Carla Lane, OBE (born Romana Barrack, 5 August 1937) is an English television writer responsible for many sitcoms, including The Liver Birds (1969–78), Butterflies (1978–82), and Bread (1986–91).Lane is also known for her animal rights activism and, until 2009, ran an animal sanctuary, Animaline, in Horsted Keynes, West Sussex. Animal rights is a theme that has appeared in her writing; for example, the character Darwin in Luv is a member of an animal rights group. Lane was awarded an OBE in 1989, but returned it in protest at the CBE awarded to the managing director of Huntingdon Life Sciences, a contract animal testing laboratory.
Had the Liverpool based Carla Lane Animals in Need Sanctuary, in Melliing, Merseyside, named after her.
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Mother to two sons, Nigel and Carl.
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In 1995 she was awarded the Royal Television Society for her Outstanding Contribution to British Television.
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Made an O.B.E. for services to writing in 1989 but returned it to Tony Blair in 2002 in disgust at animal cruelty.
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She was a lifelong vegetarian who inherited her interest in animal welfare from her grandfather, an RSPCA supervisor.
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Carla is a good friend of Lynsey de Paul.
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She returned the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2002 for protest of a C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) being awarded to the managing director of Huntingdon Life Sciences, because of the company's testing on animals.
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She was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1989 for her services to the television industry.
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Last Laugh
2005
TV Series
Butterflies Reunion Special
2000
TV Short
The Liver Birds
TV Series written by - 42 episodes, 1971 - 1996 by - 33 episodes, 1971 - 1975 series created by - 18 episodes, 1972 - 1975 series devised by - 11 episodes, 1972
Searching
1995
TV Series written by - 7 episodes
Luv
1993-1994
TV Series written by - 18 episodes
Screaming
1992
TV Series written by - 8 episodes
Bread
1986-1991
TV Series written by - 74 episodes
A Night of Comic Relief 2
1989
TV Special uncredited
The Mistress
1985-1987
TV Series written by - 12 episodes
I Woke Up One Morning
1985-1986
TV Series written by - 12 episodes
Leaving
1984-1985
TV Series written by - 12 episodes
Butterflies
TV Series by - 27 episodes, 1978 - 1983 written by - 1 episode, 1979
The Last Song
1981-1983
TV Series written by - 13 episodes
Solo
1981-1982
TV Series by - 13 episodes
Liebe ist doof
1981
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Me You and Him
1979
TV Movie
Butterflies
1979
TV Movie creator
Comedy Playhouse
TV Series 1 episode, 1975 writer - 2 episodes, 1969 - 1974
Going, Going, Gone... Free?
1975
TV Movie
Bless This House
TV Series writer - 20 episodes, 1971 - 1974 written by - 4 episodes, 1971
No Strings
1974
TV Series writer - 6 episodes
A Christmas Night with the Stars
1972
TV Series 1 episode
And Mother Makes Three
1971
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Liver Birds
1996
TV Series executive producer - 7 episodes
Searching
1995
TV Series executive producer - 6 episodes
Luv
1993
TV Series executive producer - 1 episode
Butterflies
1979
TV Movie producer
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Bread
1986
TV Series writer: "Home" - uncredited
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Swimfan
2002
very special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Sitcom Does...
2011
TV Mini-Series documentary
Herself
Beyond a Joke
2009
TV Series documentary
Herself
The Greatest Christmas Comedy Moments
2008
TV Movie documentary
Herself
Comedy Connections
2003-2008
TV Series documentary
Herself
How TV Changed Britain
2008
TV Series documentary
Herself
Loose Women
2007
TV Series
Herself
The Wright Stuff
2007
TV Series
Herself - Guest Panelist
The Comedy Map of Britain
2007
TV Series documentary
Herself
This Morning
2006
TV Series
Herself
The British Soap Awards 2006
2006
TV Special
Herself - Presenter
The Last Laugh
2006
TV Series
Herself
Who Killed the Sitcom?
2006
TV Movie documentary
Herself
Stars Reunited
2004
TV Series documentary
Herself
There's Only One Paul McCartney
2002
TV Movie documentary
Herself
Heroes of Comedy
2002
TV Series documentary
Herself
Funny Turns
2001
TV Series documentary
Herself
Funny Women
1999
TV Series documentary short
Herself
Laughter in the House: The Story of British Sitcom