CarlaLane

Her first sitcom 'The Liver Birds', co-written with Myra Taylor, spanned 10 years and followed the romantic adventures of two young women sharing a bedsit in Liverpool.

The show established Lane's distinctive writing-style, which explored sexual and personal relationships from a woman's experience and point of view.

Her next series 'Butterflies' presented an intimate portrait of middle-aged, suburban housewife Ria (Wendy Craig) as she mused on the shortcomings of her 'ordinary' life and battled with adulterous temptations. 

Subsequent BBC sitcoms 'Solo', 'The Mistress', 'Leaving', and 'I Woke Up One Morning' struggled for critical approval, perhaps due to Lane's subtle, anecdotal and often poignant approach to comedy, and their exploration of serious controversial issues such as infidelity, divorce and alcoholism.

However, Lane's return to a Liverpool setting for the colourful slice of working-class life, 'Bread', which revolved around staunchly Catholic matriarch Nellie and her unemployed children, put her firmly back in the mainstream.