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''The Royle Family'' is a
British sitcom A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. Most British sitcoms are recorded on studio sets, while some have an element of location filming. A handful are made almost exclusively on location ...
produced by
Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...
for the BBC, which ran for three series from 1998 to 2000, and specials from 2006 to 2012. It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, comprising family patriarch Jim Royle (
Ricky Tomlinson Eric "Ricky" Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Bobby Grant in ''Brookside'', DCI Charlie Wise in '' Cracker'' and Jim Royle in ''The Royle Family'', and playing the titular char ...
), his wife Barbara (
Sue Johnston Susan Johnston OBE (née Wright; born 7 December 1943) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Sheila Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside'' (1982–1990), Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy ''The Royle Family'' (1998–2000, ...
), their daughter Denise (
Caroline Aherne Caroline Mary Aherne (24 December 1963 – 2 July 2016) was an English actress, comedian and writer. She was best known for performing as the acerbic chat show host ''The Mrs Merton Show, Mrs Merton'', in various roles in ''The Fast Show'', and ...
), their son Antony (
Ralf Little Ralf Alastair John Little (born 8 February 1980) is an English actor, writer, presenter, narrator and former semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He played Antony Royle in ''The Royle Family'' and Jonny Keogh in ...
) and Denise's fiancé (later husband) David (
Craig Cash Craig Cash (born 11 September 1960)
Retrie ...
). The series features simple production values and a comic portrayal of working-class family life at the turn of the millennium. It therefore has something in common with
kitchen sink drama Kitchen sink realism (or kitchen sink drama) is a British cultural movement that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose protagonists usually could be described as "angry young men" w ...
. Almost all of the episodes take place in the Royles' home, largely in the telly-centric living room, with the humour derived from the conversations held therein. Aherne and Cash co-wrote every episode, along with
Henry Normal Henry Normal (real name Peter James Carroll, born 15 August 1956) is a writer, poet, TV and film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Manchester Literature Festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival. In Ju ...
(series one), Carmel Morgan (series two), and
Phil Mealey Phil Mealey is a British actor and writer from Stockport. Biography Mealey co-wrote and associate-produced the BBC sitcom ''Early Doors'' with Craig Cash. Mealey also acted in the series, playing the character Duffy. Cash and Mealey won two Nor ...
(five Christmas specials). The later specials are presented in a more traditional sitcom format. A sixth special episode was set to be written, but Aherne died on 2 July 2016, effectively ending the programme. In the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
's list of the
100 greatest British television programmes The BFI TV 100 is a list of 100 television programmes or series that was compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI), as chosen by a poll of industry professionals, with the aim to determine the best British television programmes of any ...
drawn up in 2000 and voted on by industry professionals, ''The Royle Family'' was placed 31st. In a 2001
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
poll, Jim Royle, the misanthropic head of the household known for such mocking phrases as "my arse!", was ranked eleventh on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters. In a 2004 BBC poll to find
Britain's Best Sitcom ''Britain's Best Sitcom'' was a BBC media campaign in which television viewers were asked to decide the best British situation comedy. Viewers could vote via telephone, SMS, or BBC Online. This first round of voting was conducted in 2003, after ...
, ''The Royle Family'' was placed 19th. The series has also won several BAFTA awards.


Series

Most episodes appear to take place in real time and all action takes place within the Royles'
council house A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...
home. (The passage of time as indicated by the changing programmes on the Royles' TV sometimes suggests that the action has been compressed.) Unlike most UK sitcoms of the time, the show was filmed in
16 mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...
using single camera production style and was not filmed in front of an audience. The producer
Glenn Wilhide Glenn Wilhide (born 1958) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Early life and family Wilhide was born in Maryland, USA, to American parents. His family moved to the UK when he was a child and he was educated at Leighton Park S ...
is on record as saying, "It was a big fight to make sure it had no
laugh track A laugh track (or laughter track) is a separate soundtrack for a recorded comedy show containing the sound of audience laughter. In some productions, the laughter is a live audience response instead; in the United States, where it is most common ...
". The one-off specials take a more traditional sitcom storyline, though many scenes still run longer than standard in line with the 'real time' nature of the original series. The 2006 special episode "The Queen of Sheba" was partly set in a hospital. Its narrative moves forward in time in a more structured manner. 2008's Christmas special, "The New Sofa", is set over two days. In it the characters spend Christmas Eve at the Royle household in the traditional manner (in front of the television), followed by Christmas Day at Dave and Denise's. Much of the 2009 Christmas special takes place in a caravan at a holiday park. It also features intermediate scenes of Dave driving the car there. All of the 2010 and 2012 Christmas specials takes place at the Royles' house. There was widespread speculation as to whether the show would return after the 2012 special. In 2016, Tomlinson said that there would probably be a Christmas special that year; however, Aherne's death in July 2016 effectively ended any chances of a return for the show. The show's theme song is " Half the World Away" by
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
. When Aherne died, ex-''Oasis'' member
Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...
performed a tribute to Aherne by playing it during a concert in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
.


