We’ve lost a great comedian, actress and writer, and sadly I’ve lost a very dear, very old friend. When I say lost, sadly a lot of us lost Caroline years ago. Thanks to the cumulative effect of the regular intrusion into her private life and particularly her personal relationships, Caroline opted out and became a virtual recluse, only to bless our screens at Christmas in the latest rendition of The Royle Family.
Who can blame her? I know only too well, the pain that comes with the moniker “celebrity”, she never wanted fame. She was a raw talent who accepted that fame was a mere by-product of her skill set.
She wasn’t political, she never saw herself as a feminist or representing the minority of female comics. She didn’t need to, there was no agenda, she was just funny. She was an incredibly funny woman on and off screen, whose raw talent and “funny bones” never failed to make me roar with laughter.
From great gigs to absolute hellholes, we worked together in various incarnations as the Mitzi Goldberg Experience, then Sister Mary Immaculate, then endeavouring standup as herself – to which those who didn’t know her commented: “Have you seen Caroline’s latest character, it’s hysterical.”
These characters were duly introduced to us in the halcyon days of comedy in Manchester, particularly the infamous Buzz club, then working together with Steve Coogan on The Dead Good Show. A multitude more came on The Fast Show, in which we shared the joy of the memorable Roy and “What did I say, Roy?” Renée.
After a long period of absence we were reunited on a Fast Show reboot in 2011. I remember sharing a train with Caroline; she was on great form and told me she’d just had a check up and been given the all-clear.
The last time I saw her was working on the Sky comedy After Hours in 2014, directed by Craig Cash. She had a cameo playing my wife Sheila, who I serenaded with the Smiths’ classic Sheila Take a Bow. She’d just gone into remission again. Her hair, beneath her wig, had regrown, she was painfully thin, but despite all this, she was on amazing form, the Caroline I knew and loved working with.
This was the last time I saw her. I’m grateful. That’s how I want to remember her.
