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Bobby Ball

2022-11-17T07:32:03Z

176.103.52.30:

{{short description|British comedian (1944–2020)}}
{{about|the British comedian|the American racing driver|Bobby Ball (racing driver)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Bobby Ball
| image = Bobby Ball.jpg
| caption = Ball in August 2013
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1944|01|28}}
| birth_name = Robert Harper
| birth_place = [[Oldham]], [[Lancashire]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|10|28|1944|01|28|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Blackpool]], Lancashire, England<ref name="Beeb">{{Cite web | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54731384 | title = Bobby Ball: Cannon & Ball star dies aged 76 after Covid-19 diagnosis | work = [[BBC News]] | access-date = 29 October 2020 | date = 29 October 2020}}</ref>
| occupation = Comedian and actor
| years_active = 1972–2020
| spouse = {{Unbulleted list|{{marriage|Joan Lynn|1964|1970|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Yvonne Nugent|1974}}}}
| children = 3
}}
'''Robert Harper''' (28 January 1944 – 28 October 2020), known professionally as '''Bobby Ball''', was a British comic, actor, singer and television host. He was best known as a member of the comic [[double act]] [[Cannon and Ball]], with [[Tommy Cannon]] (Thomas Derbyshire).

They hosted their own [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] show, ''[[The Cannon and Ball Show]]'', for nine years between 1979 and 1988. Ball then went on to star in various sitcoms and dramas including ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'', ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'' and ''[[Not Going Out]]''. In 2005, Ball took part in ''[[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!]]''.

==Early life==
Ball was born at [[Royal Oldham Hospital|Boundary Park General Hospital]] in [[Oldham|Oldham, Lancashire]], on 28 January 1944,<ref name="cannonandball.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.cannonandball.com/biogs.htm|title=Cannon and Ball Biographies|website=Cannonandball.com|access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref> to May (née Savage) and Bob Harper.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&new=1&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=angs-c&gsln=harper&gsln_x=XO&msbpn__ftp=Oldham%2c+Lancashire%2c+England&msbpn=84940&msbpn_PInfo=8-%7c0%7c0%7c3257%7c3251%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c5271%7c84940%7c0%7c&msmns0=savage&cpxt=1&uidh=fa1&cp=11&pcat=34&h=27183118&recoff=4+23&db=ONSBirth84&indiv=1|title=Pay as you go}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bobby Ball obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bobby-ball-qjtph35sk |website=The Times |access-date=30 October 2020 |language=en}}</ref> He attended Crompton House C of E school, Shaw, Oldham, and briefly studied Shipping Management at Wigan Mining & Technical College<ref name="cannonandball.com"/> before going to work in a factory as a welder, where he also met his future partner in comedy, Thomas Derbyshire ([[Tommy Cannon]]).<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-tommy-cannon-amp-bobby-ball-429515.html |title= How we met: Tommy Cannon & Bobby Ball |work= The Independent |access-date=30 August 2018}}</ref>

==Career==
===Cannon and Ball===
{{main|Cannon and Ball}}
Ball was one half of comedy duo Cannon and Ball, opposite his friend and colleague [[Tommy Cannon]].<ref name="bbc">{{cite web |title=Bobby Ball: Cannon & Ball star dies aged 76 after Covid-19 diagnosis |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54731384 |website=BBC News |access-date=30 October 2020 |date=29 October 2020}}</ref> The duo's primetime Saturday night television series ''[[The Cannon and Ball Show]]'', was one of [[LWT]]'s most successful series, with consistently high viewing ratings that lasted for twelve years.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hayward |first1=Anthony |title=Bobby Ball obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/oct/29/bobby-ball-obituary |website=The Guardian |access-date=30 October 2020 |date=29 October 2020}}</ref> They starred in the film ''[[The Boys in Blue]]'' together in 1982 and guest starred in the [[Eric Sykes]] slapstick film, ''[[Mr H Is Late]]'', in 1988.<ref name="bbc"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Mr H Is Late |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/mr_h_is_late/cast_crew/ |website=British Comedy Guide |access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref> Other notable guest appearances were ''[[The Kenny Everett Television Show]]'' in 1982 and ''[[Shooting Stars (British TV series)|Shooting Stars]]'' in 1996.

Cannon and Ball competed in the [[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British series 5)|fifth series]] of ''[[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series)|I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Ant and Dec share poignant tribute to I'm A Celebrity hero Bobby Ball |url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/29/bobby-ball-dead-ant-and-dec-share-poignant-tribute-to-one-of-our-absolute-favourite-im-a-celebrity-camp-mates-13500411/ |website=Metro |access-date=30 October 2020 |language=en |date=29 October 2020}}</ref> and in 2011, Cannon and Ball were guest judges on one episode of ITV's ''[[Show Me the Funny]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Davies |first1=Hannah J. |title=Comedian Bobby Ball dies aged 76 after testing positive for Covid |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/oct/29/comedian-bobby-ball-dies-aged-76-after-testing-positive-for-covid |website=The Guardian |access-date=30 October 2020 |date=29 October 2020}}</ref>

===Television===
Ball was the creator of the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] children's cartoon series ''Military Style!'', which aired in 1990,<ref name="bbc" /> and the [[BBC]] children's cartoon series ''[[Juniper Jungle]]'', which aired in 1992.<ref>{{cite web |title=Juniper Jungle series |url=https://www.comedykings.co.uk/index.php/juniper-jungle-series/ |website=Comedy Kings |access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref> He played Mr. Turner (also known as Topsy Turner) in the ITV drama series ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'' from 2005 to 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cannon & Ball star Bobby Ball dies aged 76 after testing positive for coronavirus |url=https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/celebrities/bobby-ball-dead-cannon-ball-76-coronavirus/ |website=Heart |access-date=30 October 2020 |language=en}}</ref> From 2005 to 2008, he played Lenny in the BBC series ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]''.<ref name="bbc"/> In 2009, Ball starred in the comedy ''[[The Fattest Man in Britain]]'' playing Morris Morrissey.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Fattest Man In Britain – ITV Comedy Drama |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_fattest_man_in_britain/ |website=British Comedy Guide |access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref>

In 2009, Ball was cast as Frank in the long-running [[BBC One]] Sitcom ''[[Not Going Out]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Not Going Out fans remember the late Bobby Ball's scene-stealing role as Frank |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/bobby-ball-not-going-out-death-frank-lee-mack-covid-b1420561.html |website=The Independent |access-date=30 October 2020 |language=en |date=29 October 2020}}</ref> He first made a guest appearance in 2009 and two further guest appearances in 2011 (Series 4) and 2012 (Series 5), and became a recurring fixture from series 6 onwards. He appeared in the 2015 Christmas special, and returned alongside the cast for the eighth series in 2017, the ninth series in 2018 and the tenth series in 2019. Ball made his final appearance as Frank in the eleventh season, which began airing in January 2021, and was filmed a few weeks before his death.

