ian has remained at Danny's old address and has accepted Mickey as a tenant. Ian supports Carl's girlfriend, Maxine, when she decides to have an abortion and break up with Carl. Maxine moves in with Ian and Mickey. The situation becomes complicated when Maxine asks Ian to pose as her boyfriend to impress her parents. Ian and Maxine begin to develop feelings for each other and have sex. Mickey sees them and tries to convince Ian he should not be with a woman, but Ian says the labels don't matter, he wants to be with Maxine. This leads to a major falling out with Mickey, who feels betrayed. Mickey tells Carl, who then beats up Ian in the toilets at The Jockey. In spite of the remaining tensions, Ian and Maxine become a couple.

Even with the lingering animosity from Carl and Mickey, Ian and Maxine are happy but they are thrown into turmoil when Carl, along with Chesney Karib (Qasim Akhtar), runs away after being accused of murder. Ian is initially not bothered with Carl's absence, and is more concerned at just how concerned Maxine is over Carl. When Ian and Maxine are in The Jockey, Maxine confronts Jimmy, whom everyone knows is the killer. As Ian looks on, Jimmy's sister hits Maxine over the head with a pool cue. Ian feels ashamed that he let Maxine fight the battle on her own and in spite of her reassurances, he begins to believe that she would have been better off with Carl. To try to prove his worth, Ian attempts to tape a confession from Jimmy, but Jimmy sees through his plan and savagely beats him. Ian begins to further withdraw and is unable to have sex with Maxine; during the time they do spend together, he becomes more paranoid about her feelings every time she mentions Carl. Carl's name is soon cleared and he attempts to make amends with Ian, but Ian isn't interested. He again accuses Maxine of wanting to be with Carl, to which she tells Ian she just doesn't want to be with him. In spite of this conflict, Ian and Maxine still have strong feelings for each other, and Carl convinces Maxine that she and Ian belong together. Ian shows up at hospital soon after Carl and Maxine talk, and he and Maxine smile at each other, and they reconcile.

In the finale of Series 7, Ian and Maxine were returning home after a night out, when they are accosted by a rough whom attempts to mug them. But they fight back and overpower the thug, and drag him back unconscious to their house. The thug turns out to be a hireling of Roscoe, a Moss Side-based crime lord. After hours of deciding what to do with him, Maxine overhears a conversation where Ian admits that he would "rather fuck him than kill him". This seems to be the end of the relationship, as Ian's sexuality may might turn out to be the source of future infidelities. When Ian prepares himself to kill the thug, Maxine and he find that he escaped from his bonds while they were conversing. Ian is seen later with a backpack, apparently leaving Chatsworth. It is not stated whether it is because he is leaving Maxine or if it is to avoid retribution by Roscoe's gang. He happens to bump into Karen Maguire (Rebecca Atkinson), as she and the abusive Joe Pritchard (Ben Batt) are about to leave Chatsworth themselves. After witnessing Joe's abusive treatment of Karen, Ian stows away in the boot of Joe's car. After Joe begins to strangle Karen, Ian kills him and makes his exit from the show to dispose of the body.

In a later episode in Series 8, Carl is shown to get a "Happy Birthday" text from Ian. In the series finale, it is revealed that Ian is now engaged to a transgender person. In the UK version, Ian appeared in 80 episodes overall.

Development

Ian's character is distilled from several sources in series creator Paul Abbott's life, including a gay nephew who is not out to the rest of his family. Ian's relationship with Kash is based on a similar affair that Abbott had with a grocer's wife when he was 14, with the adult's gender switched for Ian's story.

American version

Character biography

Ian Clayton Gallagher was born on May 9, 1996, the product of a PCP-fueled affair between his mother Monica and Clayton Gallagher, Frank's brother, in the summer of 1995. Monica conceals knowledge of this affair from the Gallagher family, leaving them to believe that Ian is Frank's son. Ian is gay and, initially, closeted. When his older brother Lip discovers a cache of gay pornography in the room they share, he first confronts Ian with it and then sets Ian up to receive oral sex from Karen Jackson, a neighbor whom Lip tutors. When Karen confirms that Ian was unaroused by her ministrations, Lip comes to accept his brother and becomes Ian's trusted confidant.

Ian is highly orderly and disciplined, traits that are attributed to his membership in his school's Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, rather than his upbringing. He is an excellent marksman.

When the series opens, Ian is involved in a sexual relationship with Kash, owner of the Kash and Grab, the neighborhood convenience store where Ian works. Kash, a Muslim, is married to Linda and has two children with her. Usually, Ian and Kash have sex in the storeroom, but one weekend when Linda and the children are out of town, Kash brings Ian to their home. Upon seeing the reality of Kash's life with his family, Ian balks at having sex with him.

Ian's schoolmate, Mandy Milkovich, expresses a sexual interest in him. When he does not reciprocate, she tells her brothers that Ian assaulted her. After evading them, he comes out to Mandy, who not only calls off her brothers but suggests that she be his sham girlfriend to deflect any questions about his sexuality.

Ian continues his affair with Kash, but Linda, who has installed security cameras in response to rampant shoplifting at the store, catches them in the act on tape. Surprisingly, she does not mind if the affair continues but demands that Kash impregnate her before he has sex with Ian again. Meanwhile, Mandy's brother Mickey, an aggressive shoplifter who has been terrorizing Kash, steals the gun kept in the store for protection. Ian confronts Mickey at his home, determined to retrieve it. In the ensuing altercation, the pair realize their attraction and have sex. They maintain the sexual relationship, although Mickey denies any emotional attraction to Ian; Ian cools off his relationship with Kash. Eventually, Kash catches the two having sex in the store and, in response, shoots Mickey in the leg and has him arrested, following Mickey's brazen theft of a candy bar.

Development

Ian has been described as "the anti-Kurt Hummel". Actor Monaghan said he was drawn to the role because "[i]t’s one of those really intricate, multi-layered characters, with all this inner struggle going on." He believes that Ian is different from other contemporary gay teenage characters on American television because he does not conform to any gay stereotypes, and because of the character's blend of positive traits. "He’s smart and he’s tough and he's brave and he’s really caring and responsible—and I think that’s not always shown in one character."

Reception

Several critics have praised Ian's dynamic with Lip. Reviewing the pilot episode, Sarah Hughes of The Independent wrote that their relationship was a highlight of the UK series, and proved just as effective in the US adaptation. She additionally commended Monaghan's portrayal for providing "one of the more nuanced depictions of a gay teenager to be seen on US TV." In a generally unfavorable review of the series, Variety's Brian Lowry assessed that "what little soul it possesses" is derived from the Ian–Lip relationship. Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe called Monaghan "extraordinary", and wrote: "The moments when Lip confronts Ian about his sexuality are remarkably honest and refreshing, as they each slowly realize they don't need to play out predictably hostile roles." In contrast, Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times opined that their relationship "borders on treacle". The gay-interest media outlet, AfterElton.com, cited Monaghan's portrayal of Ian in naming him a "breakout actor" for 2011. In 2014, Hollywood.com named Ian Gallagher in their list of "Favorite LGBTQ Characters on TV".

In 2015, Monaghan received a nomination for the Critic's Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.