Caroline Aherne
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| Born: | December 24, 1963 (age 43) Ealing, London, England |
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| Occupation: | Actress, writer, comedian |
Caroline Aherne (born December 24, 1963 in Ealing, London) is an English actress and comedian. She was brought up in Wythenshawe, Manchester.[1]
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Career
Having regularly appeared in and written for comedy sketch show The Fast Show between 1994 and 1997, she rose to prominence as the character Mrs Merton on the mock talk show, The Mrs Merton Show, in 1994.
Mrs Merton was a character created by Aherne who hosted her own chat show. Guests (real-life celebrities, not actors) are quizzed about their lives and careers, and find themselves on the receiving end of questions that are outrageous double entendres. Aherne manages to 'slip the knife in' while safely disguised as an elderly matriarch. Perhaps the most famous example of this was when she asked the partner of magician Paul Daniels, Debbie McGee, "So, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?" [2]. Another well-known episode featured guests comedian Bernard Manning and actor Richard Wilson, in which Manning clashed frequently with Wilson and Aherne (in the guise of Mrs Merton). The series ran in various formats from 1994 - 1997.
The character was given a spin-off sitcom, Mrs Merton and Malcolm, depicting her home life with her "mummy's boy" son. However, this aspect of Malcolm's character was over-exaggerated to the point where many complained that the series made fun of people with learning difficulties. Mrs Merton and Malcolm last only one series, and was never repeated or released on DVD.
Her most famous and popular creation, however, is the Manchester-set situation comedy The Royle Family, which she co-created and wrote with Craig Cash, and directed in its third season. Caroline starred alongside Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston, as daughter Denise Royle. The show was a huge success, winning much critical acclaim. The show ran for three seasons of 6 episodes with 3 one-off specials.
After a documentary with writing partner Craig Cash called Back Passage to India in May 2000, Aherne announced that The Royle Family would end in December 2000 after a Christmas special, and that she would not appear on television again, although she would continue to write.
After a much publicised bust up with Craig Cash she moved to Australia, again retreating from the press, and a new series, Dossa and Joe was written by her, shown on BBC Two in 2002. Although critics applauded it, the show did not attract a significant number of viewers and so did not return for a second series.
Returning to Britain, she began work on another sitcom with Cash but pulled out early on, leaving Cash to write it with Phil Mealey (she receives a 'With thanks to' credit at the end of each episode). The show, Early Doors, was shown in 2003 and proved a hit. It was subsequently commissioned for a second series, which was screened in August 2004. Since Dossa and Joe finished, she has become virtually anonymous, choosing to shun the limelight and fame. When The Fast Show was featured on the BBC One show Comedy Connections, Aherne was the only cast member not interviewed, although her co-stars remembered her fondly.
In April 2006, the BBC announced that Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash were developing a script for a new, one-off special of The Royle Family to be broadcast in the UK later in the year, and the episode, entitled The Royle Family: The Queen of Sheba, was broadcast on October 29, 2006. The one-off return of comedy earned an audience of 7.8 million. Since this special, Aherne has not yet returned to television.
[edit] Personal Life
Her private life has been well publicised, especially her experiences with clinical depression and struggles with alcohol and drugs. When her former boyfriend, BBC technician Matt Bowers, died of stomach cancer in 1998, she attempted suicide. The following day, she checked into the Priory clinic and was diagnosed as an alcoholic. It was after these events that she began The Royle Family.
She was briefly married to New Order bassist Peter Hook (for a brief time she was credited as Caroline Hook, but reverted to her maiden name when the marriage broke up). Other romantic relationships have included co-writer Craig Cash, actor Alexis Denisof and comedian David Walliams. Her relationship with Walliams remained a secret throughout, as she did not want to damage the comedian's fledgling career as a result of being known as Aherne's boyfriend.
In 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.