From 2011 to 2017, Ball played Barry in the [[Sky1]] sitcom series ''[[Mount Pleasant (TV series)|Mount Pleasant]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fitzpatrick |first1=Katie |title=TV legends Bobby Ball and Paula Wilcox delighted to be back on Mount Pleasant |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/tv-legends-bobby-ball-paula-10157439 |website=Manchester Evening News |access-date=30 October 2020 |language=en |date=29 September 2015}}</ref> The following year, he took part in [[BBC One]]'s ''[[Pointless (game show)|Pointless Celebrities]]'' alongside Cannon.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bobby Ball and Lee Mack's disastrous appearance on Pointless remembered by fans |url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/29/bobby-ball-and-lee-macks-disastrous-appearance-on-pointless-remembered-by-fans-after-cannon-ball-stars-death-13500292/ |website=Metro |access-date=30 October 2020 |language=en |date=29 October 2020}}</ref> His second appearance on the show was for a ''[[Children in Need]]'' special in November 2013 with [[Lee Mack]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a531133/mcfly-lee-mack-terry-wogan-for-pointless-children-in-need-special.html|title=McFly, Lee Mack, Terry Wogan for 'Pointless' Children in Need special|author=Jamie Harris|date=14 November 2013|work=Digital Spy}}</ref>

In 2013, Ball played the role of Duckers in the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] sitcom pilot ''[[The Security Men]]'', starring alongside the likes of [[Brendan O'Carroll]] and [[Paddy McGuinness]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Security Men – ITV Comedy Drama |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_security_men/ |website=British Comedy Guide |access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref> The episode, written by [[Caroline Aherne]] and [[Jeff Pope]], was later not picked up for a full series. Cannon and Ball appeared in ITV's ''Last Laugh in Vegas'' in 2018. Cannon and Ball have also previously starred in the [[Safestyle UK]] television advertisements.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.tellyads.com/play_advert/?filename=TA0998&type=recent |title= Safestyle UK – Cannon & Ball |work= Telly Ads |access-date=30 August 2018}}</ref>

In November 2019, he played the regular character Ray, stepdad to [[Joe Wilkinson|Joe Wilkinson's]] character Simon, in ''[[The Cockfields]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_cockfields/|title=The Cockfields – Gold Sitcom|last=Guide|first=British Comedy|website=British Comedy Guide|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-11-19}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Ball married his first wife, Joan Lynn, in 1964,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&new=1&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=angs-g&gsln=harper&gsln_x=XO&msgdy=1964&msgpn__ftp=Oldham%2c+Lancashire%2c+England&msgpn=84940&msgpn_PInfo=8-%7c0%7c0%7c3257%7c3251%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c5271%7c84940%7c0%7c&cpxt=1&catBucket=rstp&uidh=fa1&cp=11&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=36654119&db=ONSmarriage1984&indiv=1|title=Pay as you go}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Comedian Bobby Ball (76), of Cannon & Ball fame, dies after testing positive for Covid-19 |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/comedian-bobby-ball-76-of-cannon-ball-fame-dies-after-testing-positive-for-covid-19-1.4394374 |newspaper=The Irish Times |access-date=30 October 2020 |language=en}}</ref> with whom he had two sons, Robert (born 1965) and Darren (born 1969), who are now a comedy double act in their own right, performing under their surname 'Harper'. Ball and Lynn separated in 1970.

Ball married his second wife, Yvonne Nugent,<ref>{{cite web |title=Bobby Ball's wife Yvonne pays tribute following the shock death of the beloved comedian |url=https://www.entertainmentdaily.co.uk/news/who-is-bobby-balls-wife-and-when-did-he-meet-tommy-cannon/ |website=Entertainment Daily |access-date=30 October 2020 |date=29 October 2020}}</ref> in 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=ONSmarriage1984&rank=1&new=1&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=angs-d&gsfn=robert+&gsln=harper&gsln_x=XO&msgdy=1972&msgpn__ftp=Oldham%2c+Lancashire%2c+England&msgpn=84940&msgpn_PInfo=8-%7c0%7c0%7c3257%7c3251%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c5271%7c84940%7c0%7c&dbOnly=_F0005648%7c_F0005648_x%2c_F0006310%7c_F0006310_x&uidh=fa1&pcat=BMD_MARRIAGE&fh=2&h=20734085&recoff=|title=Pay as you go}}</ref><ref>Marriages – https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl – Robert Harper – Middleton January, February, March 1974</ref> In an interview on [[BBC Tees]] on 28 June 2016, Ball said that he met Yvonne while performing with Cannon at a club in [[Norton, County Durham]]: "We were playing there ... she came downstairs in a little mini skirt, looked at me and Tommy, shook her head and walked away. I thought, 'I'd spend my life with her.'"