Characters


Main

*
Ricky Tomlinson Eric "Ricky" Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Bobby Grant in ''Brookside'', DCI Charlie Wise in '' Cracker'' and Jim Royle in ''The Royle Family'', and playing the titular char ...
as James Randolph "Jim" Royle *:
Misanthropic Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ ...
,
cynical Cynicism is an attitude characterized by a general distrust of the motives of "others". A cynic may have a general lack of faith or hope in people motivated by ambition, desire, greed, gratification, materialism, goals, and opinions that a cynic ...
and
selfish Selfishness is being concerned excessively or exclusively, for oneself or one's own advantage, pleasure, or welfare, regardless of others. Selfishness is the opposite of altruism or selflessness; and has also been contrasted (as by C. S. Lewis) w ...
, Jim is a
slob Slob or SLOB may refer to: * Slob, United States Virgin Islands, a settlement * Arie Slob (born 1961), Dutch politician * Jan Janz Slop or Jan Slob (1643–1727), Dutch Golden Age painter * '' S.L.O.B.'', debut full-length album by American death ...
who spends his days sitting in his armchair watching television doing as little as possible and enjoys announcing his visits to the lavatory. Jim is an impatient
miser A miser is a person who is reluctant to spend, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities, in order to hoard money or other possessions. Although the word is sometimes used loosely to characterise anyone who ...
and regularly mocks his family, in particular Antony and his mother-in-law Norma, when not judging celebrities on television. Jim's outbursts are often accompanied by his critical catchphrase, " my arse!" On occasions he shows a more understanding side, especially when his family is in need of support. Jim has shown himself to be a big music fan. Often knowledgeable about songs, he will sing song lyrics that fit in to conversation. He is also able to play the banjo and does so on special occasions and at the request of his family. *
Sue Johnston Susan Johnston OBE (née Wright; born 7 December 1943) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Sheila Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside'' (1982–1990), Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy ''The Royle Family'' (1998–2000, ...
as Barbara Royle (''née'' Speakman) *:Barbara is the long-suffering wife of Jim, who lives for her family; her caring nature is often exploited by the selfishness of husband Jim and daughter Denise, who let her do almost everything for them. Despite this, she is often shown to be more friendly, polite, compassionate and level-headed than her husband. Barbara works part-time at a bakery, and for a time is the only member of the family to have a job. The stress of her life causes her to have a breakdown during Series 2. She and Denise are both chain smokers. Johnston and Tomlinson previously played a married couple,
Sheila Sheila (alternatively spelled Shelagh and Sheelagh) is a common feminine given name, derived from the Irish name ''Síle'', which is believed to be a Gaelic form of the Latin name Caelia, the feminine form of the Roman clan name Caelius, meanin ...
and Bobby Grant, in
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
-based soap ''
Brookside Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Br ...
''. *
Caroline Aherne Caroline Mary Aherne (24 December 1963 – 2 July 2016) was an English actress, comedian and writer. She was best known for performing as the acerbic chat show host ''The Mrs Merton Show, Mrs Merton'', in various roles in ''The Fast Show'', and ...
as Denise Best (''née'' Royle) *:The only daughter of Jim and Barbara, Denise is extremely
lethargic Lethargy is a state of tiredness, sleepiness, weariness, fatigue, sluggishness or lack of energy. It can be accompanied by depression, decreased motivation, or apathy. Lethargy can be a normal response to inadequate sleep, overexertion, overwo ...
, pretentious and apathetic. Before meeting Dave, Denise was engaged to a man named Stewart, but called off the engagement. She marries Dave in the first series, and they have two children, Baby David and Norma, though she rarely looks after her children, instead passing her duties on to everyone else. Jim also used to mock her for only serving her husband rudimentary dinners such as Dairylea
