Royle Family

''The Royle Family'' is a British sitcom produced by Granada Television 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), his wife Barbara (Sue Johnston), their daughter Denise (Caroline Aherne), their son Antony (Ralf Little) and Denise's fiancé (later husband) David (Craig Cash).

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. 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). 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's list of the 100 greatest British television programmes drawn up in 2000 and voted on by industry professionals, ''The Royle Family'' was placed 31st. In a 2001 Channel 4 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, ''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 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 single camera production style and was not filmed in front of an audience. The producer Glenn Wilhide is on record as saying, "It was a big fight to make sure it had no laugh track".

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 performed a tribute to Aherne by playing it during a concert in Nashville, Tennessee.

Characters

Main

*Ricky Tomlinson as James Randolph "Jim" Royle
*:Misanthropic, cynical and selfish, Jim is a slob 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 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 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 and Bobby Grant, in Liverpool-based soap ''Brookside''.
*Caroline Aherne as Denise Best (''née'' Royle)
*:The only daughter of Jim and Barbara, Denise is extremely lethargic, pretentious