Ball and his wife lived in [[Lytham St Annes|Lytham St Annes, Lancashire]]. Together they had a daughter Joanne born in 1972.<ref>{{cite web |title=Here's how Bobby Ball made his name as one of the UK's best loved comics |date=29 October 2020 |url=https://theguideliverpool.com/heres-how-bobby-ball-made-his-name-as-one-of-the-uks-best-loved-comics/ |publisher=The Guide Liverpool |access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-tommy-cannon-amp-bobby-ball-429515.html|title=How we met: Tommy Cannon & Bobby Ball – Profiles – News – The Independent|date=24 December 2006|work=The Independent}}</ref>

By 1983, Ball's friendship with Cannon had deteriorated and the pair did not speak to each other outside of rehearsals and performances. In 1986, while working at the [[Bradford Alhambra]], Ball began talking with chaplain Max Wrigley. Ball said: "I got talking to him and attacked him verbally about God. But he had a peace about him. I can't explain exactly what he had but he had something that I didn't have. One day I asked to speak to him and after a while he said, 'Let's pray.' I'd never prayed in my life but we prayed and it just changed my life – like that [he snaps his fingers]."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/bobby-balls-chance-meeting-saved-22924028|title=Bobby Ball's chance meeting that saved his friendship with Tommy Cannon|website=[[Daily Mirror]] |date=29 October 2020}}</ref> Shortly afterward Ball became a [[Christians|Christian]],<ref>{{cite web |title='He could not hold back talking about his faith': friends pay tribute to Bobby Ball's unashamed Christian faith – Premier Christian News {{!}} Headlines, Breaking News, Comment & Analysis |url=https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/he-could-not-hold-back-talking-about-his-faith-friends-pay-tribute-to-bobby-ball-s-unashamed-christian-faith |website=premierchristian.news |access-date=30 October 2020 |language=en}}</ref> which helped re-kindle his broken friendship with Cannon.<ref name="independent1">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-tommy-cannon-amp-bobby-ball-429515.html |title=How we met: Tommy Cannon & Bobby Ball – Profiles – People |work=The Independent |date=24 December 2006 |access-date=22 April 2013}}</ref> Cannon became a Christian in 1992, with the pair publishing a book called ''Christianity for Beginners''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comedykings.co.uk/index.php/christianity-for-beginners/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213062019/http://www.comedykings.co.uk/index.php/books/christianity-for-beginners|url-status=dead|title=Christianity for Beginners|archive-date=13 December 2010|website=Comedykings.co.uk|access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref> They regularly featured in their own gospel and "An audience with..." show in churches around the country. He also taught vicars and clergy how to incorporate humor in sermons.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McCarthy|first=Nick|date=2015-09-08|title=Churches hire Bobby Ball and Don Maclean to teach vicars comedy to boost dwindling congregations|url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/churches-hire-bobby-ball-don-10006716|access-date=2021-01-12|website=BirminghamLive|language=en}}</ref>

He published an autobiography, entitled ''My Life'', in 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-10-29|title=Bobby Ball obituary|url=http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/oct/29/bobby-ball-obituary|access-date=2021-01-12|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

He was a supporter of the [[Variety, the Children's Charity|Variety]] Children's Charity, presiding over the organization's ceremonies and appearing in fundraising events.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-10-29|title=Variety pays tribute to comedian Bobby Ball|url=https://www.variety.org.uk/news/2020/10/variety-children-s-charity-pays-tribute-comedian-bobby-ball|access-date=2021-01-12|website=Variety, the Children's Charity|language=en}}</ref> He received a lifetime achievement honor from Variety, in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Last Laugh star Bobby has a Ball in aid of children's charity|url=https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/last-laugh-star-bobby-has-ball-aid-childrens-charity-671080|access-date=2021-01-12|website=www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk|language=en}}</ref>

==Death==
Ball died from [[COVID-19]] complications at the [[Blackpool Victoria Hospital|Victoria Hospital]] in [[Blackpool]] on 28 October 2020, at the age of 76.<ref name="Beeb"/><ref name="Needham 2020">{{cite news |last1=Needham |first1=Lucy |title=Cannon & Ball star Bobby Ball dies at 76|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/breaking-bobby-ball-dead-cannon-22923782 |access-date=29 October 2020 |website=Mirror.co.uk |date=29 October 2020 |language=en}}</ref> A small tribute was paid to Ball after the closing credits of the 2021 New Year's special of ''[[Not Going Out]]'', which was the first episode broadcast after his death. A longer tribute of about 2 minutes was broadcast at the end of Series 11 Episode 5 entitled War, his last television performance, which was first aired on 5 February 2021.

==Filmography==
;Film
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year
! Show
! Role
|-
| 1982
| ''[[The Boys in Blue]]''
| PC Bobby Ball
|-
| 1988
| ''Mr H Is Late''
| Driver's mate
|}