cheese spread Cheese spread is a soft spreadable cheese or processed cheese product. Various additional ingredients are sometimes used, such as multiple cheeses, fruits, vegetables and meats, and many types of cheese spreads exist. Pasteurized process cheese s ...
on toast and spaghetti hoops. Denise is known for her heavy reliance on cigarettes. She and Barbara love smoking, and often fill the ashtray. Denise is sometimes verbally abusive to her younger brother Antony, regularly leaving him to babysit her children and along with her father, forcing him to make cups of tea for the family. However, there are scenes of Denise being friendly and loyal to those close to her. Sometimes she will stick up for her brother Anthony, Nana or Cheryl if either of them is subject to ridicule from other characters, and in an intimate scene in The Queen of Sheba, she promises to her Nana that she will make her funeral fun; which she does. *
Ralf Little Ralf Alastair John Little (born 8 February 1980) is an English actor, writer, presenter, narrator and former semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He played Antony Royle in ''The Royle Family'' and Jonny Keogh in ...
as Antony James Royle (1998–2000, 2006–2010) *:Antony is the son of Jim and Barbara, and generally treated as a
dogsbody A dogsbody, dog's body, or less commonly dog robber is someone who does menial or drudge work.''Oxford English Dictionary'', 3rd edition, 2010''s.v.''/ref> Originally, in the British Royal Navy, a dogsbody was a semi-sarcastic colloquialism for a ...
by the family, ordered to do menial tasks such as answering the door, making cups of tea and babysitting Dave and Denise's children. He is the only member of the family (other than Barbara) who actually does any work in the house or otherwise. He is often mocked by Jim, Denise and Dave and is surprised when in one episode, Denise sticks up for him followed by Jim showing him a great deal of support. Although originally unemployed with little prospects, it was revealed in the 2006 special that Antony had gone on to become a successful businessman and no longer lives in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He gets engaged to girlfriend Emma after she falls pregnant and they have a son named Lewis, but prior to the 2006 special, they have separated and Antony has recently starting dating a girl named Sarah. In 2009, he is in a relationship with Saskia, who falls pregnant in early-2010, and goes into labour on Christmas Day after he has proposed. *
Craig Cash Craig Cash (born 11 September 1960)
Retrie ...
as David "Dave" Best *:Denise's boyfriend and later husband, Dave is initially depicted as a '
jack the lad Jack the Lad were a British folk rock group from North East England formed in 1973 by three former members of the most successful band of the period from the region, Lindisfarne. They moved from the progressive folk rock of Lindisfarne into m ...
' cheeky chappy and later portrayed as slow, lethargic and indolent, perhaps due to working full-time and being sole carer to his and Denise's baby. He is shown to be generous and good-natured, often putting up with Denise's selfish lifestyle. He is often Jim's sidekick and he takes Jim's side when the latter is arguing with Barbara or Denise. Denise often takes advantage of Dave, leaving him to change
nappies A diaper /ˈdaɪpə(r)/ ( American and Canadian English) or a nappy ( Australian English, British English, and Hiberno-English) is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate without using a toilet, by absorbing or con ...
and care for their children when they get upset. Denise and Dave announced that she was pregnant, and she later gave birth to baby David, and later in the series, Denise announced she was pregnant again and she later had a baby girl, whom she called Norma after Barbara's mother. Dave previously dated Denise's enemy, Beverley Macker, and this is often brought up by Antony to annoy Denise. In the later series specials, Dave is portrayed as an extremely dim-witted loafer.


