- Clare in the Community
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Clare in the Community Genre Sitcom Running time 28 mins Country United Kingdom Languages English Home station BBC Radio 4 Creators Harry Venning Writers Harry Venning,
David RamsdenAir dates since 26 November 2004 No. of series 6 No. of episodes 36 Clare in the Community is a British comic strip in The Guardian newspaper, written by Harry Venning. The title is a pun on care in the community. The strip has been successfully adapted for radio on BBC Radio 4.
Clare is a social worker with all the right jargon who likes to sort out other people's problems while ignoring her own. She is white, middle class and heterosexual - but doesn't like to be reminded of it. She is a control freak but both her personal and professional lives are out of control.
Contents
TV pilot
In 2002 ITV commissioned a sitcom based on Harry Venning's comic strip. Two episodes were commissioned and a pilot episode, written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden and starring Julia Sawalha in the title role, was produced by Tiger Aspect. The pilot wasn't picked up for a full series and has never been broadcast.
Radio series
In 2004 a radio sitcom, co-written by David Ramsden and produced by Katie Tyrrell, was made for BBC Radio 4, starring Sally Phillips as Clare. Repeats have also been broadcast on BBC7 (now Radio 4 Extra). Series 1 to 5 have been released on CD by BBC Audio. Series 6 was broadcast in 2010. Series 7 was recorded in August & September 2011, with broadcast scheduled from 23 September to 28 October.
The first series won the Bronze Comedy Award at the 2005 Sony Radio Awards
The series occasionally 'breaks the fourth wall', with references to (for instance) a comic strip in the Guardian's social work supplement which (the somewhat humourless) Clare doesn't understand, or an old schoolmate of Brian's named Richard Lumsden, who wanted to be an actor but was never heard of again.
Cast
- Clare Barker...... Sally Phillips
- Megan Whardby...... Nina Conti
- Helen Golightly.....Liza Tarbuck (Gemma Craven Series 1 - 4)
- Brian Harris ...... Alex Lowe
- Ray Bishop ...... Richard Lumsden
- Irene ...... Ellen Thomas (Series 1 - 5)
- Simon Burrows...... Andrew Wincott (Series 1 - 5 and 7, Philip Pope Series 6)
- Nali...... Nina Conti (from Series 5)
- Libby McKenzie...... Sarah Kendall (from Series 6)
Series one
No. Episode No. Title Original airdate 1 1 "Babysitter" November 26, 2004 Clare is tricked into babysitting Helen's difficult teenage son, but after an awkward start they become friends. 2 2 "Adoption" December 3, 2004 A couple moves into the flat above, and Clare and Brian are kept awake by noisy sex. 3 3 "Glad to be Ray" December 10, 2004 Clare feels that Ray is too insular, and wonders why she has never been invited to his flat. She drops round uninvited when an opportunity arises. 4 4 "Last Words" December 17, 2004 When one of Clare's clients, a cantankerous old woman, dies, Clare uses the funeral as a reason to take the afternoon off. Simon asks Megan out, but Brian's intervention ensures their first date is also their last. 5 5 "Combat Zone" December 24, 2004 Clare and Brian get stranded in a rough part of town when their car runs out of petrol. 6 6 "Stage Fright" December 31, 2004 Brian writes a play for his school drama club, about a misunderstood man in a relationship with a cold, unreasonable woman. Series two
No. Episode No. Title Original airdate 7 1 "Past Caring" November 4, 2005 Clare meets an old acquaintance, and Clare's workmates go out for Brian's birthday meal. 8 2 "Relax" November 11, 2005 Clare and Brian try to go on holiday. 9 3 "Meet the Press" November 18, 2005 Clare is delighted to be asked to do an interview for Woman's Hour, and Brian is having trouble with an unscrupulous pupil. 10 4 "Brian Come Home" November 25, 2005 Brian storms out after an argument, and moves in with Simon for a while. 11 5 "Mean Streets" December 2, 2005 Clare and her workmates help count homeless people, but it becomes competitive. Megan is preparing for the birth of her baby. 12 6 "Doolah's Choice" December 9, 2005 Simon and Helen get married, and Megan has her baby. Series three
At the start of the series, Clare and Brian have 'removed themselves from the property chain' and are staying at Simon's flat. Megan's daughter, Brenda, is now almost 1 year old.
No. Episode No. Title Original airdate 13 1 "Letter from America" December 18, 2006 Clare has a pen friendship with a death row prisoner in the US. He learns all about her relationship and work life. 14 2 "Merry Christmas Mrs Lawrence" December 25, 2006 Clare and Brian visit her parents on Christmas day, and Clare goes to fetch her granny from an old people's home. 15 3 "Brenda's Birthday" January 1, 2007 It is Brenda's first birthday, and Megan's old friend Gordon comes to celebrate the occasion. 16 4 "We Need to Talk About Brian" January 8, 2007 While 'de-cluttering', Brian's diary from his student days turns up. Although he had already met Clare, there are numerous references to his "Dark Lady". Is he hiding something? 17 5 "The Redcap" January 15, 2007 Will a former military police officer be tough enough for social work? 18 6 "Clare's Last Stand" January 22, 2007 Clare and the day centre team are due for a relaxing day at a conference - until Clare's arch-enemy Peggy reappears, with a challenge that Clare can't pass up. Series four
Irene has been promoted to team leader which causes resentment between her and Clare. Brian and Clare have making frequent trips to the couple counsellor and have also been trying for a baby.