;Television
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year
! Show
! Role
|-
|1972
|''[[Opportunity Knocks (UK TV series)|Opportunity Knocks]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.memorabletv.com/episodes/opportunity-knocks-monday-17-april-1972-with-cannon-and-ball-hughie-green/ |work=Memorable TV |title=Opportunity Knocks: Cannon & Ball |access-date=6 November 2020}}</ref>
|
|-
|1974
|''Win, Place or Steal''
|Professor
|-
| 1979–1988
| ''[[The Cannon and Ball Show]]''
| Himself (co-star)
|-
| 1980
| ''Summer Royal''
| Himself{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| rowspan=2|1982
| ''The Kenny Everett Show''
| Himself (guest){{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
|''The Children's Royal Variety Performance''
|Cast member
|-
| 1983
|''The Boys in Blue''
|Police Constable Bobby Ball
|-
|1986
|''Tommy Cooper''
|
|-
|rowspan=4|1987
|''Prisoners in Park Lane''
|
|-
|''Anything but the Truth''
|
|-
|''Slightly Overweight''
|
|-
|''Splash''
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1988
|''A Night of Comic Relief''
|
|-
|''Mr. H. is Late''
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1990
|''Day out with Dana''
|
|-
|''Casino''
|Host (3 episodes)
|-
|1991
| ''[[Plaza Patrol]]''
| Trevor Purvis (6 episodes)
|-
|1993
|''Gloria!''
|
|-
| 1996
| ''Shooting Stars''
| Himself (guest)
|-
|rowspan=2|1997
|''Surprise, Surprise''
|
|-
|''Babies''
|Sam Clarington
|-
| rowspan=2|2004
| ''[[Revolver (2001 TV series)|Revolver]]''
| Various characters{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| ''[[The Royal (TV series)|The Royal]]''
| John Wilson{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| 2005
| ''[[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series)|I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!]]''
| Himself (contestant)
|-
| 2005–2008
| ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]''
| Lenny{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| 2005–2006
| ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]''
| Mr. Turner/Topsy Turner{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
|2006
|''It's Behind You...''
|
|-
| 2007
| ''[[The Afternoon Play]]''
| Bingo Manager{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| 2009
| ''[[The Fattest Man in Britain]]''
| Morris
|-
| 2009–2021
| ''[[Not Going Out]]''
| Frank (Lee's Dad)
|-
| 2010
| ''[[All Star Mr & Mrs]]''
| Himself (contestant){{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Show Me the Funny]]''
| Himself (guest judge){{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
|2011–2017
| ''[[Mount Pleasant (TV series)|Mount Pleasant]]''
| Barry
|-
|rowspan=4|2012
|''Blackpool: Big Night Out''
|
|-
| ''[[Coach Trip]]''
| Himself (guest)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fletcher |first1=Alex |title='Celebrity Coach Trip' lineup revealed |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a358554/big-brother-nikki-aisleyne-paul-burrell-sign-for-celeb-coach-trip/ |website=Digital Spy |access-date=15 February 2021 |date=5 January 2012}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]''
| Gerry Davies{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| ''[[Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Specials#2012|Strictly Come Dancing: Christmas Special]]''
| Himself (contestant)<ref>{{cite web |title=Bobby Ball and Katya Virshilas dance the American Smooth to 'White Christmas' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0130gwy |website=www.bbc.co.uk |access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2|2013
|''Success and Television''
|
|-
|''[[The Security Men]]''
| Duckers
|-
| 2018
| ''Last Laugh in Vegas''
| Himself <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/last-laugh-vegas-0|title=Press Releases|website=Itv.com|access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref>
|-
|2018
| ''[[Benidorm (British TV series)|Benidorm]]''
|Ron Pickford
|-
|2019
| ''[[The Cockfields]]''
|Ray
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.bobbyball.info Official website]
*[http://www.cannonandball.com Cannon and Ball official website]
*{{IMDb name|0050347}}
*{{British Comedy Guide|people|bobby_ball}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Bobby}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Converts to Christianity]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:English stand-up comedians]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English television personalities]]
[[Category:Male actors from Oldham]]
[[Category:English Christians]]
[[Category:AAA Championship Car drivers]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:21st-century English comedians]]
[[Category:I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants]]
[[Category:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England]]

Caroline Aherne

2022-11-15T19:52:50Z

176.103.52.30: /* Personal life, illness and death */

{{short description|English actress, comedian and writer (1963–2016)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Caroline Aherne
|image = Caroline_Aherne_2001.jpg
|image_size = 175px
|caption = Aherne in 2001
|birth_date = {{birth date|1963|12|24|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[Ealing]], [[London]], England
|death_date = {{death date and age|2016|7|2|1963|12|24|df=y}}
|death_place = [[Timperley]], [[Greater Manchester]], England
|alma_mater = [[Liverpool John Moores University|Liverpool Polytechnic]]
|occupation = Actress, comedian, writer
|years_active = 1990–2016
|notable_works ={{Flat list |''[[The Fast Show]]'' (1994–2014) ''[[The Mrs Merton Show]]'' (1995–1998) ''[[The Royle Family]]'' (1998–2000, 2006–2012) ''[[Gogglebox]]'' (2013–2016)
}}
|spouse = {{marriage|[[Peter Hook]]|1994|1997|end=div}}
}}
'''Caroline Mary Aherne'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.findmypast.co.uk/results/world-records/england-and-wales-births-1837-2006?firstname=caroline&lastname=aherne&eventyear=1964&eventyear_offset=2&county=london|title=findmypast.co.uk}}</ref> (24 December 1963 – 2 July 2016) was an English actress, comedian and writer. She was best known for performing as the acerbic chat show host ''[[The Mrs Merton Show|Mrs Merton]]'', in various roles in ''[[The Fast Show]]'', and as Denise in ''[[The Royle Family]]'', a series which she co-wrote. She won [[BAFTA]] awards for her work on ''The Mrs Merton Show'' and ''The Royle Family''.

Aherne narrated the [[Channel 4]] reality television series ''[[Gogglebox]]'' from its inception in 2013 until 8 April 2016. Aherne died of cancer at the age of 52.

==Early life==
Aherne was born in [[Ealing]], [[London]], on 24 December 1963, the second child of Irish parents Bartholomew Edmond "Bert" Aherne, a railwayman with [[London Transport Board|London Transport]], and Mary Frances "Maureen" Aherne (''née'' Regan).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Aherne, Caroline Mary (1963–2016), comedian, actress, and writer|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-111392|access-date=2021-08-02|website=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|year=2020|language=en|doi=10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.111392|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8|last1=Evans|first1=Jeff}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=RnS6GxLscVPNA4DpLd872A&scan=1|title=Index entry|access-date=19 July 2020|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}}</ref><ref name="manchester2002-uk1">{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/celebs/broadcasters1.html |title=Manchester Television Broadcasters and Film Actors including Caroline Aherne... |publisher=Manchester2002-uk.com |access-date=27 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719071036/http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/celebs/broadcasters1.html |archive-date=19 July 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> From the age of two, Aherne was brought up in [[Wythenshawe]], [[Manchester]].<ref name="screenonline">Rinaldi, Graham. "[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/458572/index.html Aherne, Caroline (1963–)]". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved on 25 August 2007.</ref> Like her brother, Patrick, Aherne had [[retinoblastoma]] in childhood, which left her partially sighted in one eye.<ref name="screenonline.org.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/458572/ |title=BFI Screenonline: Aherne, Caroline (1963–) Biography |publisher=Screenonline.org.uk |date=24 December 1963 |access-date=22 April 2013}}</ref>

She attended the [[Hollies Convent FCJ School]] in [[West Didsbury]] and then studied drama at [[Liverpool John Moores University|Liverpool Polytechnic]].<ref name="manchester2002-uk1" />

==Career==
===Early career===
Aherne began performing on the Manchester comedy circuit as characters such as Mitzi Goldberg, lead singer of the comedy country and western act the Mitzi Goldberg Experience, and Sister Mary Immaculate, an Irish nun.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Belcher|first1=David|title=Behind the laughter lines|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/behind-the-laughter-lines-1.256807|access-date=27 January 2015|work=Herald Scotland|publisher=Herald & Times Group|date=18 December 1999}}</ref>