Recurring

* Liz Smith as Norma Jean Speakman (Nana) (1998–2000, 2006) *:Barbara's demanding elderly mother, called "Nana" by Denise and Antony. Jim and Norma had a highly bitter feud, as Jim often calls her names such as a "greedy old cow" when she didn't share her
Revels ''Revels'' is a contemporary series of American seasonal stage performances, incorporating singing, dancing, recitals, and theatrics loosely organized around a central theme or narrative. The folk-tradition-based performances started in 1957, we ...
with him. Norma often looks for sympathy from her family, repeating the fact that she is the only living elderly woman in her block of flats, and she often hints that she wants to move in with the Royles. When her best friend Elsie dies, Jim and Norma argue because Norma goes from mourning to talking about Elsie's television and clothes. Norma eventually moved in with the Royles when her health rapidly declined, and she died in 2006 at the age of ninety. When she died, Jim felt extremely remorseful because of how he feuded with Norma. Jim decided in a mark of respect to put her ashes on top of the television, a place where she will always be remembered. *
Jessica Hynes Tallulah Jessica Elina Hynes (''née'' Stevenson; born 30 October 1972) is an English actress, director and writer. Known professionally as Jessica Stevenson until 2007, she was one of the creators, writers and stars of the British sitcom ''Spac ...
as Cheryl Carroll (1998–2000, 2006–2010) *:The daughter of Joe and Mary, and the best friend of Denise. Cheryl lives next-door to the Royles and constantly battles with her weight, going from one unsuccessful diet to the next. Jim, Dave and Antony often ridicule her weight behind her back. She enjoys looking after Denise's children, a situation Denise takes advantage of. Cheryl is portrayed as unlucky in love, though she has a relationship with Twiggy between the 2006 and 2008 episodes, before leaving him for a man with a burger van. On Christmas Day 2010, Cheryl revealed she had been dating a homeless person called "Spamhead" who stole her father's savings before leaving her. *
Doreen Keogh Doreen Sheila Elsie Keogh (10 April 1924 – 31 December 2017) was an Irish actress of radio, stage, television and film, who was best known for roles in numerous television serials and telefilms, but most especially Concepta Riley the first ba ...
as Mary Carroll (1998–2000, 2006) *:Mary lives next door to the Royles with her husband Joe and daughter Cheryl. She is Irish, and is portrayed as a talkative busybody (in direct contrast to her husband). She last appears in the 2006 special, and by Christmas 2009, her health has deteriorated and she suffers from severe incontinence. By the 2010 Christmas special, Mary had died. * Peter Martin as Joe Carroll (1998–2000, 2006–2012) *:Joe is the husband of Mary and father of Cheryl. Joe is very shy, a regular source of mocking by Jim and Antony, though after a few drinks he generally becomes more sociable, and has on a couple of occasions proven to be a talented singer. He also appears to be a lot more confident and happy in Mary's absence. After Mary's death, he carries her ashes around with him and talks of her constantly, and decides to move house before Cheryl convinces him to remain. * Geoffrey Hughes as Twiggy (1998–2000, 2006–2008) *:Twiggy is a longtime family friend of the Royles, and regularly visits, usually with rip-off materials or stolen goods to sell on. He has been in prison, and fathered at least two sons, and later briefly dated Cheryl, though the relationship didn't last. Twiggy sees prison as a holiday and describes it as "recharging the old batteries". Twiggy's criminal tendencies become more serious as the series progresses, at first he sells knock-offs then in 'The New Sofa', he appears at Denise's house with several half-empty spirit bottles (with optics still attached), presumably stolen from the local pub, he nonchalantly claims he could have got more if the dog hadn't started barking. Twiggy's last appearance was in the 2008 Christmas special as Hughes retired in 2010 and died in 2012. *
Andrew Whyment Andrew "Andy" Whyment (born 2 April 1981) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Darren Sinclair-Jones in the BBC sitcom ''The Royle Family'' and Kirk Sutherland on ''Coronation Street''. Career Whyment trained at the Laine Johns ...
as Darren Sinclair-Jones (1999–2000) *:Darren is friends with Antony in Series 2 and 3. Darren is portrayed to be dull, uneducated and of an apathetic demeanour. Like Twiggy, Darren is light-fingered and has been sacked from every job he's had for stealing. His brothers are all in prison, his father is an alcoholic who never leaves the pub and his mother (when not in hospital with her failing health) lives with Darren in a house where the bailiffs have taken all the furniture. On Christmas Day 2000, Antony and Emma ask Darren to be godfather to their unborn child. *
Sheridan Smith Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith OBE (born 25 June 1981) is an English actress, singer and television personality. Smith came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on sitcoms such as ''The Royle Family'' (1999–2000), ''Two Pints o ...
as Emma Kavanagh (1999–2000) *:Emma is Antony's first girlfriend. She first appears in the Series 2 finale, after being mentioned several times in earlier episodes. Emma comes from a wealthy family, but gets on well with the Royles. In the Series 3 finale, Antony announces his engagement to Emma, which leads Jim and Barbara to assume that Emma is pregnant. In the 2000 Christmas special, Emma's arrogant parents, Roger and Valerie, meet Jim and Barbara for the first time. Emma does not appear in the 2006 special, by which time she has separated from Antony. Antony and Emma continue to share custody of their son, Lewis, who appears in the 2006 special. *
Joanne Froggatt Joanne Froggatt (born 23 August 1980) is a British actress. From 2010 to 2015, she portrayed Anna Bates in the ITV period drama series ''Downton Abbey''. For this role, she received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a ...
as Saskia (2010) *:Saskia is the girlfriend of Antony, who is mentioned in the 2009 Christmas special and first appears on Christmas Day 2010. She is an A&E nurse and is heavily pregnant when she first appears. The Royles have a high level of interest in Saskia and have no respect for her privacy; for example, they read her diary and look through her clothes. In 2009, she did not wish to go to the Royles' household due to Jim's behaviour on a previous visit. Antony proposed to Saskia on Christmas Day 2010, and later she goes into labour a month early.


