Beaumont said Aherne did the “virtually impossible” by showing an “authentic slice of working class life” through comedy, which she considered to be “groundbreaking”.
“We now think of it as a massive hit but critics hated it at the time, they said ‘it’s boring and it lacks craft’,” she said.
But Beaumont said she watched the show and thought “I’ve spent all my life in living rooms like that”, and the show really resonated with her and was relatable in a way that “defied logic really”.
The comedian said she was likened to Aherne when she began because of how she sometimes trembled due to nerves on stage.
“It was really comforting to hear someone like that had nerves as well,” she said.
“It would be nice to see a statue of one of your heroes because there aren’t enough statues of women – so what better person.”