The Mrs Merton character originated as a voice on the 1988 [[Frank Sidebottom]] album titled ''5:9:88'', after Aherne worked as a receptionist for his show on [[Piccadilly Radio]].<ref name="kelner">{{cite news|author= Kelner, Martin|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/a-warm-and-gentle-kicking-1572047.html|title= A warm and gentle kicking|work= [[The Independent]]|date= 8 February 1995|access-date = 27 September 2021}}</ref> Aherne was then invited by DJ [[Martin Kelner]] to develop the character on his show, where she would spend many years appearing as a comedy [[Advice column|agony aunt]] across the north of England on the [[BBC Night Network]].<ref name="kelner" />

In 1990 Aherne became a late night radio presenter on [[KFM Radio (104.9)|KFM Radio]] in Stockport, joining a line-up which included [[Craig Cash]] as well as [[Jon Ronson]], Spence MacDonnald and [[The Word (TV series)|''The Word'']]'s [[Terry Christian]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/themrsmertonshow/ | title=The MRS Merton Show }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/raw-northern-and-working-class-no-wonder-so-many-tv-luvvies-didn-t-get-caroline-aherne-a7116876.html | title=Terry Christian: Raw and northern – no wonder TV's luvvies didn't get Caroline Aherne | website=[[Independent.co.uk]] | date=3 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.kfmradio.co.uk/about-us/ | title=KFM Radio | About Us }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jul/02/caroline-aherne | title=Caroline Aherne obituary | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=2 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.thepiratearchive.net/kfm-stockport/ | title=KFM - Stockport | date=25 July 2020 }}</ref>

Aherne's first TV appearances were as Mrs Merton in a semi-regular spot on the [[Granada TV]] discussion show ''Upfront'' in 1990. After that Mrs Merton became the regular celebrity interviewer on Granada's Saturday morning show ''Express!'', a youth TV programme presented by [[I Am Kloot]]'s [[John Bramwell|John 'Johnny Dangerously' Bramwell]]<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jul/04/i-am-kloot-feature | title=I Am Kloot: 'I hope we're going to reach people who have never heard us' | Music feature | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=3 July 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Preview%3B+JOHN+BRAMWELLThe+Kazimier.-a0366318872 | title=Preview; JOHN BRAMWELLThe Kazimier. - Free Online Library }}</ref> and Sumy Kuraishe from a number of random locations in the north west. In 1992, Aherne appeared as Mrs Merton in the local [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]] series, ''Frank’s Fantastic Shed Show'', with Chris Sievey in his Frank Sidebottom persona.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/jul/13/mrs-merton-caroline-aherne-comic | title=MRS Merton and the naughty nun: Caroline Aherne's first comedy gigs | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=13 July 2021 }}</ref> For this Leeds-based ITV station Aherne had recorded a pilot of ''Mrs Murton's Nightcap'',<ref>"[http://theafterword.co.uk/mrs-murtons-nightcap/ Mrs Murton's Nightcap]". theafterword.co.uk. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2017</ref> but they had not pursued the concept. In 1993, she made brief appearances in ''[[The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer]]'' and alongside [[Steve Coogan]] and [[John Thomson (comedian)|John Thomson]] in a Granada TV pilot entitled ''The Dead Good Show''.

She rose to prominence in 1994 as her created character Mrs Merton on the mock chat show ''[[The Mrs Merton Show]]'' under her married name of Caroline Hook.<ref name="kelner" /> The guests were real-life celebrities, not actors, who found themselves the subject of outrageous ''faux-naïf'' questions – in one memorable example the wife of magician [[Paul Daniels]], [[Debbie McGee]], was asked "So, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4788517.stm |title=Entertainment | Kay dishes up best TV one-liner |work=BBC News |date=13 August 2006 |access-date=27 June 2013}}</ref> - while a regular audience of pensioners were used each week for Mrs Merton to bounce questions off.

Another episode featured comedian [[Bernard Manning]] and actor [[Richard Wilson (Scottish actor)|Richard Wilson]]. Manning clashed with Wilson and Aherne as she asked him about his racist attitudes at one point saying, “Who do you vote for now [[Hitler]]'s dead?”, although he acknowledged that ''[[One Foot in the Grave]]'' was funny. The series ran in various formats from 1994 to 1997, winning a [[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA for Best Talk Show]] in 1997.<ref name="Guardian"/> The success of the show was partly attributed to the "round vowel sounds of the North West accent" which "naturally sound safe and unthreatening" and which allowed the character "to ask the most outrageous, below-the-belt questions of her guest stars".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/northwest/series7/comedy_accents.shtml|title=BBC Inside Out – North West comedy|publisher=bbc.co.uk |date=17 January 2005 |access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>

The Mrs Merton character was given a sitcom, ''[[Mrs Merton and Malcolm]]'', which depicted her home life with her "mummy's boy" son (played by co-writer Craig Cash). This aspect of Malcolm's character was exaggerated to the point that many complained the series ridiculed those with learning difficulties.<ref name="Learning Difficulties Criticism">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27392549 | title=Obituary: Caroline Aherne | publisher=BBC | date=2 July 2016 | access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref> ''Mrs Merton and Malcolm'' lasted one series, and was released on DVD in 2008.

Between 1994 and 1997 she appeared in and wrote for the BBC comedy series ''[[The Fast Show]]''. One of her most notable characters was the "Chanel 9 Neus" meteorologist Poula Fisch, who invariably reported a temperature for all locations of 45 °C (113 °F) while exclaiming "Scorchio!" with apparent surprise. Other characters included the endlessly chattering [[Northern England|northern]] Renée, wife of submissive husband Roy and supermarket Checkout Girl who, by way of conversation, would comment nosily and judgementally on each item a customer had bought.

