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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A TV special celebrating the life of Caroline Aherne is airing on BBC Two this Christmas Day / Credit: BBC
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.
An exclusive new documentary taking an inside look at the the disappearance of Jay Slater is coming to Channel 4.
On the morning of 17 June 2024, 19-year-old Jay Slater – an apprentice bricklayer from the Lancashire town of Oswaldtwistle – disappeared on the island of Tenerife in Spain, after attempting to walk 14 hours back to his accommodation when there was no local taxi service available and no bus due for 90 minutes.
From then commenced one of the biggest missing persons cases in recent British history.
As the world’s media were following the story minute by minute last summer, producers at Channel 4 were in the incredibly-unique position where they had access to the Coronial process in Lancashire, and this has led to the exclusive documentary title The Disappearance of Jay Slater.
From Jay’s post-mortem to Jay’s inquest, the team have been with the family every step of the way over the last year, as they try and understand exactly what happened to Jay outside of the public gaze
Jay was ultimately pronounced dead on 15 July 2024 after Spanish police reported the discovery of a body in the vicinity of the area of interest, but before this discovery and eventual announcement, the internet became awash with public discourse, conspiracy theories, and more.
The Disappearance of Jay Slater is described as being ‘the family’s story’.
Channel 4 will air an exclusive new documentary about the disappearance and death of Lancashire teen Jay Slater / Credit: GoFundMe
The documentary is set to follow them as they search for answers about what happened to Jay, witnessing the conspiracy theories raging online and the subsequent horrific abuse they received as a family – which is an hourly onslaught that continues to this day.
These cameras were the only media in the world granted full access to film both Jay’s post-mortem and inside the church at his funeral.
But the broadcaster claims this documentary is not only the story of Jay’s tragedy, it’s also the story of ‘the new world we live in’ where so-called true crime armchair detectives run wild.
“The story of Jay Slater captured the nation last summer with a fervour and intensity fuelled by armchair detectives and internet culture,” commented Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor, Rita Daniels, ahead of the documentary airing.
“We are so glad to be working on a sensitively handled exploration of the family’s experience, and understanding the impact of being in the middle of a social media storm, amplified by grief.
“The film holds a light up to our current society and is exactly the story that is a necessity for Channel 4 to tell.”
Executive Producer Anna Hall added: “It is appalling what has happened to Jay’s family, and we hope this film will help to bring awareness of the real life consequences of online speculation. It is an unmonitored world where fake news runs rife, and this film shows the devastating impact this has had on one grieving family.”
The Disappearance of Jay Slater is expected to air on Channel 4 later this year, but no official dates have been confirmed as of yet, so keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – GoFundMe
TV & Showbiz
TikTok star turned pop star Addison Rae announces gig in Manchester
Viral TikTok star and now recording artist, Addison Rae, has announced her first-everheadline European tour, where she’ll be paying Manchester a visit, and tickets go on sale this week.
After launching into the music scene back in 2021 with pure pop single, ‘Obsessed’, Addison made her pop star intentions very clear.
Since then, Addison has gone on to work with high-profile artists such as Charli XCX, who appears as a feature on track ‘2 Die 4’ taken from her first EP, ‘AR’.
Addison also contributed to the inescapable phenomenon of last year that was ‘Brat Summer’, appearing on the aforementioned A-list artist’s Brat remix album, on a reworking of the hit ‘Von Dutch’.
With more than 88.5 million followers on TikTok alone and north of 35 million on Instagram, it goes without saying that her legions of ‘Sunraes’ (yes, a real term used by some in the community) will be lining up to get tickets to her UK tour dates.
Now the singer is ready to take the world by storm, confirming a US and European tour following the release of her debut album, simply titled Addison.
This LP, which features standouts like smash single ‘Diet Pepsi’, ‘Aquamarine’ and ‘Fame Is A Gun’, has been met with rave reviews from fans and critics alike.
The fledgling 24-year-old American-born pop star is a big fan of the UK, so much so that one of the singles from this very debut album, ‘Headphones On’, includes a music video dedicated to frozen food retailer Iceland.
See for yourself…
Addison Rae is set to bring ‘The Addison Tour’ – her first on the continent and here in Britain and Ireland – to Manchester Academy on 30 August, with general admission going on sale this Friday, 20 June.
So, if you’re a fan, get ready to grab yours HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
11th December 2023 
