Clare In The Community. Copyright: BBC
Clare In The Community

Clare In The Community

  • Radio sitcom
  • BBC Radio 4
  • 2004 - 2019
  • 73 episodes (12 series)

Social worker Clare Barker (Sally Phillips) has a tendancy to find solutions to other people's problems rather than solving her own. Also features Alex Lowe, Nina Conti, Richard Lumsden, Gemma Craven, Liza Tarbuck and more.

Episode menu

Series 2, Episode 3 - Meet The Press

Clare is delighted to accept an invitation to be interviewed for Women's Hour. But her colleagues are less than delighted that Clare alone will represent social workers. Meanwhile, Brian is having his own problems dealing with a disgruntled drama student.

Further details

The days 'water cooler conversation' is about Megan's financial problems. The group, not wanting to help with her finances, leaves Megan to sort it for herself.

Sophie, one of the pupils at Brian's school, is the theatre correspondent for the school magazine. She writes the headline 'Enough To Drive Oscar Wilde' saying that Brian's school production of 'The Importance of Being Earnest' was a disaster... because she wasn't in it. She begins to blackmail Brian into putting her into the next school production.

Meanwhile at the office, Clare has been asked to be interviewed by Jenny Murray for an episode of Radio 4's Woman's Hour. Clare has asked Megan to join her but tells her not so say anything during the interview. Helen, Irene and Ray complain that they want to be part of the interview too.

Back at school, Brian shows Simon a bunch of caricatures of the teachers that Sophie has drawn. She has dedicated a whole page to a very unflattering picture of Brian, and now everyone is laughing at his expense.

Helen asks Clare if she can appear with her on Woman's Hour, telling her in the process that if she does agree that she can be the maid of honour at her wedding. Clare agrees.

Later in the evening, Clare and Brian are joined by Helen and Simon for a meal. Brian becomes livid, as he thinks he sees Sophie outside the restaurant. Walking back home, Brian sees Sophie following him again, and he notices a handbag hanging on their railings, which he knows is a sign of his recent 'The Importance of Being Earnest' production. That night, Brian is wide awake, knowing that Sophie is outside watching him.

The next morning when Clare is waiting for interview she almost faints. Helen tells the group that she is going in to be interviewed instead, Ray and Irene disagree. Clare comes around and, realising that Helen has been arguing, chooses Megan to be with her in the interview.

A back up interviewer comes in to tell Clare that Jenny Murray can't make it. Clare doesn't realise the "replacement interviewer" is Sophie (who is trying to get dirt on Brian).

Back at school, Sophie gets the main role in the next school production as her campaign of blackmail is completed by playing segments of the interview with Clare back to Brian. He is appalled by Clare's personal responses, which included: "mountains of underpants left by the bed which I can't understand because he never seems to change them...", "he picked it and picked it until it went septic...", and "I asked him to take them off because I've never found that kind of thing sexy...".

Clare later finds out that the interview with Sophie was a hoax, but is more upset that the interview won't be on radio. At the office, to save face, Clare tells her colleagues that they missed the interview. However, Ray points out that they can go on the BBC's Listen Again website.

Broadcast details

Date
Friday 18th November 2005
Time
11:30am
Channel
BBC Radio 4
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Tuesday 25th January 2011 5:30pm Radio 7
Friday 24th May 2013 9:00am Radio 4 Extra
Saturday 25th May 2013 2:00am Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 16th November 2014 10:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Tuesday 30th August 2016 11:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 17th June 2018 11:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 23rd December 2021 9:30am Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 23rd December 2021 4:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Friday 24th December 2021 4:30am Radio 4 Extra

Cast & crew

Cast
Sally Phillips Clare
Alex Lowe Brian
Nina Conti Megan
Richard Lumsden Ray
Gemma Craven Helen
Andrew Wincott Simon
Ellen Thomas Irene
Guest cast
Alex Tregear Sophie
John Cummins Ensemble Actor
Writing team
Harry Venning Writer
David Ramsden Writer
Production team
Katie Tyrrell Producer

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