Caroline Aherne

Acting

Caroline Aherne

Born — Died

1963-12-24 — 2016-07-02

Place of birth

Ealing, London, England, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

42 titles

Caroline Aherne was a BAFTA winning comic writer and actress best known for her comic character Mrs Merton and for her sitcom The Royle Family. In the mid '90s she went by the name Caroline Hook, having taken her husband's name (New Order bassist Peter Hook) but reverted back to Aherne following their divorce. She died from cancer in 2016 at the age of 52.

Known for

TFI Friday poster
7.1

TFI Friday was an entertainment show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2000. The show was produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first 5 series. The final series was hosted by a number of guest presenters. It was broadcast on Fridays at 6pm from 9 February 1996 to 22 December 2000, with a repeat later that night. The title officially stood for "Thank Four It's Friday", but was widely understood to mean "Thank Fuck It's Friday" and was a reference to the popular phrase "Thank God it's Friday". The show's theme tune was Ron Grainer's theme from Man in a Suitcase, in keeping with Evans's frequent use of 1960s television themes in his work.

TFI Friday

1996

Parkinson poster
NR

Michael Parkinson returns for a second run of his iconic talk show.

Parkinson

1998

An Audience with... poster
5.3

An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.

An Audience with...

1978

The Frank Skinner Show poster
7.5

The Frank Skinner Show was a television chat show hosted by comedian Frank Skinner, which lasted nine series on British television between 1995 and 2005. As well as celebrity interviews, the shows included an initial stand-up routine, various sketches throughout the episode and usually concluded with a comedic song featuring Frank and the guest stars. The Frank Skinner Show became notorious over the years for the unconventional nature of the interviews, including some shocking revelations from the guests. The programme ended in 2005 after nine series. It was screened on BBC One from its first episode on 10 September 1995 until 3 June 1999. In 2000, the show moved to ITV. The programme was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award in 2001.

The Frank Skinner Show

1995

The Fast Show poster
7.7

The Fast Show is a multi BAFTA award winning sketch comedy show written and produced by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson.

The Fast Show

1994

The Royle Family poster
7.6

The Royle Family is a British sitcom created by Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, and produced by Granada Television for BBC Two (series 1) and BBC One (series 2 and 3). It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, comprising lazy patriarch Jim, his hard-working wife Barbara, their entitled daughter Denise, their put-upon son Antony, and Denise's lad fiancé–later husband–David.

The Royle Family

1998

Film credits

2020s · 4 titles

2010s · 5 titles

British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves poster
5.7

Documentary celebrating the British sitcom and taking a look at the social and political context from which our favourite sitcoms grew. We enjoy a trip through the comedy archive in the company of the people who made some of the very best British sitcoms. From The Likely Lads to I'm Alan Partridge, we find out the inspiration behind some of the most-loved characters and how they reflect the times they were living in.

British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves

2016

The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring poster
7.0

Christmas is coming but Barbara is not happy. Not only has she lost her wedding ring but Jim has won on a scratch card she found down the back of the sofa whilst looking for the ring and has kept quiet about his hundred pounds winnings. Nor is he especially sympathetic about Dave's impotency problem, though the entire Royle family unite to help recently widowed Joe from next door enjoy a restaurant-style evening in their house with the equally scatty Philomena, whom he has met through a want ad. On Christmas Day Barbara lashes out at Jim for his laziness and juvenile antics - though his description of a busty barmaid cures Dave's problem. However she is in for a pleasant surprise when she discovers just how he spent his scratch card winnings.

The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring

2012

The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers poster
7.2

It is Christmas Day in the Royle household and Barbara is up to her eyes in it, as Jim is out of action following an unfortunate incident in the precinct while Dave and Denise are feeling the effects of the recession the most, and worry that Anthony's lavish gifts will eclipse their gift of a fridge magnet.

The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers

2010

The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa poster
8.4

Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash discuss the creation of The Royle Family, with a look behind the scenes at the production of the show and interviews with the cast.

The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa

2010

Caroline Aherne at the BBC poster
NR

Actor and comedian John Thomson looks back at the life and work of his friend and comedy colleague, the late and greatly missed Caroline Aherne. From rarely seen early routines from Caroline’s days on the Manchester stand-up circuit, through to some favourite moments from The Fast Show, Mrs Merton and The Royle Family, John is our guide as we wallow in a special selection of clips, characters and magic moments. To misquote Mrs Merton’s famous line to Debbie McGee – this is a collection that reveals exactly what it was that first attracted us to one of British television’s best-loved writers and performers.

Caroline Aherne at the BBC

2016

Series credits

TFI Friday poster
7.1

TFI Friday was an entertainment show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2000. The show was produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first 5 series. The final series was hosted by a number of guest presenters. It was broadcast on Fridays at 6pm from 9 February 1996 to 22 December 2000, with a repeat later that night. The title officially stood for "Thank Four It's Friday", but was widely understood to mean "Thank Fuck It's Friday" and was a reference to the popular phrase "Thank God it's Friday". The show's theme tune was Ron Grainer's theme from Man in a Suitcase, in keeping with Evans's frequent use of 1960s television themes in his work.