===''The Royle Family''===
Aherne's most popular creation is the situation comedy ''[[The Royle Family]]'', which she co-created and wrote with Cash, and directed in its third series. The programme ran for three series from 1998 to 2000. Aherne starred alongside [[Ricky Tomlinson]] and [[Sue Johnston]], as their daughter Denise Royle. The show was a commercial and critical success, and ran for three series with a total of 20 episodes as well as five one-offs made for showing at Christmas. After a 2000 spoof documentary with Cash entitled ''Back Passage to India'', Aherne said ''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. Aherne received [[British Academy Television Award for Best Situation Comedy|BAFTAs for Best Sitcom]] in 2000 and 2007,<ref name="Guardian"/> and she won the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy Performance|BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance]] in 2000. She was nominated for directing in 2001.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/02/caroline-aherne-actor-comedian-dies-52-royle-family|title=Caroline Aherne, actor and comedian, dies aged 52|first1=David|last1=Batty|first2=Chris|last2=Johnston|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=2 July 2016|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>

===Later career===
Following a disagreement with Cash, Aherne moved to [[Australia]], retreating from the press. She wrote ''[[Dossa and Joe]]'' which was screened on [[BBC Two]] in 2002. Although critics applauded it, the show failed to attract viewers and did not return for a second series. Returning to Britain, she began work on another sitcom with Cash, but pulled out, after which Cash wrote ''[[Early Doors]]'' with [[Phil Mealey]]; Aherne was listed in the credits in the "Thanks To" section.

After ''Dossa and Joe'', Aherne avoided media attention. When ''The Fast Show'' was featured on the [[BBC One]] show ''[[Comedy Connections]]'', Aherne was the only cast member not interviewed. In April 2006, the BBC said Aherne and Cash were developing a script for a one-off special of ''The Royle Family''. ''The Royle Family: The Queen of Sheba'' was broadcast on 29 October 2006, to an audience of 7.8 million. Aherne subsequently made few TV appearances. On 14 October 2008, she appeared in the BBC comedy drama ''[[Sunshine (UK TV series)|Sunshine]]'', written by Cash and Phil Mealey, as a barmaid. She appeared in ''The Royle Family'' special "The New Sofa" on Christmas Day 2008. In 2009, she appeared in another special for [[Comic Relief]], as well as another Christmas Day special entitled "The Golden Eggcup".

She co-wrote the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] comedy-drama ''[[The Fattest Man in Britain]]'', which was broadcast in December 2009. In November 2010, Aherne appeared in the special ''The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa'' shown on [[Gold (UK TV channel)|Gold]], featuring clips of ''The Royle Family'' and interviews with Aherne, Cash and the cast, which was followed by another Christmas Day special, "Joe's Crackers". She narrated a BBC1 documentary series ''[[Pound Shop Wars]]'' broadcast in November 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nts9x |title=BBC One – Pound Shop Wars |publisher=BBC.co.uk |date=5 December 2012 |access-date=27 June 2013}}</ref> She also appeared in ''The Fast Show'' internet specials, sponsored by the lager brand [[Foster's Group|Fosters]], which reunited most of the original principal cast; only [[Mark Williams (actor)|Mark Williams]] was unable to participate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fosters.co.uk/tagged/The_Fast_Show |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105230039/http://fosters.co.uk/tagged/The_Fast_Show |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 November 2011 |title=Foster's – The Fast Show |publisher=Fosters.co.uk |access-date=22 April 2013 }}</ref>

Aherne wrote the 2013 one-off sitcom ''[[The Security Men]]'', along with [[Jeff Pope]] for ITV. The episode starred [[Paddy McGuinness]], [[Brendan O'Carroll]], [[Dean Andrews]], [[Bobby Ball]] and [[Peter Wight (actor)|Peter Wight]].

Aherne's final major role was as narrator of the [[Channel 4]] comedy reality series ''[[Gogglebox]]'', reflecting her character in ''The Royle Family'', who would frequently be watching TV and commenting on it. Cash filled in when she was unavailable and took over the role permanently in April 2016.

Aherne's final on-screen appearance came in the [[Sky One]] show ''[[After Hours (2015 British TV series)|After Hours]]'', where she was reunited with Cash who produced and directed the show. She played the role of Sheila.

==Personal life, illness and death==
Aherne was married to [[Peter Hook]] of the bands [[Joy Division]] and [[New Order (band)|New Order]] from 1994 until 1997. During their marriage, he appeared in her TV series ''The Mrs Merton Show'' as leader of Hooky & the Boys, the show's house band.<ref name="screenonline.org.uk"/> After her death, Hook said that he was repeatedly physically abused by Aherne during their marriage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/02/shes-going-to-stab-me-peter-hook-reveals-details-of-turbulent-ma/|title='She's Going to Stab Me': Peter Hook Reveals Details of Turbulent Marriage to Caroline Aherne|work=The Telegraph|date=2 October 2016|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Halliday|first=Josh|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/oct/03/peter-hook-caroline-aherne-physically-abusive-during-marriage|title=Peter Hook says Caroline Aherne was physically abusive during marriage|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=3 October 2016|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref>

Aherne struggled with [[Depression (mood)|depression]] and [[alcoholism]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27392549|title=Obituary: Caroline Aherne|work=BBC News|date=2 July 2016|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref> Before ''[[The Royle Family]]'' began, she suffered from depression and attempted suicide in July 1998 after the death of her former boyfriend, BBC technician Matt Bowers, from [[stomach cancer]] in 1997 and the end of a relationship with American actor, [[Alexis Denisof]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>[https://www.thefreelibrary.com/MRS+MERTON+SUICIDE+ATTEMPT%3B+Caroline+takes+pills+overdose.-a060667554 MRS MERTON SUICIDE ATTEMPT; Caroline takes pills overdose], ''[[Daily Mirror]]'', 7 July 1998</ref> She checked in to the [[Priory Hospital|Priory]], where she was diagnosed as a [[binge drinking|binge alcoholic]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/07/02/caroline-aherne-comedienne--obituary/|title=Caroline Aherne, comedian – obituary|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=2 July 2016|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref>

