Arena: Caroline Aherne: Small Screen Queen

Celebrating the life and career of the comedy writer and actress, featuring contributions from a cast of friends including Steve Coogan, John Thomson, Craig Cash and Andy Harries. The film traces Aherne's life from childhood in Wythenshawe, Manchester, through her early adventures as a (rare) woman on Manchester's alternative stand-up scene and the breakthrough moment when the BBC commissioned The Mrs Merton Show, when she fast became a national icon and surreptitious satirist-in-chief of mid-1990s celebrity culture, followed by The Royle Family. But as her star rose, the realities of living with her own fame came to define Aherne's life, as she became a fixture of tabloid speculation about her personal life. With contributions from co-writers Henry Normal and Phil Mealey, and fellow cast members Sue Johnston, Ricky Tomlinson and Ralf Little