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.

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Series 4, Episode 4 - Carry On Up The Amazon

When Clare discovers that Helen's son Gareth is not actually spending his gap year in Borneo but around the corner in a squat, will she be able to resist interfering?

Further details

In a team meeting, Irene mentions the office lottery kitty and while Clare is firmly opposed to the lottery, calling it a confidence trick, Irene, Helen, Ray and Megan have won £4000. Clare sadly needs the money but won't stoop to borrowing it from her colleagues. The need for money becomes so necessary that Clare and Brian try applying for lodgers. Two students from the language school apply for residence but, because Clare has agreed to go out with Helen while she does her canvassing for the Labour party, Brian must interview them alone. Clare decides that whoever Brian chooses; she will pick the other one.

During Helen's canvassing around the Kestral Estate, an area where young people live in squats, Helen is reminded of her son Gareth's departure on a gap year in deepest Borneo. Helen begins to cry and Clare tells her to go compose herself while she visits the next few houses. While going house to house without Helen, Clare knocks on a door to find Gareth living inside. He is living secretly away from home with a girl, Chantelle.

Meanwhile Brian is interviewing Siegfried, the German tenant. Siegfried questions Brian about how he is perceived in Britain and is determined to prove that Germans do have a sense of humour. For Brian, this is a bore until he later interviews Monique, the Belgian tenant. Brian is immediately attracted to her. She laughs at his jokes and takes an interest in drama and theatre, a keen hobby of Brian's. As a result they get on extremely well.

At the office, Megan has been told bringing your children to work can be beneficial and so has left Brenda there while she goes off. While all of the office agrees that Brenda is utterly adorable, she is prone to knocking things off Ray's desk and hurting him. Later in the day Ray asks Helen how Brenda is getting on, only for Helen to say that she though Brenda was with Ray. Brenda has got lost! She is later found outside on the window sill and Ray is sent out with his chronic vertigo to bring her back in.

Helen has received a postcard from Gareth saying he is still in Borneo and that he is going down the Amazon in a steamboat. Everyone apart from Helen can see the flaw. As she is still worried about Gareth, Helen is intending to buy a ticket to Borneo... this leaves Clare with no choice but to tell Helen about Gareth's real whereabouts.

As for everyone's £1000 winnings: Ray and Troy bought casino chips and lost the lot; Megan used the money to book Brenda on the 2030 space shuttle; and Irene managed to get her new partner Collette's book of poems published.

At the pub, Brian tells Simon about the potential tenants and that Siegfried and Monique were the only people to apply. Though Brian completely adores Monique and thrives in her company, he has chosen Siegfried as he doesn't want to be constantly reminded about how good his life might have been if he had someone like Monique instead of his troubled and crumbling relationship with Clare.

Helen invites Clare back to her home for a drink after the whole business with Chantelle. As they arrive back, Gareth is there waiting for them and he rushes to Helen, resulting with them both crying. Helen quickly sends Gareth to his room in anger. Though Gareth ran away, it turns out Helen had just given Chantelle the £1000 to leave Gareth.

Clare sticks to her idea of picking the tenant Brian didn't choose and so Monique is now having her luggage brought up to the flat. Brian is angry that Clare ignored his choice but secretly is happy that Monique is around, even though she will be doing yoga in the living room in the mornings, which will be a temptation for Brian.

Broadcast details

Date
Wednesday 6th February 2008
Time
11:30am
Channel
BBC Radio 4
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Monday 7th May 2012 9:00am Radio 4 Extra
Monday 7th May 2012 10:35pm Radio 4 Extra
Tuesday 8th May 2012 2:00am Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 13th May 2012 7:30am Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 13th May 2012 10:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Monday 3rd June 2019 10:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 15th December 2022 9:30am Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 15th December 2022 2:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 15th December 2022 7:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Friday 16th December 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
Paul Chequer Gareth
Alex Tregear Chantelle
Richard Lumsden Siegfried
Nina Conti Monique
Writing team
Harry Venning Writer
David Ramsden Writer
Production team
Katie Tyrrell Producer

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