She suffered from [[bladder cancer]] and a rare cancer of the [[retina]].<ref name="Viner">{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/profile-caroline-ahern-the-queen-of-comedy-1133097.html | title=Profile: Caroline Aherne, the queen of comedy | work=[[The Independent]] | date=18 December 1999 | access-date=13 May 2014 |last=Viner|first=Brian}}</ref> In 2014, she embarked on a programme of treatment for [[lung cancer]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Caroline Aherne, Royle Family star, has lung cancer|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27389409|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=13 May 2014}}</ref> In June 2014, Aherne appeared in Manchester at the launch of the [[Macmillan Cancer Support|Macmillan Cancer Improvement Partnership]] (MCIP), a £3.4m scheme to co-ordinate cancer care in the city. She spoke about how a sense of humour had helped her cope with the disease.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28032961 |title=Caroline Aherne: Humour helps deal with cancer |work =[[BBC News]] |date=26 June 2014|access-date = 27 September 2021}}</ref> In 2016, Aherne became the voice behind the UK government's "One You" health campaign, to persuade people to cut down on cigarettes and alcohol.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/caroline-aherne-voice-new-health-11219060|title=Caroline Aherne to voice new health campaign urging people to cut down on smoking and booze|last=Qureshi|first=Yakub|date=21 April 2016|work=[[Manchester Evening News]]|access-date=22 April 2016}}</ref>

On the morning of 2 July 2016, Aherne died of lung cancer at her home in [[Timperley]] at the age of 52.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36694598|title=Comedian Caroline Aherne dies at 52|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/02/breaking-actress-caroline-aherne-dies-after-brave-battle-with-ca/|title=Caroline Aherne, comedian, actress and creator of The Royle Family, dies after 'brave' battle with cancer|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=2 July 2016 |access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref> Aherne had told family and close friends in May that she was terminally ill.<ref>{{cite work|url=http://metro.co.uk/2016/07/04/caroline-aherne-was-alone-when-she-died-at-home-5983547/|title=Caroline Aherne was alone when she died at home|last=Lee|first=Ann|date=4 July 2016|work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]}}</ref> Her funeral took place on 14 July 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Percival|first1=Ash|title=Caroline Aherne Funeral: 'Royle Family' Actress Laid To Rest After Private Ceremony|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/caroline-aherne-funeral_uk_5788a9f1e4b08078d6e87283|work=Huffpost UK|access-date=16 August 2017|date=15 July 2016}}</ref> Many friends and co-stars were also in attendance.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2016071532427/caroline-aherne-funeral/|title= Friends and family gather for Caroline Aherne's funeral|publisher=www.hellomagazine.com|date= 15 July 2016}}</ref>

In October 2016, [[Steve Coogan]] paid tribute to Aherne at the [[Stand Up to Cancer UK|Stand Up to Cancer 2016]] event, speaking about her before a video was played of her TV moments, and then [[Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds]] performed ''The Royle Family'' theme tune "[[Half the World Away]]".

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Actor
! scope="col" | Writer
! scope="col" | Acting role
! scope="col" | Additional information
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1992
| style="text-align:center;" |''Frank Sidebottom's Fantastic Shed Show''
| {{yes}}
| {{N/a|No}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Mrs Merton
| 3 episodes
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1992
| style="text-align:center;" |''The Dead Good Show''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Various characters
| Unknown episode(s)
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1993
| style="text-align:center;" |''It's a Mad World, World, World, World''
| {{yes}}
| {{N/a|No}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Various characters
| TV Special
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1993
| style="text-align:center;" |''Comic Timing''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Mrs Merton
| 1 episode
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1994–2014
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[The Fast Show]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Various characters
| 25 episodes (acting) 10 episodes (writing)
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1995
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[The World of Lee Evans]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{N/a|No}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Daughter
| 1 episode
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1995
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{N/a|No}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Woman with Dog / Flatulent Mother
| 2 episodes
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1995–1998
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[The Mrs Merton Show]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Mrs Merton
| Leading role – 4 series (29 episodes)
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1996
| style="text-align:center;" |''Auntie's All-Time Greats''
| {{yes}}
| {{N/a|No}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Mrs Merton
| TV special
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1998–2000, 2006–2012
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[The Royle Family]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Denise Royle
| Leading role – 3 series & 7 specials (25 episodes) 11 episodes (director) 8 episodes (associate producer)
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1999
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Mrs Merton and Malcolm]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Mrs Merton
| 1 series (6 episodes) Additional served as associate producer
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2002
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Dossa and Joe]]''
| {{N/a|No}}
| {{N/a|No}}
| {{N/a}}
| Director & executive producer (6 episodes)
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2008
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Sunshine (UK TV series)|Sunshine]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{N/a|No}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Donna
| Miniseries (episode 2)
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2009
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[The Fattest Man in Britain]]''
| {{N/a|No}}
| {{yes}}
| {{N/a}}
| Television film
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2013
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[The Security Men]]''
| {{N/a|No}}
| {{N/a|No}}
| {{N/a}}
| Television drama – executive producer
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2013–2014
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Strange Hill High]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{N/a|No}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Stephanie
| 2 series (26 episodes) Additional voice roles
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2015
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[After Hours (2015 British TV series)|After Hours]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{N/a|No}}
| style="text-align:center;" |Sheila
| 2 episodes
|}