No. Episode No. Title Original airdate 19 1 "Mother of All Mothers" January 16, 2008 Clare and Brian are trying for a baby, but the arrival of Clare's mother doesn't help 20 2 "A Game of Two Slavs" January 23, 2008 A relationship counsellor suggests that Clare and Brian take each other out to some event to share their interests. 21 3 "And The Winner Is" January 30, 2008 Clare wins the 'Social Worker of the Year' award... in her dreams. 22 4 "Carry On up the Amazon" February 6, 2008 Helen's son is supposed to be travelling during his gap year. So how come Clare finds him living in a squat? 23 5 "My Funny Valentine" February 13, 2008 Brian is amazed that Clare has not only remembered it's Valentine's Day, but even booked a restaurant... but she hasn't. 24 6 "The Long Goodbye" February 20, 2008 Brian has a life-changing experience when a bullet grazes his head. Series five
Clare and Brian now have a son, Thomas, whose care is left wholly in the hands of their east European nanny, Nali (also played by Nina Conti).
No. Episode No. Title Original airdate 25 1 "Name Calling" February 18, 2009 It's a fifth series, but there are still plenty of challenges for a self-important social worker... 26 2 "Too Cool For School" February 25, 2009 Clare meets a group of new friends in the pub, and bores Brian and her co-workers with how cool they are. But do they, in fact, meet her high standards? 27 3 "Girls on Film" March 4, 2009 Clare has a new student social worker to take under her wing, while the Sparrowhawk Family Centre has the documentary-makers in. 28 4 "It's Good to Talk" March 11, 2009 An old university friend of Clare's gets in touch, with something important he wants to say. 29 5 "Garden Party" March 18, 2009 30 6 "The 1864 Mining Disaster" March 25, 2009 A firebrand MP comes to the Sparrowhawk Family Centre's fundraiser, and Brian and Nali get to know each other better. Series six
Clare's position at the Family Centre is now challenged by Irene's replacement, Libby, "an Aussie and a lesbo - and proud of both" (Sarah Kendall), and Brian harbours erotic fantasies about Nali.
No. Episode No. Title Original airdate 31 1 "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" May 31, 2010 Clare deceives Libby about the closing date for the team manager post. Brian obsesses about Nali. 32 2 "Luck of the Irish" June 7, 2010 Clare is told that she has Irish ancestry, and becomes enthusiastic for all aspects of her new-found cultural background. 33 3 "Some Others Do 'Ave 'Em" June 14, 2010 Clare is back on the social work frontline as a vomiting bug hits her colleagues, while Brian and Nali take baby Thomas out for the day and Helen attends a police liaison meeting. 34 4 "Clare v God" June 21, 2010 Clare takes an instant dislike to the Reverend Dish - a meddling do-gooder if ever there was one. But Megan quite likes him. 35 5 "In The Dog House" June 28, 2010 A stray dog who comes home with Brian catches a burglar (a guest appearance by Paterson Joseph), but the burglar is a match for even Clare in manipulativeness. 36 6 "The Crush" July 5, 2010 Clare meets an attractive single father at an infants music group. Surely she will be loyal to Brian? Series seven
Brian is eventually forgiven for his infidelity with Nali's sisters and Clare accepts his proposal of marriage, while Nali enters Conservative politics.
No. Episode No. Title Original airdate 37 1 "The Prisoner" September 23, 2011 In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare. The shock of Brian's infidelity still hasn't worn off, and Nali could be an even more serious inside threat than Clare realised... 38 2 "To Kill a Mocking Bird" September 30, 2011 Clare ends her relationship with Brian and is surprised by her colleagues' reaction to the news. 39 3 "Rude Girl" October 7, 2011 Clare feels that she may be out of touch with today's young people's language, while Brian's attempts at a romantic gestures fail to impress. 40 4 "Debt of Honour" October 14, 2011 Clare is being plagued by Brian's marriage proposals, her driving lessons lead to an unexpected encounter and there is an unveiling of a piece of public art at the Sparrowhawk Family Centre. 41 5 "Heroes" October 21, 2011 Clare meets Bradley Bigg, a pop star who made an impression on her as a teenager, Brian breaks some bad news to Nali, and Helen enthusiastically adopts the role of health and safety officer. 42 6 "Basic Attraction" October 28, 2011 It's wedding day at last... once the stags and hens have had their fun, that is. External links
Categories:- British comic strips
- BBC radio comedy programmes
- 2004 radio programme debuts
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