8.4 /10 1 Votes
8.5/10 First episode date 14 September 1998 | 8.1/10 IMDb Final episode date 27 November 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Created by Caroline AherneCraig Cash Directed by Mark MylodSteve BendelackCaroline Aherne Starring Ricky TomlinsonSue JohnstonCaroline AherneRalf LittleCraig CashLiz SmithJessica HynesPeter MartinDoreen KeoghGeoffrey HughesAndrew WhymentSheridan Smith Cast |
Family argument the royle family xmas bbc comedy
The Royle Family was a British television sitcom produced by ITV Studios 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 scruffy television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, comprising family patriarch Jim Royle (Ricky Tomlinson), his wife Barbara (Sue Johnston), their daughter Denise (Caroline Aherne), their son Antony (Ralf Little) and Denise's fiancé (later husband) David (Craig Cash).
Contents
- Family argument the royle family xmas bbc comedy
- Little david the royle family xmas bbc comedy
- Series
- Episodes
- Main
- Recurring
- 19982000 Original run
- 20062012 Specials
- Relation to other works
- References
The series features simple production values and a stereotypical portrayal of low income family life at the turn of the millennium. It therefore has something in common with kitchen sink drama. 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 (series one), Carmel Morgan (series two), and Phil Mealey (five Christmas specials). A sixth special episode was set to be written but writer and actress who played Denise, Caroline Aherne died on 2 July 2016 effectively ending the series.
In a list of the 100 greatest British television programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000 and voted on by industry professionals, The Royle Family was placed 31st. In a 2004 poll to find Britain's best sitcom, The Royle Family was placed 19th. The series has also won several BAFTA awards.
Little david the royle family xmas bbc comedy
Series
Most episodes appear to take place in real time and all action takes place within the Royles' council house 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 using the single camera production style, instead of the multiple-camera production style, and was not filmed with a live audience. The producer Glenn Wilhide is on record as saying, "It was a big fight to make sure it had no laughter track".
The one-off specials take a more traditional sitcom structure, 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 typical 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 Twiggy's car there. All of 2010 and 2012's Christmas special takes place at the Royles' house. There were lots of rumours if it would return after the 2012 special. In 2016 Tomlinson said that there would probably be one that year but Aherne died in July 2016, thereby effectively ending any hopes of a return for the show.
The show's theme song is "Half the World Away" by Oasis. When Aherne died, ex Oasis member Noel Gallagher performed a tribute to Aherne by playing it during a concert in America.
Episodes
The Royle Family have broadcast three series between 1998 and 2000, each consisting of 6 episodes. A Christmas special followed the second series in 1999, while another Christmas special followed the third series in 2000. After which, Ahern and Cash decided not to continue with a new series; however, the it did continue in the form of a number of specials, beginning with "The Queen of Sheba", which broadcast in 2006 to mark the return of the show. A further four Christmas specials were included between 2008 and 2012. The final episode, "Barbara's Old Ring", was screened on Christmas Day 2012. There are a total of 25 episodes of The Royal Family.
Main
Recurring
1998–2000: Original run
The first series aired on BBC Two 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 appeared in 1999, followed by a third series and another Christmas special in 2000.
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 million viewers.
Two volumes of scripts from the series have been published: The Royle Family The Scripts: Series 1 by Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash, and Henry Normal. London: Granada Media/Andre Deutsch, 1999, and The Royle Family The Scripts: Series 2 by Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash, and Carmel Morgan. London: Granada Media, 2000.
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 10.6 million viewers, making it the 5th most watched show on Christmas Day and the 5th most watched for the entire week ending 28 December 2008.
The Royle Family returned as part of Comic Relief, on 13 March 2009. It also marked the return of Ralf Little 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 9:00pm 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 11.74 million viewers and the highest rating episode of The Royle Family.
In November 2010 Gold 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 11.29 million 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 on 5 November the Sun reported that Aherne and Cash had been unable to complete a script in time for filming. Sue Johnston claimed, on The One Show, that the special had been postponed rather than scrapped, and that the reason behind the delay was due to Ralf Little and Craig Cash's work on The Cafe proving more time consuming than initially thought. Johnston also stated that it might not necessarily be made as a Christmas special, but may air earlier in the year.
In an interview with The Sun in August 2012, Sue Johnston confirmed that there would be a Christmas special that year, saying that 'it's definitely happening this year'. The special titled "Barbaras Old Ring" aired on 25 December 2012. The broadcast was the 3rd most popular programme on Christmas Day, achieving a rating of 9.90 million viewers and was the 6th most watched programme for the week ending December 30 across all UK TV channels.
Relation to other works
The subsequent sitcom Early Doors 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 and betting on the outcome of valuations.
In several episodes, the family are seen watching Coronation Street, a long-running Northern-based soap opera, in which Sue Johnston, Doreen Keogh, Geoffrey Hughes and Andrew Whyment have all played regular characters. Guest actors Sally Lindsay (Michelle, Twiggy's girlfriend), Sharon Duce (Valerie, Emma's Mother), Steve Huison (Derek, Cheryl's Boyfriend) Helen Fraser (Jocelyn Best, Dave's Mother) and Joanne Froggatt (Saskia, Anthony's fiance) have also appeared in the programme.
Sue Johnston and Joanne Froggatt would work together once again on the UK period drama, Downton Abbey, 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 and Craig Cash have both narrated and Cash continues to narrate the Channel 4 series Gogglebox, which, like The Royle Family, features people watching TV.