Carla Lane On Radio 5 Live

Anyone else hear Carla Lane on Radio 5 Live last night?

She was being interviewed, via phone, sometime between 12-1am for those who want to use the "listen again" service. The presenter was asking her about the current state of British comedy. Poor Carla sounded a mixture of a) severely depressed and b) possibly pissed. She was bemoaning how no-one in TV comedy now seems to know what they're doing... no one person can make a decision... you don't who you're dealing with... you're kept in the dark, et cetera. How she can't get her script commissioned, blah, blah.

She was asked on her views on what's currently broadcast, but she doesn't watch any of it. She was asked on how American comedy compares. Again, she didn't help her cause by admitting she doesn't watch any of their shows either.

I felt a mixture of sincere sympathy for poor Carla, mixed with the slight thought of 'Well, you may have a proven track record, but shouldn't your chances of a commission depend on your material to an extent?'.

Urge you to try and hear it. Perhaps we should invite Carla to become an honorary member of the BSG Writer's Forum?

Quote: Tim Walker @ September 22 2008, 6:02 PM BST

Perhaps we should invite Carla to become an honorary member of the BSG Writer's Forum?

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Yes and maybe you'd like to be the one that points out to her that one of her most famous works (The Liver Birds) was listed in the BSG Forum 'Most Loathed' list.

Aw, poor old Carla.

She should be watching comedy though, if she's still writing it.

Well, I think so anyway.

Quote: Dolly Dagger @ September 22 2008, 7:00 PM BST

Yes and maybe you'd like to be the one that points out to her that one of her most famous works (The Liver Birds) was listed in the BSG Forum 'Most Loathed' list.

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She might take it as a compliment?

Quote: zooo @ September 22 2008, 7:05 PM BST

Aw, poor old Carla.

She should be watching comedy though, if she's still writing it.

Well, I think so anyway.

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Unlike novellists or playwrights, old TV writers just seem to fade away a lot of the time.

That sounds like a hilarious interview, Tim. I've seen her make similar comments recently on TV, and come across as as much of a tit as she seems to have in this case.

There seems to be a lot of false sentimentality around her though. Looking at her list of credits, it's far from impressive. Sure she was relatively prolific, but the only show of any real note (IMO) is Bless This House - to which she rarely worked alone, and was only a staff writer anyway, working to a brief provided by someone else.

In any case, isn't she one of those militant animal rights nutjobs now anyway?

Carla Lane wrote Bless This House? You learn something every day.

Quote: Aaron @ September 22 2008, 7:20 PM BST

In any case, isn't she one of those militant animal rights nutjobs now anyway?

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Yes. And some may remember Chris Morris completely took the piss out her in the 'Animals' edition of Brass Eye.

Although I never really liked her stuff (though Butterflies for some reason I still have kind memories of), I do think someone might have a quiet word in her ear. She has been banging-on about not getting her stuff on TV for a good couple of years now. I remember one TV interview where she was treated very respectfully (yet very honestly) by the late Geoffrey Perkins.

Unfortunately, the things with comedy especially (either writing or performing) it does seem to run out in a person at some point (barring untimely death).

When ever I've seen her interviewed she always seems quite serious. Sounds like she's not really interested in comedy either.

Quote: Griff @ September 22 2008, 7:24 PM BST

Carla Lane wrote Bless This House? You learn something every day.

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Yup. Mostly with Myra Taylor, her The Liver Birds co-conspirator, but later alone.

In fact, if memory serves, she may have actually co-/written more episodes than anyone else.

Surprising how upbeat it is in comparison to the majority of her other work really. I guess that's mostly down to William G. Stewart and the various script editors though.

William G Stewart as in 15 to 1 question master?

Correct. He was the show's producer/director.

And again, if memory serves, he married and had children with Sally Geeson, who played the 16-ish year old daughter. I'm not sure how old she actually was.

Regarding the writing, I have checked, and yes, Carla Lane co-/wrote more than anyone else. 27 of the 65 episodes.

"Bread" is one of my most-hated sitcoms ever. I hate that show. Hate hate hate. And I bloody hate Carla Lane's writing. Why are all her characters working class poets? Except for Butterflies, where they're middle class poets.

Quote: Perry Nium @ September 23 2008, 1:44 AM BST

"Bread" is one of my most-hated sitcoms ever. I hate that show. Hate hate hate. And I bloody hate Carla Lane's writing. Why are all her characters working class poets? Except for Butterflies, where they're middle class poets.

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Hahaha, I know. Her style of writing was so pretentious. Then again, a lot of things in the '80s were pretentious.

Quote: Perry Nium @ September 23 2008, 1:44 AM BST

Except for Butterflies, where they're middle class poets.

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The strange thing is I have this really weird childhood nostalgia for 'Butterflies', though God knows why. I think every episode followed exactly the same pattern?

Wendy Craig staring weirdly and pensively in the kitchen. Geoffrey Palmer reading the paper and not saying much. Nicholas Lyndhurst and the bloke who played his brother bouncing in to borrow the car to shag some birds. Wendy Craig going hysterical over something trivial. Cut to Wendy Craig walking in the park with the swarthy bloke whom she never shagged. V/O Some banal thoughts on love/life. Fade to black. Repeat ad infinitum. Wasn't that about it?

Oh, and from my experience, love is not one f**king bit like a butterfly.

Other than that, I liked it.

Whatever anyone thinks of her writing, and by the numbers that watched the extraordinary number of episodes she wrote for a whole list of sitcoms, Carla Lane was incredibly popular. Just try writing one episode of a sitcom, it's bloody hard.

They say it's hard for women to succeed in comedy, and when you see the level of abuse ranged against women like Carla Lane, Catherine Tate, Susan Nickson, you can see why it's difficult. Does it ever strike the men who write these tirades that sometimes men and women write from different perspectives and maybe one of the reasons Lane was so popular was that she spoke to a different experience to all the men who then, and largely still do, dominate comedy.

O.K. you don't like Carla Lane's writing, but for Christ's sake recognise that she had real craft and it takes ability, not luck, to attract more viewers than almost any other comedy writer today.