Comedian Advocates for Caroline Aherne Statue, Citing Her Impact on Female Comedy

A comedian has proposed the erection of a statue in honor of her idol, Caroline Aherne, commending her for “breaking the stereotype that women aren’t funny.” Stand-up comic Lucy Beaumont stated that the late Caroline Aherne, known for her role as a star and co-creator of The Royle Family, served as an inspiration for Beaumont’s own career. Beaumont believes Aherne merits commemoration with a statue in Wythenshawe, Manchester, her native suburb. Aherne, whose work also included regular appearances as characters in The Fast Show and as the narrator for Gogglebox, passed away in 2016 at the age of 52 due to cancer. Beaumont commented that female comedians “constantly faced with men saying woman aren’t funny, but when you say ‘Caroline Aherne’, they say, ‘all right then'”. The comedian, based in Hull, informed BBC Radio Manchester of her intention to initiate fundraising efforts in the new year to advocate for an Aherne statue. She stated, “When I found in Timperley that there was one for Frank Sidebottom – I thought there needs to be one for the late, great Carlone Aherne.” Beaumont added, “I didn’t know her, and I don’t have friends of friends even, I was just a fan.” Aherne commenced her professional journey on the Manchester comedy circuit during the 1980s and early 1990s, subsequently achieving recognition as Mrs Merton. Following this, she proceeded to create and star in The Royle Family, a BAFTA-winning sitcom that aired for three series from 1998 to 2000. Beaumont remarked that Aherne accomplished the “virtually impossible” by presenting an “authentic slice of working class life” through comedy, an achievement Beaumont deemed “groundbreaking.” She elaborated, “We now think of it as a massive hit but critics hated it at the time, they said ‘it’s boring and it lacks craft’.” However, Beaumont stated that upon viewing the program, she reflected, “I’ve spent all my life in living rooms like that,” finding the show deeply resonant and relatable in a manner that “defied logic really.” The comedian mentioned that early in her career, she was compared to Aherne due to her occasional trembling on stage, which was attributed to nerves. She commented, “It was really comforting to hear someone like that had nerves as well.” Beaumont concluded, “It would be nice to see a statue of one of your heroes because there aren’t enough statues of women – so what better person.” Listeners can access the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas may also be submitted to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk and via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external sites. Further information regarding their approach to external linking is available.