A TV special celebrating the “unique life and talent” of Caroline Aherne is set to air on BBC Two this Christmas Day.
There’s absolutely no denying that Caroline Aherne is a true Manc icon.
Although born in London to Irish parents, she moved to Manchester at the age of two, was raised in Wythenshawe, went to school in West Didsbury, and kick-started her illustrious and hugely-influential career on the city’s comedy circuit by performing as a collection of characters, all before developing the iconic ‘Mrs Merton’.
Aherne developed her Mrs Merton character with Frank Sidebottom for his show on Piccadilly Radio, where she worked as a receptionist.
She made a number of television appearances as the hilarious character, before rising to prominence in 1994 with the mock chat show The Mrs Merton Show, where she was known for asking celebrity guests a series of outrageous fake questions – the most-memorable example being to the wife of magician Paul Daniels, Debbie McGee, asking: “So, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?”.
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Aside from the Mrs Merton character, Aherne was known for appearing on BBC comedy sketch programme, The Fast Show, and then cemented her place in the heart of us Mancunians when she co-wrote and starred as Denise in beloved Manchester-based sitcom, The Royle Family.
The Royle Family ran for three series from 1998 to 2000, and was a largely stereotypical portrayal of working-class family life at the turn of the millennium, with almost all of the episodes taking place in the Royles’ telly-centric living room and showing the hilarious conversations they’d have.
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Both before and after her sad death in July 2016, Caroline amassed a loyal fanbase, so it’s only right that we properly celebrate her legacy, right? Well that’s exactly what BBC Two is doing this ChristmasDay from 9pm, with the airing of a brand-new TV special, as well as lots of other programmes dedicated to the late legend and all she is loved for.
The 80-minute documentary is described by the BBC as being a “celebration of the unique life and talent of Caroline Aherne”.
Titled Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy, it will feature unseen photographs and contributions from a cast of her lifelong friends – including Steve Coogan, Jon Thompson, Craig Cash, and producer Andy Harries.
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The 80-minute special is titled Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy / Credit: ITV
Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy will air on BBC Two at 10:25pm on Christmas Day (25 December), and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer shortly after.
This new TV special also follows BBC Two’s re-run of The Royle Family’s classic Christmas episode – which is titled ‘Christmas With The Royle Family’, and first aired back in December 1999 – a little earlier in the evening at 9:15pm.
It’ll also be on after a 15-minute long moment of reflection from Ricky Tomlinson at 9pm too.
According to the BBC, Ricky – who, of course, is most famous for his role as the Royle Family’s patriarch, Jim Royle – will sit back in his iconic chair and take a fond look back at the much-loved comedy series, sharing his memories and experiences working with Caroline Aherne.
And, if all that wasn’t brilliant enough as it is, you can also catch an episode of both The Mrs Merton Show and The Fast Show on the big day too.
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Sounds right up our street.
Featured Image – BBC
TV & Showbiz
Popular children’s TV star to make special visit to Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum this weekend
Emily Sergeant
You can take your little Mancs down to meet the star of one of their favourite TV shows at the Science and Industry Museum this weekend.
In case you hadn’t heard, May is currently ‘Brilliant Bodies’ month down at Manchester‘s iconic Science and Industry Museum, and there’s a whole host of themed interactive and educational activities lined up ready for schools across Greater Manchester to be out for half term – with something for everyone of all ages to get stuck into.
Anatomy-themed special events, star-studded appearances, and half term transformations are just some of the things on the “gloriously gross” schedule.
But, of course, one of the highlights of ‘Brilliant Bodies’ month has to be the world-first exhibition Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You at the heart of it all – which is based off the popular children’s BBC show of the same name.
Popular children’s TV star to make special visit to Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum / Credit: Science Museum Group
The family-friendly exhibition – which is coming to a close after a massively-successful run in our city on Sunday 9 June – gives visitors the chance understand more about the inner workings of their own bodies, and the important role science plays in supporting our digestive health.
If you haven’t had the chance to check out the exhibition yet, and are keen to do so before it bids its final farewell, then this bank holiday weekend couldn’t be a more ideal time, as one of the stars of the Operation Ouch!TV show, Dr Ronx, is making a special visit to the museum on Saturday.
And this is your chance to meet them.
Anyone who books tickets to visit Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You between 11:30am-1pm, and 3pm-4pm, on Saturday 25 May, will not only have the chance to explore the role of each organ in the digestive system during a “rib-tickling adventure”, but will also get the opportunity to grab a selfie with Dr Ronx from inside the exhibition.
Visitors will be guided through the exhibition by videos and illustrations of Operation Ouch! hosts, Dr Chris, Dr Xand, and Dr Ronx, all before getting to meet Dr Ronx themself.
Dr Ronx will also be hosting three Q&A sessions throughout the day too, and you can see them take to the stage at 10:30am, 2:10pm, and 4:30pm.
Tickets to visit the museum and exhibition on Saturday 25 May are now available to book.
Free standard museum entry tickets will give you access to the Q&As with Dr Ronx, but an exhibition ticket must be purchased for specific times for the photo opportunity, and these are limited, so booking as soon as possible is encouraged to avoid disappointment.
Noel Gallagher says he’d be ‘bang up’ for an Oasis reunion… kind of
Emily Sergeant
Noel Gallagher has given fans fresh hope, yet again, after he’s admitted that he’d be “bang up” for an Oasis reunion in the future.
Well… kind of.
Considering it’s been going on for well over a decade, Manc music lovers worldwide are more than well-versed in the neverending Oasis ‘will-they, won’t-they’ reunion saga by now, with the Gallagher brothers known to dangle a carrot in front of fans’ noses at every chance they get, despite no concrete claims or plans ever materialising.
And by the sounds of things, Noel Gallagher‘s most recent reunion comments are no different either – but they are pretty funny, we will say that.
Oasis infamously parted ways for the final time back in 2009 after Noel made a shock exit following a fight with Liam at a music festival in France, and despite the constant calls for them to do so, the pair have never been seen on stage together since.
Now though, Noel reckons he’s found a way to reunite the band without actually having to reunite the band, and he’s “bang up” for it too.
Noel Gallagher says he’d be ‘bang up’ for an Oasis reunion / Credit: Oasis (via Facebook)
We’re talking about holograms.
“I went to see that Abba show. Have you been? It’s f**king unbelievable, Noel commented as he appeared on the Matt Morgan podcast.
“An hour and a half gig, it was very, very impressive. I genuinely thought at one point that the people on the stage, which were holograms, were… they looked that real that I thought they were actors, like playing.
“The way they walk to the stage is so realistic.”
The elder Gallagher claims the key to an Oasis reunion is a hologram / Credit: ABBA Voyage
After claiming he was “very impressed” by the show and urging everyone to go and see it if they can because “it’s well worth it”, Noel then turned the topic onto Oasis and whether or not this hologram format could be the key to getting Manchester‘s most famous band back together, adding: “If anybody wants to do an Oasis one, give us a shout. I would be bang up for it.”
The current High Flying Birds frontman then also set out his conditions for the potential hologram reunion, explaining: “I’d say ‘great’, speak to that guy over there, and then come up with a figure and then he’ll relay it to me, and I’ll say either yes or no.”
Well, could this be it then? Could this actually be the key to reuniting Oasis after all these years? It’s definitely a long shot, but not something to rule out entirely, if you ask us.