Episodes


1998–2000: Original run

The first series aired on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
in 1998, quickly gaining a following such that it was moved to BBC One for the second series in 1999, when it became even more popular. A
Christmas special Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared in in literature and Christmas music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth of material, with both adaptation ...
aired in 1999, followed by a third series and another Christmas special in 2000. Whilst each of the episodes can be viewed independently of each other, the first three series each have their own story arc running through them to give a greater sense of continuity, again unique for a British sitcom of this era. In series one the focus is on the buildup to Dave and Denise's wedding day, in the second series it partly focuses on Denise's pregnancy culminating in her giving birth on Christmas Day in the Christmas special. The third series builds up to Baby David's Christening as well as the relationship between Antony and Emma. Certain episodes also appear to parallel each other if the first three series are watched in order- for example the fifth episode of the first season focuses on a row between Dave and Denise whilst the fifth episode of the second season focuses on a row between Jim and Barbara. After Aherne announced that she would not write or star in any more episodes, Ricky Tomlinson also pulled out to ensure the show's end. However, on 7 April 2006, the BBC announced that Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash were to write a script for a one-off special, which was broadcast on 29 October 2006. The episode received widespread critical acclaim, having been watched by over 8,000,000 viewers.


2006–2012: Specials

"The Queen of Sheba" takes place six years after the events of the last series and features Nana's declining health and death. It won the Best Sitcom award at the 2007 BAFTAs, and won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Situation Comedy & Comedy Drama. Liz Smith's performance won her the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the National Television Awards and was BAFTA-nominated. The 2008 Christmas special, entitled "The New Sofa" was the first that took place mainly outside of the Royles' house. It began at the Royles', but moved to the Bests' house early on. Ralf Little did not appear in this episode, but his character is referenced. The hour-long special aired on Christmas Day 2008, and attracted 10,600,000 viewers, making it the fifth most watched programme on Christmas Day and the fifth most watched for the entire week ending 28 December 2008. ''The Royle Family'' returned as part of
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
, on 13 March 2009. It also marked the return of
Ralf Little Ralf Alastair John Little (born 8 February 1980) is an English actor, writer, presenter, narrator and former semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He played Antony Royle in ''The Royle Family'' and Jonny Keogh in ...
as Antony, who joined Dave, Denise, Jim and Barbara in the one-off mini episode. Another Christmas special, "The Golden Egg Cup", was aired on 25 December 2009, at 9:00 pm on BBC One and also in HD on the BBC HD channel. The episode was the most watched show on TV on Christmas Day and for the entire week ending 26 December 2009, attracting an audience of 11,740,000 viewers and the highest-rated episode of ''The Royle Family''. In November 2010
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
broadcast a two-hour episode called "Behind The Sofa", with interviews from the cast and crew celebrating the show's return in 2006. Another show entitled ''Royle Family Portraits'' was aired on Gold on Wednesday 17 November. Another Christmas special entitled "Joe's Crackers" was aired on 25 December 2010, on BBC One and BBC HD. The ratings for the BBC One transmission were 11,290,000 viewers, making it the fourth-most watched programme of Christmas Day and the sixth most watched for the entire week ending 26 December 2010. A further Christmas special was planned for 2011. but a script was not completed in time for filming. A Christmas special for 2012, titled "Barbara's Old Ring", aired on 25 December 2012. The broadcast was the third most popular programme on Christmas Day, achieving a rating of 9,900,000 viewers and was the sixth most watched programme for the week ending 30 December, across all UK TV channels.