==Awards==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan=4| 1997
| [[1997 British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA Awards]]
| Best Talk Show
| rowspan=4|''[[The Mrs Merton Show]]''
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="Guardian"/>
|-
| rowspan=2| [[British Comedy Awards#1997|British Comedy Awards]]
| Best BBC1 Personality
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcomedyawards.com/past-winners/1996.aspx|title=Past winners 1996|publisher=British Comedy Awards|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| Best Female Comedy Performer
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcomedyawards.com/past-winners/1997.aspx|title=Past Winners 1997|publisher=British Comedy Awards|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| [[TRIC Awards]]
| New TV Talent of the Year
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/I'll+never+marry+again+but+I+hope+Hooky+and+I+can+be+friends+one+day%3B...-a061129809|title=I'll never marry again but I hope Hooky and I can be friends one day; Mrs Merton exclusive|last=Hughes|first=Chris|date=13 March 1997|work=[[Daily Mirror]]|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=4| 1999
| rowspan=2| [[1999 British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA Awards]]
| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy (Programme or Series)|Best Comedy Series]]
| rowspan=2| ''[[The Royle Family]]''
| {{Nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1999/television/comedy-programme-or-series|title=Television Comedy – Programme or Series in 1999|publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy Performance|Best Comedy Performance]]
| {{Nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1999/television/comedy-performance|title=Television Comedy Performance in 1999|publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| [[British Comedy Awards#1999|British Comedy Awards]]
| Best TV Comedy Actress
| ''The Royle Family'' and ''Mrs Merton and Malcolm''
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcomedyawards.com/past-winners/1999.aspx|title=Past Winners 1999|publisher=British Comedy Awards|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| [[Broadcasting Press Guild Awards]]
| Writer's Award
| rowspan=8| ''The Royle Family''
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/bpgawards/1999-2/|title=1999 Presented at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane| date=31 December 2007 |publisher=[[Broadcasting Press Guild]]|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=4| 2000
| rowspan=2| [[2000 British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA Awards]]
| Best Comedy Performance
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="Guardian"/>
|-
| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Scripted Comedy|Best Situation Comedy]]
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="Guardian"/>
|-
| rowspan=2| [[Royal Television Society Awards]]
| Best Sitcom
| {{Nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/686583.stm|title=Dame Thora's awards double|date=22 March 2000|work=BBC News|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| Best Writer
| {{Won}}
|-
| rowspan=3| 2001
| TRIC Awards
| Comedy Programme
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="1"|<ref>{{Cite news|date=2001-03-13|title=Robinson booed at awards|language=en-GB|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1218732.stm|access-date=2022-06-07}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=3| BAFTA Awards
| Best Comedy Performance
| {{Nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1280122.stm|title=The Bafta TV nominations|date=16 April 2001|work=BBC News|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| Best Situation Comedy
| {{Nom}}
|-
| rowspan=2| 2007
| Best Situation Comedy
| rowspan=2| ''The Royle Family'': "Queen of Sheba"
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="Guardian"/>
|-
| Royal Television Society Awards
| Best Comedy Writer
| {{Won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://metro.co.uk/2007/03/14/royal-television-society-programme-award-winners-189387/|title=Royal Television Society Programme Award winners|date=14 March 2007|work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]|access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0013930}}
*[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/458572/index.html Caroline Aherne biography and credits at BFI Screenonline]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081229160117/http://universalsearch.com.au/image/Caroline%20Aherne Caroline Aherne pictures at Universal Search]
*[https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27392549 Obituary: Caroline Aherne], ''[[BBC News]]'', 2 July 2016
*{{British Comedy Guide|people|caroline_aherne}}

{{British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy Performance}}
{{The Fast Show}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aherne, Caroline}}
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century British businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century English women]]
[[Category:20th-century English people]]
[[Category:21st-century English comedians]]
[[Category:21st-century English women]]
[[Category:Actresses from Manchester]]
[[Category:Alumni of Liverpool John Moores University]]
[[Category:Best Comedy Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners]]
[[Category:British women television producers]]
[[Category:British television producers]]
[[Category:Comedians from Manchester]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in England]]
[[Category:English people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:English television directors]]
[[Category:English television producers]]
[[Category:English television writers]]
[[Category:English women comedians]]
[[Category:The Fast Show]]
[[Category:People from Ealing]]
[[Category:People from Wythenshawe]]
[[Category:British women television writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Manchester]]

Get Well Soon (TV series)

2022-10-27T09:22:47Z

176.103.52.30:

{{Other uses|Get well soon (disambiguation){{!}}Get well soon}}
{{No footnotes|date=October 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Get Well Soon (DVD).jpg
| caption =
| alt_name =
| genre = [[Comedy]]
| creator =
| developer =
| writer = [[John Antrobus]] [[Ray Galton]]
| director = Christine Gernon
| creative_director =
| presenter =
| starring = [[Matthew Cottle]] [[Eddie Marsan]] [[Robert Bathurst]] [[William Osborne (writer)|William Osborne]] [[Michael Troughton]]
| judges =
| voices =
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer =
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| num_series = 1
| num_episodes = 6
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer =
| producer =
| editor =
| location =
| cinematography =
| camera =
| runtime = 30 minutes
| company =
| distributor =
| channel = [[BBC One|BBC1]]
| picture_format = [[4:3]]
| audio_format = [[Stereophonic sound|Stereo]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1997|11|2|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1997|12|7|df=yes}}
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| related =
}}
'''''Get Well Soon''''' is a 1997 [[BBC]] television comedy series starring [[Matthew Cottle]] and [[Eddie Marsan]]. Lasting only 6 episodes, it was about the everyday lives of a group of patients, doctors, nurses and other staff at a tuberculosis hospital in 1947. The show, aired weekly between 2 November and 7 December 1997, was based on the meeting of [[Ray Galton]] and [[Galton and Simpson|Alan Simpson]], the writers of ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'', in a [[Tuberculosis]] [[sanatorium]] in 1947. Although given a prominent early Sunday evening slot, the series failed to capture the public's imagination and only ran for one series.

==Situation==
One day in 1947, Roy Osborne (Matthew Cottle) is admitted to a TB sanatorium. He thinks he'll only be there for a few weeks, then finds that it could be several years before he can leave.

==Cast==
*[[Matthew Cottle]] as Roy Osborne
*[[Eddie Marsan]] as Brian Clapton
*[[Anita Dobson]] as Mrs. Ivy Osborne
*[[Samantha Beckinsale]] as Mrs. Howell
*[[Patsy Rowlands]] as Mrs. Clapton
*[[Hugh Bonneville]] as Norman Tucker
*[[Robert Bathurst]] as Squadron Leader Fielding
*[[Michael Troughton]] as The Padre
*William Osborne as Jeffry Powell
*[[Kate O'Toole (actress)|Kate O'Toole]] as Sister Shelley
*Julie Mullen as Lily

==Episodes==
#The New Arrival (2 November 1997)
#Snowbound (9 November 1997)
#Tucker's Gambit (16 November 1997)
#Sons, Mothers, Lovers and Others (23 November 1997)
#The Whist Drive (30 November 1997)
#Poison Ivy (7 December 1997)

==Media releases==
The complete series of Get Well Soon on DVD in one disc set was released by Simply Media on 21 September 2015.

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=0123346|title=Get Well Soon}}
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|get_well_soon|Get Well Soon}}

{{Galton and Simpson}}

[[Category:1997 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1997 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1990s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:1990s British comedy television series]]
[[Category:BBC television sitcoms]]
[[Category:English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television series created by Ray Galton]]
[[Category:Television series set in the 1940s]]

{{BBC-tv-prog-stub}}