Changing Ends pays tribute to Alan Carr's late co-writer Simon Carlyle

His passing came as a complete surprise last summer, with notable names being quick to pay their respects, including BBC Scotland's Louise Thornton, who described him as a "major writing talent".

In statements released to press, Changing Ends star Carr as well as producer Mollie Freedman Berthoud and director Dave Lambert discussed how difficult it was to return to work without their "much missed friend".

Changing Ends: Simon Carlyle tribute explained

Carr told press that the idea of scripting Changing Ends without his writing partner left him "really worried", as the comfortable, honest friendship they facilitated a perfect environment for creativity.

"Luckily, Gabby Best [who plays Ange] helped us out with a couple of episodes, but it’s hard because you have to work with someone who gets you and someone you can be completely honest with," he explained.

"Me and Simon had that – he could tell me if a joke was rubbish and you need that kind of honesty. It was amazing to find someone like that and Simon was a one-off, we instantly hit it off."

Carr added: "It was tough writing series 2 without him and it still makes me quite emotional to think about it."

The stand-up comedian and actor was not the only one who struggled to come to terms with the devastating loss, as producer Mollie Freedman Berthoud also discussed the difficulty of not having Simon around.

"It was so hard," she began. "Simon was brilliant on this show, whether it was bouncing jokes around or helping with the structure of the script and he was so integral to the beginning of the process, putting Alan on the right path to tell his own story.

"One of the last things we spoke about was how excited he was about the episode ideas for series 2, so it was quite an easy decision for us to carry on because he loved this show and he was always so supportive of Alan telling his own story.

"Even so, it took us months to figure out how to work without him."

Lastly, director Dave Lambert spoke about what a "brilliant" professional partnership Carr and Carlyle had, with

He recalled: "They hit it off straight away, and their upbringings were very similar, even though Simon was up in Scotland and Alan was in Northampton. They were so funny in the room together and they would just make each other laugh so much.

"It was really, really sad when he died, it was really hard to cope with."

In addition to Changing Ends, Carlyle was best known for his Scottish sitcom Two Doors Down, which gradually grew into a super-sized hit over the course of its run.

Following his death, the production team said they were "deeply saddened" and praised the writer's "microscopic fascination with what makes funny things funnier".

Changing Ends continues Saturdays at 9pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX. Two Doors Down seasons 1-7 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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