TFI Friday

1996

Parkinson poster
NR

Michael Parkinson returns for a second run of his iconic talk show.

Parkinson

1998

An Audience with... poster
5.3

An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.

An Audience with...

1978

The Frank Skinner Show poster
7.5

The Frank Skinner Show was a television chat show hosted by comedian Frank Skinner, which lasted nine series on British television between 1995 and 2005. As well as celebrity interviews, the shows included an initial stand-up routine, various sketches throughout the episode and usually concluded with a comedic song featuring Frank and the guest stars. The Frank Skinner Show became notorious over the years for the unconventional nature of the interviews, including some shocking revelations from the guests. The programme ended in 2005 after nine series. It was screened on BBC One from its first episode on 10 September 1995 until 3 June 1999. In 2000, the show moved to ITV. The programme was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award in 2001.

The Frank Skinner Show

1995

The Fast Show poster
7.7

The Fast Show is a multi BAFTA award winning sketch comedy show written and produced by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson.

The Fast Show

1994

The Royle Family poster
7.6

The Royle Family is a British sitcom created by Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, and produced by Granada Television for BBC Two (series 1) and BBC One (series 2 and 3). It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, comprising lazy patriarch Jim, his hard-working wife Barbara, their entitled daughter Denise, their put-upon son Antony, and Denise's lad fiancé–later husband–David.

The Royle Family

1998

Comic Relief poster
6.0

Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make the public laugh, while raising money to help people around the world and in the United Kingdom. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, an annual (previously biennial) telethon held in March. The first live fundraising evening, held on 4 April 1986, featured comedians and pop stars, including Rowan Atkinson, Billy Connolly, Stephen Fry, Kate Bush and co-founder Lenny Henry.

Comic Relief

1988

No artwork available
6.5

No synopsis available yet.

It's Only TV But I Like It

1999

The Mrs Merton Show poster
6.8

The Mrs Merton Show is a mock chat show starring Caroline Aherne as the elderly host Mrs Merton. It ran from 10 February 1995 to 2 April 1998 and was produced by Granada Television and aired on the BBC. The writers included Aherne, Craig Cash, Dave Gorman and Henry Normal. Prior to TV success, Aherne's Mrs Merton character appeared on Frank Sidebottom's album "5/9/88", then made her TV debut on the 1991 Channel 4 gameshow Remote Control, hosted by Anthony H Wilson. The chat show was followed up by a sitcom, Mrs Merton and Malcolm, based on Mrs Merton and her son Malcolm, who was played by Craig Cash.

The Mrs Merton Show

1995

Gogglebox poster
7.2

Gogglebox is an entertaining television review programme in which some of Britain's most opinionated and avid telly viewers comment freely on the best and worst television shows of the past week, from the comfort of their sofas.

Gogglebox

2013

Strange Hill High poster
6.5

Mitchell, Becky, and Templeton set out to discover their school's many mysteries and secrets, along the way encountering monsters, paradoxes, and timely winery nonsense as they try to avoid the headmaster and Mitchell's worst enemy, Mr. Abercrombie.

Strange Hill High

2013

No artwork available
7.5

No synopsis available yet.

Clive Anderson All Talk

1996

No artwork available
5.0

Comedy show spoofing some of the highlights of the 1998 World Cup in France. Includes interviews with celebrities and famous fans including Bridget Nielsen and John Lydon, as well as send ups of other famous football goals in history, etc. Stars UK comedians Frank Skinner and David Baddiel in their own lounge room set, along with their mate Statto who provides news headlines on the world cup play.

Fantasy World Cup

1998

The World of Lee Evans poster
7.0

The World of Lee Evans was a BAFTA nominated TV show written by and starring Lee Evans and a range of actors, it followed Lee around getting stuck in tight situations and originally aired on Channel 4. The series was released on Channel 4 DVD in 2006 and features all episodes. The humour, which differs greatly from Evans' later stand-up humour, contains many elements of slapstick, and the show is similar in style to Mr. Bean. The series was a Granada Production in 1995 for Channel 4, and as Granada had adopted a new endboard cap at the end of their programs at this time, The World of Lee Evans was amongst the first ever shows to use the endboard. The series was quite popular though has had a very mixed reception in retrospect, some critics and Lee Evans fans saying the series is not as good as his other work. The series' slogan is If Lee Evans "needs to get from A to B, he starts at Z...".

The World of Lee Evans

1995

Frank Sidebottom's Fantastic Shed Show poster
6.0

Frank Sidebottom's very own TV show, broadcast from the converted shed that functioned as his showbiz HQ. Also featuring diminutive sidekick Little Frank, the shows include Frank’s take on Crimewatch, Timperley’s contribution to Manchester’s Olympic bid, pioneering rocket science in the back garden, and even a staging of Live Aid 2!

