BBC viewers found themselves deeply affected following a documentary broadcast about the late Caroline Aherne.
Comedian and scriptwriter Caroline Aherne sadly passed away at 52 due to lung cancer in July 2016. She left an indelible mark with her portrayal of the memorable talk show character Mrs Merton, and as Denise in 'The Royle Family', a successful sitcom she co-penned with Craig Cash.
An emotional tribute to Caroline aired on BBC Two last night, celebrating her life and lauding her groundbreaking contributions through her humour and acting prowess.
Heartfelt reactions surfaced online with one viewer sharing: "Feel a sense of sadness every time i think of caroline aherne, very talented lady x," while another chimed in: "Watching the Caroline Aherne documentary on bbc2, what a talent, taken too early."
Others continued to express their sentiments, with comments like: "The Caroline Aherne documentary, still very sad all these years later @BBCTwo," and "That Caroline Aherne documentary was moving, what a GENIUS she was."
Craig Cash was visibly moved as he reminisced on the moment Caroline reached out to bid farewell, having been informed she had just two months to live. Caroline and Craig were not just writing partners for The Royle Family, but also shared the screen as married couple Denise and Dave Best.
Reflecting back, Craig said: "I was just in denial. I just kept saying no, just kept repeating no. There's a lot to be said for denial. And she was like, 'But we had some laughs though didn't we, Cashy,'" followed by him breaking down and leaving the interview.
In 2014, Caroline partnered with Macmillan Cancer Support to enhance cancer care in Manchester.
She shared her thoughts on the appeal, stating: "I've had cancer and my brother's had cancer and we know how it affects people. They've asked me to get involved and I'm really glad that I can do my bit to encourage Manchester people to speak up about where things do go wrong with cancer care. Our survival rates are 25% lower than average and the number of people getting lung cancer is a third higher here than in the rest of England."
Caroline's brother Patrick later revealed that his sister had received her diagnosis "late last year". He further explained that "the form of lung cancer that she is suffering from is genetic and linked to the retinoblastoma she had as a baby".
*Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy is available to catch up on BBC iPlayer.
