ALISON BOSHOFF: BBC set to pay tribute to late actress Caroline Aherne with a Christmas Day special

Caroline Aherne’s genius is the subject of an affecting film, Caroline Aherne: Queen Of Comedy, which will go out on BBC Two on Christmas Day. 

Among contributors is her best friend and writing partner Craig Cash, who wept as he recalled how she called him after taking an overdose in 1998. 

Cash wept again as he talked about her illness and death from cancer in 2016, after she’d enjoyed a professional revival with the special Queen Of Sheba episode of The Royle Family and narrating Gogglebox. 

‘What happened next felt very cruel,’ he said, adding: ‘She said: ‘We had some laughs, didn’t we Cashy?’

Caroline’s former co-star Sue Johnston recently revealed she has only just been able to watched her hit sitcom The Royle Family after the deaths of many of its cast members.

Caroline Aherne’s genius is the subject of an affecting film, Caroline Aherne: Queen Of Comedy, which will go out on BBC Two on Christmas Day

The one-off documentary will feature unseen photographs and contributions from The Royle Family cast, as well as colleagues and friends L-R) Sue Johnston as Barbara, Ricky Tomlinson as Jim, Ralf Little as Antony, Craig Cash as Dave and Caroline Aherne as Denise

The actress, 80, who played Barbara Royle in the comedy, was left so heartbroken by the deaths of her former co-stars that she could not bring herself to watch a single episode of the BBC series.

While Caroline, who co-created the programme and starred as Sue’s on-screen daughter Denise Best, died in 2016, actress Liz Smith, who portrayed the beloved Norma ‘Nana’ Speakman, the mother of Sue’s character Barbara, died aged 95 on Christmas Eve in 2016. 

Peter Martin, who starred as neighbour Joe Carroll in The Royle Family, died at the age of 82 in April this year, while actress Doreen Keogh, who played Peter’s on-screen wife Mary Carroll, died in 2017 at the age of 93 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Sue told the Radio Times Christmas issue: ‘It was very hard, because there are so many people in it who are no longer with us, but The Queen of Sheba [the landmark 2006 episode] is my favourite, and I watch it with a lot of pride.

‘The first series was rerun the other day, and do you know, little kids now ask for selfies with me because they love it as much as the older generations did. I think how proud Caroline would have been to know it’s still loved. 

‘It was one of the happiest jobs I have ever done. And yes, I miss her. All the time. 

‘She’s another one who would have loved to have got old and grown wrinkles… Although maybe she would have had Botox!’

The Royle Family fans were left in floods of tears during the 2006 Christmas special, The Queen of Sheba, when character Norma ‘Nana’ Speakman, played by the late actress Liz Smith, died.

Among contributors is her best friend and writing partner Craig, who wept as he recalled how she called him after taking an overdose in 1998 (pictured in 1999)

Nana, the mother of Sue’s character Barbara, was often seen clashing with Barbara’s husband Jim (Ricky Tomlinson) over a variety of hilarious issues from owning everything featured in an episode of Antiques Roadshow to not sharing her chocolates.

In the episode, bedridden Nana met her newborn great-granddaughter Norma, who Denise and David (Craig Cash) named after her.

After she was rushed to hospital, she woke up to see her family around her bed before dying peacefully.

Actress Liz, also known for starring in sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, died at the age of 95 on Christmas Eve in 2016. 

Sue will feature this Christmas in the one-off BBC Two tribute special to the comedy actress and writer Caroline. 

Sue has only recently been able to watched her hit sitcom The Royle Family after the deaths of many of its cast members, including its creator Caroline (Sue pictured last week)

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