Caroline Aherne (born December 24, 1963) is a British comedienne.

As a result of her marriage to musician Peter Hook, she was known for a time as Caroline Hook, but reverted to her maiden name when the marriage broke up. Having appeared in comedy shows such as Shooting Stars and The Fast Show, she rose to prominence as the character Mrs Merton on the mock talk show, the Mrs Merton Show and the comedy programme Mrs Merton and Malcolm . This show was based in her native Heaton Norris, Stockport.

Following this she suffered from depression and spent a period of time out of the limelight. She returned to her role as 'Denise' in the hit BBC comedy The Royle Family, which she also co-wrote with Craig Cash. The show began its run in 1998. However, she again suffered from depression and after a documentary with writing partner Craig Cash called Back Passage to India in May 2000, Aherne announced that The Royle Family would end in December 2000 after a Christmas special, and that she would not appear on television again, although she would continue to write. She then moved to Australia, again retreating from the press, and a new series, Dossa and Joe was written by her, shown on BBC2 in 2002. Although critics applauded it, the show did not attract a significant number of viewers and so did not return for a second series. She then began work on another sitcom with former writing partner Craig Cash, but pulled out early on, leaving Cash to write alone. The show, Early Doors, was shown in 2003 and proved a hit; she was subsequently commissioned for a second series which was screened in August 2004.

In 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.