Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Clare in the Community: The Complete Series 7-12

By: Harry Venning, David Ramsden
Narrated by: Sally Phillips, Alex Lowe, Nina Conti, Liza Tarbuck, Richard Lumsden, Sarah Kendall, Nina Wadia, full cast, Andrew Wincott, Gbemisola Ikumelo
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Series 7-12 of the Sony Award-winning sitcom featuring the splendidly self-obsessed social worker—plus Christmas and Edinburgh Festival Specials.

Well-meaning do-gooder Clare Barker is back, and dealing with more office politics, troublesome clients and domestic dramas. Secretly regarding herself as a cross between Mother Theresa and Wonder Woman, she's got all the right jargon for every problem, but never any practical solutions. However, in today's 'Big Society' there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker (or even Clare)...

These six series find her struggling once again to control both her professional and private life. At the Sparrowhawk Centre, Clare finds herself in hot water on more than one occasion; and the team find themselves moving offices, facing up to possible redundancies, bidding a fond farewell to old colleagues and welcoming new ones. And at home, Clare's relationship with Brian is as thorny as ever. As we follow the duo through break-ups, wedding bells, separations and reconciliations, can they finally find happiness—or does fate have other ideas?

Sally Phillips stars as Clare, with a stellar cast including Alex Lowe, Sarah Thom, Nina Conti and Gbemisola Ikumelo. Also included are a special instalment recorded live at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 'In Treatment', and a one-off Christmas outing, 'Christmas With... Clare Barker', featuring guest star Hugh Bonneville.

Production credits:

Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden

Produced by Katie Tyrrell (Series 7-8 and Edinburgh Special) and Alexandra Smith (Series 9-12 and Christmas Special)

A BBC Studios production

Cast:

Clare - Sally Phillips

Brian - Alex Lowe

Megan/Nali - Nina Conti

Ray - Richard Lumsden

Helen - Liza Tarbuck/Pippa Haywood

Simon - Andrew Wincott

Libby - Sarah Kendall

Joan - Sarah Thom

Mrs Singh - Nina Wadia

Cilla - Gbemisola Ikumelo

Other parts played by members of the cast

With Sophie Thompson, Gerard McDermott, Simon Bubb, Victoria Inez Hardy, Georgia Lowe, Nathan Caton, Stefan Ramsden, Adam Billington, Eleanor Crooks, Will Howard, Robert Blythe, Ben Crowe, Bharti Patel, Patrick Brennan, Robert Blythe, Adam Nagaitis, Paul Stonehouse, Stephanie Racine, Peter Mitchell, Hannah Gordon, John Norton, Arthur Hughes, Alex Tregear, Carolyn Pickles, Hugh Bonneville, Shaun Mason, Lizzie Roper, Karl Theobald, Anil Goutam, Eleanor Curry, Amelia Lowdell, Neet Mohan, Elliot Steel, Dustin Demri-Burns, Clare Perkins, Alison Belbin, Sean Baker, Colin Hoult, Amita Dhiri, Alex Macqueen, Elizabeth Bennett, Nicola Ferguson, Emma Sidi, Rebecca Root, George Fouracres, Jenny Bede, Jenny Murray, Tony Way.

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 September-28 October 2011 (Series 7), 2 January-6 February 2013 (Series 8), 27 August 2013 ('In Treatment'), 8 January-12 February 2014 (Series 9), 29 December 2014 ('Christmas With... Clare Barker'), 10 July-14 August 2015 (Series 10), 15 November-20 December 2016 (Series 11), 24 September-29 October 2019 (Series 12).

©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Clare in the Community: The Complete Series 1-6 cover art
Robin and Wendy’s Wet Weekends: The Complete Series 1-4 cover art
Old Harry’s Game cover art
Reluctant Persuaders: The Complete Series 1-4 cover art
Life, Death & Sex with Mike and Sue cover art
Ed Reardon's Week: Series 1-4 cover art
Ring Around the Bath: Topsy-Turvy Family Life cover art
The Party Line: Complete Series 1-3 cover art
HighLites: Series 1-6 cover art
It’s Not Us, It’s Them: Series 1-3 cover art
Double Income, No Kids Yet cover art
Clayton Grange: Series 1 & 2 cover art
Party's Over cover art
Nebulous: The Complete Series 1-3 cover art
Dead Ringers: Series 1-7 Plus Specials cover art
Fags, Mags, and Bags: Series 1-4 cover art

Critic reviews

"An impressive cast and some genuinely funny writing make this a must." (The Stage)

What listeners say about Clare in the Community: The Complete Series 7-12

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    32
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    27
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    27
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The end of Harry Vennings' Clare collection.

A second compendium of the wonderful Clare and co. Sadly the end of Harry Vennings' Clare collection. However, this collection does have episode titles.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great performers, great stories, will listen again

After listening to series 1-6, I carried straight on into these. The writers consistency for such a long run is to be mentioned, thoroughly enjoying every one with great actors and superb comedic timing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A must if you enjoyed the series 1-6

Well worth one credit to get the rest of the series.

I think towards the end the stories became a bit too silly and unbelievable. Sometimes it did jar me out of the story in the way that the actors sounded too similar even when playing different parts.

I have enjoyed all of the series and highly recommend though I do think that it has now come to its natural end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great series

Could listen to this all day- consistently funny and erudite. Would have loved more episodes but unfortunately it’s not to be.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

brilliant

gags come thick and fast , writing is out if the world ,buy it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very enjoyable and funny

loved it, brilliantly witty. just completed and will listen to this many, many times over the years.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent listening

More twists than you would expect to find in such a presentation. just when you think you're onto the plot it turns

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not as Good as Vol 1/the Earlier Series

Sadly Clare and the Community limped on for far too many unfunny series in the end. The first volume from Audible I absolutely recommend, but by the point that Liza Tarbuck (Helen) left and they chose to drop characters like Megan and even Ray the show was over. Although no one seemingly told the show! New characters like Mrs Singh and Cilla are really empty, storylines go nowhere and the comedy just isn't there. The final series is frequently meta, a sure sign that they'd long since run out of ideas. There's still great performances from Sally Phillips, Alex Lowe, Nina Conti and Sarah Kendall but it's a shame to see what waa once a very funny comedy diminished in such a manner.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

serious decline in quality over the first volume

the first volume of series 1-6 was excellent, so I didn't hesitate to purchase the second volume.
serious 7 -8 were pretty good, however there was a significant decline in quality after this.
It's as is the writers ran out of ideas yet didn't know how to stop.
the last 2 series are truly terrible, which is a real shame and a sad end to a one great comedy.
you have been warned.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!