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 6, Episode 3 - Some Others Do 'Ave 'Em

Clare is back on the social work frontline as a vomiting bug hits her colleagues. Ben and Nali take baby Thomas out for the day and Helen attends the police liaison meeting.

Further details

It is a busy morning at home. Nali is talking and singing to baby Thomas in her home language and Clare seems to have misplaced everything in an early morning rush. Nali's mother has sent a book for her to read to Thomas. It is a story from her village about a cabbage falling in love with a beetroot but it being spoilt by the wicked turnip. Clare wishes Nali would read something English that they can understand. Iggle Piggle it is.

It is half term so Brian has got at least this day off and Clare doesn't want him to squander it just lolling around in bed. Nali invites him to go with her and Thomas on their walk. Clare asks him to pop an invite into Dave and Linda's house. Clare hates Dave and Linda, but until she finds some new black friends they will have to do.

Everyone at the family centre aside Clare have all been hit by a vomiting bug. The first team meeting of the day is met with everyone sat in chairs clutching a bucket each. Libby demands the door be left open so she has a straight run to the dunny. There is a police liaison meeting which Helen volunteers to go to as she 'loves to stick it to the pigs'. She hasn't forgiven them for when she was fined for speeding. Meanwhile, while everyone is ill, Clare plans to see everyone's clients. Ray still feels a temperature and borrows Libby's thermometer. Ray puts it in his mouth without asking where it actually goes.

At a café, Nali, Thomas and Brian are having a good time. Nali orders a double layered spam sandwich for Thomas. Even though Brian and Clare say he is vegetarian, Nali lets him have meat occasionally. Brian also discovers that outside people mistake Nali for the mother; that and Nali calls Thomas 'Stefan'.

Clare in the meantime has gone to visit one of Libby's clients and after two hours sorting out all of the care packages, Clare is told she is in the wrong house and that she wants to be next door. Dolly, the woman who let Clare stay at the house for the last two hours, is just desperate for some human company. While Clare can sympathise for her, she is annoyed that her schedule for the day is ruined. She is ready to leave until Dolly's sister Peggy turns up. The two sisters despise each other and keep out of each others way. Peggy is telling Dolly that they are both dead. Dolly is convinced that Peggy is dead and the two argue about who killed mother and the nanny and Clare realises she has a case on her hands that only she can fix.

Later, away from the café and at the park, Brian teaches Nali how to skim stones but Brian accidentally kills a duck through the demonstration. He sees the baby ducklings swimming around their dead mother. Nali is also upset as there were three good meals in that duck. Lying down on the grass later reminds Nali of that film about a man and a woman called A Man and a Woman. Brian starts playing, picking up a buttercup to see if Nali likes butter. She has a similar tradition back home but again it involves a cabbage. Brian unluckily ruins the moment by picking the only buttercup in the park with a bee in it. Suddenly they realise Thomas is missing. The last they knew of him, he was sat on the meat slicer back at the cafe and they rush back to get him.

At the police liaison meeting with Inspector Gough, Helen seems to be the only person asking questions; that or no one else is getting a chance to. The Inspector is getting tired of Helen's questions and Helen and so lies saying time has run out. He thanks the crowd and goes backstage only to be heard shouting 'well that was a disaster, who let that bigoted woman in there!'

Back with Clare, the story being told is that the two sisters were twins born on the 29th February which is rumoured to bring bad luck. Clare begins to get scared and tries to escape the house but is blocked by a Reverend coming to visit the sisters; his parishioners. He tells Clare that the sisters were celebrated stage performers many years ago and that they like to put on a show even today with their ghostly sisters routine. Once Clare leaves, the Reverend changes his tone and angrily tells the sisters to "pack it in or you'll give us all away."

Broadcast details

Date
Monday 14th June 2010
Time
11:30am
Channel
BBC Radio 4
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Tuesday 17th May 2011 6:30pm Radio 4
Tuesday 24th May 2011 12:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Tuesday 24th May 2011 10:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Monday 20th August 2012 9:00am Radio 4 Extra
Monday 20th August 2012 10:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Tuesday 21st August 2012 2:00am Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 26th August 2012 7:30am Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 26th August 2012 10:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 22nd June 2014 7:30am Radio 4 Extra
Sunday 22nd June 2014 10:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Monday 23rd June 2014 3:00am Radio 4 Extra
Wednesday 18th December 2019 11:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 25th May 2023 9:30am Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 25th May 2023 2:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 25th May 2023 7:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Friday 26th May 2023 4:30am Radio 4 Extra

Cast & crew

Cast
Sally Phillips Clare
Alex Lowe Brian
Nina Conti Megan
Richard Lumsden Ray
Liza Tarbuck Helen
Sarah Kendall Libby
Nina Conti Nali
Guest cast
Rosemary Leach Peggy
Doreen Mantle Dolly
Writing team
Harry Venning Writer
David Ramsden Writer
Production team
Katie Tyrrell Producer

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