Clare in the Community
| Genre | Sitcom |
|---|---|
| Running time | 28 mins |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Created by | Harry Venning |
| Written by | Harry Venning, David Ramsden |
| Produced by | Katie Tyrell (series 1-8, Es) Alexandra Smith (series 9,CW,10-11) |
| Air dates | since 26 November 2004 |
| No. of series | 11 |
| No. of episodes | 68 |
Clare in the Community is a British comic strip in The Guardian newspaper, written by Harry Venning. The title is a play on words relating to care in the community. The strip has been successfully adapted for radio on BBC Radio 4, starring Sally Phillips as Clare.
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.
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.
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 Broadcast in 2011.
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, an old schoolmate of Brian's named Richard Lumsden who wanted to be an actor but was never heard of again, and Nina Conti (as Nali) being given the line "It's not like I'm a ventriloquist." The series regularly makes references to other comedies, such as Clare mimicking the catchphrase of Mrs. Doyle from Father Ted and Brian imitating Tony Hancock from "The Blood Donor" episode.
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