Reception


Ratings

Source:
BARB Barb or the BARBs or ''variation'' may refer to: People * Barb (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Barb, a term used by fans of Nicki Minaj to refer to themselves * The Barbs, a band Places * Barb, ...


Awards and nominations


Home media


VHS releases

* ''The Royle Family: The Complete 1st Series'' – 8 November 1999. * ''The Royle Family: The Complete 2nd Series'' – 6 November 2000. * ''The Essential Royle Family'' (
Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
exclusive) – includes Series 1, episode 2, Series 2, episodes 4, 5 & 7 (released 2000). * ''The Royle Family: The Complete 3rd Series'' – 19 November 2001. * ''The Royle Family: The Complete 1st Series / The Complete 2nd Series / The Complete Third Series'' box set – 19 November 2001. * ''The Very Best of the Royle Family'' – 25 November 2002. (see DVD section for episodes).


DVD releases


Streaming

In the United Kingdom, the complete series is available from several streaming services including
BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...
and subscription services,
BritBox BritBox is an online digital video subscription service, founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, operating in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.
and
Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...
. In Australia, the series is currently available to stream via
Foxtel Now Foxtel Now (Formerly Foxtel Play) is an Australian internet television service which offers subscriptions to over 50 live channels and hundreds of video on-demand titles. The service is owned by Foxtel, and officially launched on 11 August 2013 ...
.


Books

* ''The Royle Family: The Scripts – Series 1'', by Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash, and Henry Normal. London: Granada Media/Andre Deutsch, 15 November 1999. * ''The Royle Family: The Scripts – Series 2'', by Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash, and Carmel Morgan. London: Granada Media, 18 September 2000. * ''The Royle Family: My Arse'', by Caroline Aherne.
Welbeck Publishing Group Welbeck Publishing Group, formerly Carlton Publishing Group, is a London-based independent book publisher of fiction, narrative and illustrated non-fiction, as well as gift and children's books. Established in 2019 by Executive Directors Mark Sm ...
, 1 October 2001. * ''The Royle Family: The Complete Scripts'', covers all scripts from Series 1, 2, and 3. Granada Media, 5 August 2002.


Audiobooks

* ''The Royle Family'' (BBC Radio Collection), features four episodes from the first series. BBC Audiobooks Ltd., 6 November 2000. * ''The Royle Family 2'' (BBC Radio Collection), features four episodes from the second series. BBC Audiobooks Ltd., 5 November 2001. * ''The Royle Family 3'' (BBC Radio Collection), features four episodes from the third series. BBC Audiobooks Ltd., 25 November 2002. * ''The Royle Family Collection'' (BBC Radio Collection), features twelve episodes from the first, second and third series. BBC Audiobooks Ltd., 25 November 2002.