Frank Sidebottom's Fantastic Shed Show

1992

Sunshine poster
7.8

Sunshine is a three-part comedy drama that began on 7 October 2008 on BBC1 from the co-writers of The Royle Family and Early Doors. These co-writers, Craig Cash and Phil Mealey, also appear in the series.

Sunshine

2008

The Dead Good Show poster
NR

TV sketch comedy featuring Caroline Aherne, John Thomson, and Steve Coogan.

The Dead Good Show

1992

Mrs Merton and Malcolm poster
7.3

Mrs Merton and Malcolm was a six-episode BBC One sitcom produced by Granada Television, and transmitted by BBC One in 1999. The series was written by Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash and Henry Normal. Network DVD published the series on DVD in 2008.

Mrs Merton and Malcolm

1999

Behind the camera

The Royle Family: The New Sofa poster
7.7

Festive special edition of the hit family sitcom. Inspired by Nigella Lawson, Denise decides to cook Christmas dinner for the family. Jim provides the yuletide log and, much to his dismay, Dave's mum and dad are invited to join the festivities.

The Royle Family: The New Sofa

2008

The Royle Family: The New Sofa poster
7.7

Festive special edition of the hit family sitcom. Inspired by Nigella Lawson, Denise decides to cook Christmas dinner for the family. Jim provides the yuletide log and, much to his dismay, Dave's mum and dad are invited to join the festivities.

The Royle Family: The New Sofa

2008

The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring poster
7.0

Christmas is coming but Barbara is not happy. Not only has she lost her wedding ring but Jim has won on a scratch card she found down the back of the sofa whilst looking for the ring and has kept quiet about his hundred pounds winnings. Nor is he especially sympathetic about Dave's impotency problem, though the entire Royle family unite to help recently widowed Joe from next door enjoy a restaurant-style evening in their house with the equally scatty Philomena, whom he has met through a want ad. On Christmas Day Barbara lashes out at Jim for his laziness and juvenile antics - though his description of a busty barmaid cures Dave's problem. However she is in for a pleasant surprise when she discovers just how he spent his scratch card winnings.

The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring

2012

The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring poster
7.0

Christmas is coming but Barbara is not happy. Not only has she lost her wedding ring but Jim has won on a scratch card she found down the back of the sofa whilst looking for the ring and has kept quiet about his hundred pounds winnings. Nor is he especially sympathetic about Dave's impotency problem, though the entire Royle family unite to help recently widowed Joe from next door enjoy a restaurant-style evening in their house with the equally scatty Philomena, whom he has met through a want ad. On Christmas Day Barbara lashes out at Jim for his laziness and juvenile antics - though his description of a busty barmaid cures Dave's problem. However she is in for a pleasant surprise when she discovers just how he spent his scratch card winnings.

The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring

2012

The Security Men poster
NR

A group of night security guards working at the fictional Whittington shopping centre in Greater Manchester must create an elaborate scheme to hide a robbery that has taken place on their watch.

The Security Men

2013

The Fattest Man in Britain poster
5.9

Georgie Godwin is the fattest man in Britain. A tourist attraction, thanks to greedy 'agent, cabbie Morris. Devoted neighbour Janice is Georgie's only other regular outside contact until he meets Amy, a pregnant teenager fleeing a violent boyfriend ,whom he takes in as a lodger. Amy tries to help Georgie change his lifestyle, but Morris is more than keen to stop her ruining his tourist attraction.

The Fattest Man in Britain

2009

The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers poster
7.2

It is Christmas Day in the Royle household and Barbara is up to her eyes in it, as Jim is out of action following an unfortunate incident in the precinct while Dave and Denise are feeling the effects of the recession the most, and worry that Anthony's lavish gifts will eclipse their gift of a fridge magnet.

The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers

2010

The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers poster
7.2

It is Christmas Day in the Royle household and Barbara is up to her eyes in it, as Jim is out of action following an unfortunate incident in the precinct while Dave and Denise are feeling the effects of the recession the most, and worry that Anthony's lavish gifts will eclipse their gift of a fridge magnet.

The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers

2010

The Golden Egg Cup poster
8.0

On Jim and Barbara's wedding anniversary, Jim is frustrated because Barbara wants to celebrate abroad. However, she ends up settling for a stay at a caravan park in the 'Pearl of Prestatyn.' The trip is full of mishaps but…… is it about about The Golden Egg Cup.

The Golden Egg Cup

2009

The Golden Egg Cup poster
8.0

On Jim and Barbara's wedding anniversary, Jim is frustrated because Barbara wants to celebrate abroad. However, she ends up settling for a stay at a caravan park in the 'Pearl of Prestatyn.' The trip is full of mishaps but…… is it about about The Golden Egg Cup.

The Golden Egg Cup

2009