Caroline Aherne

One of the greatest British comedy writers and performers of the last 20 years passed away this week. Caroline Aherne was a major influence on many comedy fans including Peter and I, which got us thinking about what aspiring creators can learn from her work. There are 3 things that really stand out to us, and underlines why she was able to make such a big impact:

1. Collaboration with like-minded writers and performers.  Caroline’s work with Henry Normal and Craig Cash in particular shone through in Mrs Merton and The Royle Family. All northern based comics with shared experiences growing up, their unique skills resulted in perfectly executed comedy that would not have been possible without their combined voices

2. Staying true to her creative vision. When making the Royle Family, Caroline faced significant pressure from BBC executives to film on location and include a laughter track. Partly due to her success with Mrs Merton she was able to resist this, and the show would almost certainly not have had the same impact had those changes been made

3. Get out there and do it. Steve Coogan said this week “she could easily have just remained a funny girl working as a secretary, so it’s great that she became a household name instead, and so many people got to see her and have that joy.”