Relation to other works

The subsequent sitcom ''
Early Doors ''Early Doors'' is a BBC sitcom written by Craig Cash and Phil Mealey. Both writers appear in the series, playing the two characters of 'Joe' and 'Duffy' who are best friends. ''Early Doors'' is set at The Grapes, a small public house in the ...
'' was also written by Craig Cash and Phil Mealey and has a similar production style and setting to The Royle Family. Cash also appears in ''Early Doors''. A frequent pastime for the family is watching the BBC series ''
Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (g ...
'' and betting on the outcome of valuations. In several episodes, the family are seen watching ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...
'', a long-running Northern English-based soap opera, in which
Sue Johnston Susan Johnston OBE (née Wright; born 7 December 1943) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Sheila Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside'' (1982–1990), Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy ''The Royle Family'' (1998–2000, ...
,
Doreen Keogh Doreen Sheila Elsie Keogh (10 April 1924 – 31 December 2017) was an Irish actress of radio, stage, television and film, who was best known for roles in numerous television serials and telefilms, but most especially Concepta Riley the first ba ...
, Geoffrey Hughes and
Andrew Whyment Andrew "Andy" Whyment (born 2 April 1981) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Darren Sinclair-Jones in the BBC sitcom ''The Royle Family'' and Kirk Sutherland on ''Coronation Street''. Career Whyment trained at the Laine Johns ...
have all played regular characters. Guest actors
Sally Lindsay Sally Jane Lindsay (born 8 July 1973) is an English actress and television presenter known for her roles as Shelley Unwin in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', Lisa Johnson in the Sky One comedy series '' Mount Pleasant'' an ...
(Michelle, Twiggy's girlfriend),
Sharon Duce Sharon Duce (born 17 January 1950) is a British actress. Born in Sheffield, she trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art then became a stage actress at the Sheffield Repertory Theatre, the York Theatre Royal, and the Theatre in th ...
(Valerie, Emma's Mother),
Steve Huison Steve Huison (born 2 December 1962) is a British actor who is mostly seen on television and occasionally in films. He is best known as “Lomper” in the film ''The Full Monty'' (1997) and for his role as Eddie Windass in ''Coronation Street'' ...
(Derek, Cheryl's Boyfriend) Helen Fraser (Jocelyn Best, Dave's Mother) and
Joanne Froggatt Joanne Froggatt (born 23 August 1980) is a British actress. From 2010 to 2015, she portrayed Anna Bates in the ITV period drama series ''Downton Abbey''. For this role, she received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a ...
(Saskia, Antony's fiancée) have also appeared in the programme. Sue Johnston and Joanne Froggatt would work together once again on the UK period drama, ''
Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on P ...
'', both as lady's maids, Johnston playing Gladys Denker, the lady's maid of Maggie Smith's character, and Froggatt playing Anna Smith Bates, the lady's maid of Michelle Dockery's character.
Caroline Aherne Caroline Mary Aherne (24 December 1963 – 2 July 2016) was an English actress, comedian and writer. She was best known for performing as the acerbic chat show host ''The Mrs Merton Show, Mrs Merton'', in various roles in ''The Fast Show'', and ...
and
Craig Cash Craig Cash (born 11 September 1960)
Retrie ...
have both narrated and Cash continues to narrate the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
series ''
Gogglebox ''Gogglebox'' is a British reality television series created by Stephen Lambert, Tania Alexander and Tim Harcourt, and broadcast on Channel 4. The series documents families and groups of friends around the United Kingdom who are filmed for thei ...
'', which, like ''The Royle Family'', features people watching TV.
Ralf Little Ralf Alastair John Little (born 8 February 1980) is an English actor, writer, presenter, narrator and former semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He played Antony Royle in ''The Royle Family'' and Jonny Keogh in ...
and
Sheridan Smith Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith OBE (born 25 June 1981) is an English actress, singer and television personality. Smith came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on sitcoms such as ''The Royle Family'' (1999–2000), ''Two Pints o ...
were also cast as a couple in the
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...
sitcom ''
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps ''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' is a British sitcom that ran from 26 February 2001 to 24 May 2011. First broadcast on BBC Two, it starred Sheridan Smith, Will Mellor, Natalie Casey, Ralf Little, Kathryn Drysdale and Luke Gell. Cr ...
''.


American version

In 2001, it was announced that a proposed remake was in the works and to be retitled ''The Kennedys''. The American version, produced for
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, featured
Randy Quaid Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy. He was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in ''The Last Detail'' i ...
as Jim Kennedy,
Pamela Reed Pamela Reed (born April 2, 1949) is an American actress. She is known for playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's hypoglycemic police partner in the 1990 movie ''Kindergarten Cop'' and as the matriarch Gail Green in ''Jericho''. She appeared as Marlene ...
as Pamela (Barbara), Sarah Ann Morris as Denise,
John Francis Daley John Francis Daley (born July 20, 1985) is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and musician. He is known for playing high school freshman Sam Weir on the NBC comedy-drama ''Freaks and Geeks'' and FBI criminal profiler Dr. ...
as Anthony, and
Page Kennedy Page Kennedy (born November 23, 1976) is an American actor and rapper. In television, he is known for portraying Radon Randell in the Spike sports comedy series, '' Blue Mountain State'', and "U-Turn" in the Showtime series, '' Weeds''. He has al ...
as Roger (Dave). It was set in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and followed the lives of a
blue-collar A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and powe ...
, working-class family. The series was to adapt the original plot lines of the first series of ''The Royle Family''. A pilot was produced in April 2001, which did not prove successful and therefore CBS opted not to pick the show up.


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Royle Family, The 1998 British television series debuts 2012 British television series endings 1990s British sitcoms 2000s British sitcoms 2010s British sitcoms BAFTA winners (television series) BBC television sitcoms English-language television shows Television shows produced by Granada Television Television series about marriage Television series about dysfunctional families Television series by ITV Studios Television shows set in Manchester