The Royle Family and Gogglebox star Craig Cash once revealed the final ‘sweet’ request his long-time collaborator Caroline Aherne asked of him before she passed away.
Beloved actor and comedian Aherne tragically passed away back in 2016 at the age of 52, two years after she was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Aherne is, of course, best known for portraying Denise Royle in the iconic BBC sitcom, where she also worked as a writer, director and producer.
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Her career spanned 26 years, seeing her star in projects such as The Mrs Merton Show and The Fast Show.
Aherne's final work would see her narrating the long running Channel 4 series Gogglebox, a role which her close friend and The Royle Family co-star Craig Cash would later take over after her death.
He later revealed in an interview with the Radio Times that Aherne had personally asked him to fill for her during periods where she was too ill to work.
Cash was more than happy to help out his friend - as fans will know, the 63-year-old voiced Gogglebox on and off between 2013 and 2015, before taking over full-time in 2016.
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Reflecting on the request, and the decision to take over full-time after her death, Cash said: "In November 2013, when she was gravely ill with cancer, Caroline asked if I'd narrate Gogglebox when she wasn't up to it.
"Of course, I said yes; it was a very sad time and I wanted to do right by her and by the programme. Caroline was well and then unwell, well and unwell, so I filled in whenever she needed me to."
Cash has previously said the show feels like a ‘gift’ from his late friend and writing partner.
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"It was really lovely, because it feels like a gift she has left me and I'm very grateful," he said. "It felt like only natural I should keep doing it and I feel like she's with me sometimes.
"When I go in the studio where we used to record it, I can feel her presence sometimes.
"That feels a bit weird but true."
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A documentary celebrating Aherne’s life - titled Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy - aired on the BBC on Christmas Day last year, featuring those who knew her best, including Cash.
In one particularly emotional part, Cash recalled the moment he was told Aherne had just months left to live.
“I was just in denial,” he said. “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?’”
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Cash became tearful remembering the interaction and had to leave the interview to give himself a moment.
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film
Claire Reid