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Met has been 10 years since the tragic death of the TV professional Caroline Ahern. The prolific but short career of the actor, comedian, writer and director was tragically cut short on 2 July 2016 when he died at the age of 52 from lung cancer.
Ten years ahead, we pay tax by choosing 10 Aherne main points. From The Royle Family to naughty nuns, here are the best…
That Debbie McGee question (1995)
Aherne’s blue-rinsed, cardigan-clad pension card was first produced in the late 80s. By 1994, Mrs Dorothy Merton had taken over a BBC Two chatshow. Celebrities in real life may ask themselves mock-innocent questions that the interviewer will not answer. The show came up with its opening statement to a female magician, Debbie McGee: “So what first attracted you to Millionaire Paul Daniels?” A classic version, still spoken today.
Other memorable questions from the Bafta-winning series included drunken footballer George Best (“Did you think, if you hadn’t done all you were doing playing football, you wouldn’t be so thirsty?”) and boxer Chris Eubank (“Were you surprised when Steve Collins came from behind and licked you in the ring?”).
Scorchio! (1994-1997)
The recent Heatwave provided a new meme-worthy opportunity. Aherne’s most famous person on the fast-burning television show The Fast Show was meteorologist Poula Fisch from the ultra-cheap Chanel 9 Mediterranean channel. After the story is presented in strange fiction (“Boutros Boutros Ghali, sminky pinky, Chris Waddle”), Poula’s communities predict the weather.
He always shouts “Scorchio!” surprisingly. Only once there was a single cloud on the beach, which was immediately declared a national disaster.
The Queen of Sheba (2006)
Aherne’s favorite creation is the BBC gem The Royle Family, written by his old friend Craig Cash. Her top spot came with the bittersweet, Bafta-winning The Queen of Sheba. One of the most emotional hours of a sitcom ever produced, it helped bring Aherne out of her deep depression and process her grief for her own grandmother.
The bedridden Nana (Liz Smith) had moved into the Royles’ living room. As her health began to decline, we saw each person taking care of her in their own way – whether reading aloud Mills & Boon’s love story or lovingly washing her hair. A terrifying final scene saw Denise (Aherne) give birth to a daughter and name her Norma after her grandmother, who soon escaped as the family watched by her bedside.
The conversation culminated with the family “putting fun on the funeral”, as Nana wanted, ending with a “voice-over” on “buffy”. In a grand gesture of respect, his son-in-law Jim (Ricky Tomlinson) places his ashes on top of the telly. After all, his last words were “Trevor McDonald”.
Vice Nun (1991)
“People ask me, ‘What does the Bible say about homosexuality?’ Well, three times in the Bible, Jesus said: ‘Get thee away Satan.’ Aherne’s school education in the convent gave encouragement to the people. Sister Mary ImmaculateThe man who made his debut in Manchester’s football club is a voice inherited from his Irish parents.
Initiated by church organ music, wearing a nun’s habit and carrying a Bible, the promiscuous nun preached religious messages. His goal was to “kiss the pope’s ring,” and he asked: “How many Protestants does it take to change a light bulb?”
Mrs. Merton skewers Bernard Manning (1998)
It became a defining moment in the history of comedy when Bernard Manning braved The Mrs Merton Show and found his crude jokes met with constant criticism. He finally admitted that he was racist, which was criticized by the studio audience.
Chasing the rings that were not rebuilt, Aherne called the boorish Manning “the work of the devil” and asked fellow guest Richard Wilson to “hit him with something”. He said he laughed when he went to his venue The Embassy Club (“It was the night you burned down”) and asked, “Who do you vote for when Hitler dies?”.
Running Girl (1994-1997)
Reduced Making a Fast Show it was Aherne’s store that didn’t filter down to the employee. They are able to give honest feedback on everything they analyze, no matter how personal.
“Brown bread, very shiny. You always keep it, don’t you? … Ribbed condoms. Very considerate … Dandruff shampoo. Nothing wrong with a scalp scam… KY Jelly. A little dry scalp?”
Stealing the show at the Brits (1997)
The The Brit Awards were essential TV viewing in the Britpop era, but all the rock’n’roll stars were raised by an old lady. After laughing at host Ben Elton, Mrs Merton announced: “Charlie, wherever you are, would you recognize me?
Aherne will return to the bash three years later, this time alone, and says of gong winner Robbie Williams that he was “a bit of a regular … I’d be with him for a bit but not forever”. Good.
Denise’s Christmas dinner (2008)
As a woman who likes to eat desserts, Dairylea on toast or spaghetti for tea (“Bolognese?” “No, hoops”), Denise Royle was eager to cook Christmas dinner for extended families in a special celebration of the New Sofa. Inspired by Nigella Lawson, she served four guests a turkey leg until father Jim asked: “Bloody hell, love, do we have octopus?”
The sad thing is that the chicken was still very cold, even though it was swimming, it was thrown around the living room, wrapped in a Manchester City shirt in the airing cupboard and attacked with various electronic devices. After offering to break off pieces and put them in the roaster, Wythenshawe’s domestic goddess instead served a Cup of Soup (“twisted – it’s in a bowl!”), followed by her signature “carrot smash” and the traditional Wall’s Viennetta dessert.
The voice of Gogglebox (2013-2016)
The Royle family was a big inspiration for Gogglebox, a reality show where families are always in front of the TV and taking part in what they are watching. Aherne was the first to choose a narrator, and his warm, expressive voice helped to create a sense of surprise. As the tribe’s invisible sofa companion, he expressed his love for his favorite medium.
Aherne will cover the likes of Channel 4 from its launch in 2013 until April 2016, when he became seriously ill. His friend and Royle Family co-producer Craig Cash agreed to sign him on, for the first time, and is still working on the project ten years later. “Gogglebox is Caroline’s gift to me,” says Cash, adding that she often feels Aherne’s “presence” when recording her voice.
What did I say Roy? (1994-1997)
Aherne was associated with John Thomson playing northern couple Renée and Roy in the fast-paced comedy series Fast Show. Smug Renée liked to chat with strangers, and sometimes she would turn around and ask, “What did I say Roy?” hoping that her submissive husband would accept meekly. Every conversation ended with Roy humiliating him and scolding him: “That’s not what I said, Roy!”
In the 25th anniversary story, Just Load of Blooming Catchphrases, produced in 2020, after Aherne’s death, a caller saw Roy sitting alone at home, pitifully speechless for 20 seconds. His occasional glances at the empty cushions of the sofa next to him indicated that Renée was no longer there to scold him.
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