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 3, Episode 3 - Brenda's Birthday

Clare is coerced into helping Megan organize her one-year-old daughter's birthday party.

Further details

The flu is going around and Clare is tucked up in bed with meals being brought to her and a TV to keep her company. Brian is sleeping on the sofa so as not to give the flu to her.

Megan's daughter Brenda is having her first birthday party and Clare, Godmother to Brenda, has been 'guilt-tripped' into helping organise the party. Phoning up 'Fabulous Uncle Funs Fabulous Fun Factory' Clare tries to book a bouncy library or hospital, as she finds castle's too militaristic. Being abused over the phone, she looks elsewhere and finds a children's entertainer.

Ray is crying at work but no one seems to care why. Clare explains to Megan that she has spent the whole weekend trying to find an entertainer, only for Megan to be disappointed by Clare's lack of enthusiasm. Megan is looking forward to seeing Gordon, her oldest friend. Clare assumes he may be more than a friend but is told that he is gay. At the pub, Brian suggests to Simon that he should go to Brenda's birthday party as Helen will be there and he will have the chance to talk to her.

In a team meeting, Ray reveals he is upset because he has no feelings for his clients. Whilst listening to a client's problems, he says he could only think about what he wanted for lunch. Everyone tells Ray that he is suffering a mid-life crisis and they give him suggestions to change his appearance and lifestyle. Some time later, Ray has taken to wearing squeaky leather trousers, having tattoos of Sir Winston Churchill and Judy Garland, a body piercing and going on home visits via motorbike.

At the children's party, Irene and Helen are drinking what everyone thinks is water but is in fact vodka. This is well disguised, until they are later seen playing in the paddling pool. The children's entertainer Clare has booked arrives and puts on a Punch and Judy show, only for Clare to interrupt and top the show by claiming Punch and Judy to be a celebration of violence and therefore should not be shown to children. Megan is outraged by Clare's actions and forces Clare to do the entertaining instead. Gordon soon arrives at the party and Megan calls Ray to keep 'gay Gordon' company.

During Ray and Gordon's talk, they both discover that they have both recently had tattoos. When Ray sees Gordon's tattoo he realises he is not gay but in fact has Megan's name on his arm. Megan finds out and tells Gordon that she is not on love with him. Gordon says he would normally be upset but he has just met the most fabulous woman - Helen. Simon soon gets to the party and speaks to Helen who is considerably drunk by this point. Simon admits his stupidity and mistakes but it isn't long before he meets Gordon who tells Helen that he has just booked a hotel.

As for Clare's entertaining, she tells the children one of aunty Clare's case reports as a fairy story. Ray tells Clare how disappointed he is about Gordon not being gay and leaves. Ray is still wearing the squeaky leather trousers and the noise makes the children laugh. This cheers Ray up and he decides to stay and entertain the children by singing nursery rhymes.

Broadcast details

Date
Monday 1st January 2007
Time
11:30am
Channel
BBC Radio 4
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Tuesday 8th March 2011 5:30pm Radio 7
Sunday 9th December 2018 11:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 14th April 2022 9:30am Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 14th April 2022 4:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Friday 15th April 2022 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
Lewis Macleod Gordon
Writing team
Harry Venning Writer
David Ramsden Writer
Production team
Katie Tyrrell Producer

Share this page