The Royle Family

The Royle Family
File:Royle Family.jpg The Royle family ; left to right' back - Anthony, Barbara, Dave, front - Nana, Jim, Denise
Created by	Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash
Starring	Ricky Tomlinson Sue Johnston Caroline Aherne Ralf Little Craig Cash Liz Smith
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	20
Production
Running time	28 min (18 episodes) / 45 min (2 episodes)
Original release
Network	BBC
Release	1998 – 2000, 2006 -

The Royle Family is a popular BBC television situation comedy (sitcom) that ran for three series between 1998 and 2000. It concerned the lives of a cash-strapped working class Manchester family, the Royles.

The series was remarkable for its simple production and realistic portrayal of working class family life at the turn of the Millennium. The scripts contain often banal conversations but each series revolves around a big family occasion; the marriage of the family's daughter Denise, the birth of her first child, and the child's christening. All the episodes take place in the rather cramped family home. The show was written by Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, who also acted in it, along with poet and comedian Henry Normal, who left after the first series. It was produced by Granada Television for the BBC.

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 out of 100 nominations.

It will a return with all of the original cast for an hour long special in October 2006. The episode has now been named; The Royle Family: The Queen Of Sheba - The Finale.

Description

The show is a comic and poignant satire of family life in the Manchester area or perhaps Britain as a whole. It is commonly supposed that the series in set in the Manchester suburb of Wythenshawe, although there is nothing in the script to tie it that particular area of the city. It could actually be set in the nearby town of Stockport in the county of Cheshire however. In one episode Jim makes an enquiry as to how 'County' got on, almost certainly meaning Stockport County Football Club, and Emma hails from Altrincham a town close to Stockport but far more affluent.

Another suggestion is that the Royle's home is around the Stretford area, within the Trafford district of Manchester. On different occasions various members of the Royle family refer to spending time at, "The Precinct", however it has been mentioned once or twice in the show that it is The Stretford Precinct (which, in reality, has had its named changed to Stretford Mall) that is being referred to.

Barbara's mother Norma's - affectionately called Nana by everybody except Jim - apartment/flat is definitely on the other side of Manchester, to the East, due to her mentioning in one episode that a woman from Droylsden appeared on the light-entertainment tv show This Morning, adding that Droylsden was only ten minutes from her. Also, Jim moans in one episode that he'd have to get the bus to the other side of town, to pick up Norma and bring her back to the Royle's home; given that it is strongly suggested the Royle's live somewhere more to the south-west of Manchester, this would factor into Norma living somewhere around the Droylden area.

The family rarely do anything other than watch TV, banter and occasionally eat, smoke and drink. It could called a modern comedy of manners. Every episode takes place in the family home, in the living room and/or kitchen. Most episodes lack a plot but most have a theme or at least a topic of discussion to hold it together. The show lacks set piece jokes. Many of the humorous situations involve awkwardness, badly told jokes, crassness (usually on Jim's part), irony and the fact that the Royle family on the television often reflect the lives of the families watching it. In this it has similarities to another BBC docu-comedy, The Office.

Although it is sometimes claimed that the series has no jokes, there are in fact many one-liners but these are spoken casually by the characters and not signposted like jokes in a regular sitcom. There is no laugh track.

Series

The first series ran on BBC2 in 1998, quickly gaining a cult following and was moved to BBC1 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. This episode was the last when Caroline Aherne decided to move to Australia to escape the press, after a bout of depression and a suicide attempt. 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 April 7, 2006, the BBC announced that Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash are writing a script for a special to be broadcast in the UK later in the year. [1].

Characters

The Royle family consists of:

• Jim (Ricky Tomlinson), father and patriarch of the Royle family. In his early 60s, Jim is overweight, unemployed and lazy. Ignorant and boorish, he is prone to being quick-tempered and scathing to those around him. Since he was made redundant Jim has been unemployed and is preoccupied with family expenditure and frequently loses his temper over money matters, particularly the burden of daughter Denise's wedding. He is loud-mouthed, opinionated, and very public about his bodily functions (for example, by announcing his visits to the toilet). However, he can also be very affectionate and sentimental. A quite competent banjo player, he has a raucous belly-laugh (usually in response to his own jokes) and is something of a party animal. Interestingly, Jim appears to be the most intelligent character. He spends an overwhelming amount of time sitting in an armchair watching television.

• Barbara (Sue Johnston), mother and domestic drudge to the Royle family, married to Jim. Barbara is the family's only wage-earner, working part-time at a local bakery. A bit more prim and a lot more hard-working than her husband, she often scolds Jim for bad language or improper conversation. Barbara is the most diplomatic family member, often using her soft voice and motherly charm to settle arguments.

• Daughter Denise (Caroline Aherne), a twenty-something weepy neurotic who is intensely jealous of the unseen character Beverly Macker. Denise is fussy, greedy, territorial and lazy. She has been in a relationship with Dave for five years. Denise is unemployed and apparently does very little besides occasionally going to "The Feathers" pub (with a habit of getting blind drunk) and sitting in the family living room watching the television. In series two and three, Denise and Dave are living in their own house but still come round to the Royle home frequently, this being common in northern extended families.

• Lanky teen son Antony (Ralf Little), approximately 18, is the dogsbody. He is constantly ordered around by the family — performing nearly every errand — and seems incapable of standing up to them. In an ironic twist in the later series, Antony becomes street-smart and in the second and third series, becomes the character with a possible 'better' future, in the form of wealthy girlfriend Emma. In Series 3, it is announced that Antony and Emma are to wed and Emma is also pregnant.

The Best family consists of:

• Dave Best, Denise's boyfriend and later husband (Craig Cash). Dave is a man of surprisingly low intelligence and is frequently childlike. He works as a furniture remover and part-time mobile disco proprietor. Dave is hen-pecked by Denise, as his low intelligence makes him unable to stand up to her unless he is slightly drunk.

• Baby David - Denise and Dave's son, possibly designed to mock the north's perceived lack of originality when choosing their children's names (there are certain families in which the first born male's first name stretches back four generations or more. In one episode Dave mentions that four previous generations of his family were all called 'David' ) Baby David is arguably more loved by Dave than Denise, as he spends many hours worrying over the baby and has even constructed a farmyard for him. Denise meanwhile, uses any excuse to avoid spending time with her son.

• Dave's parents (never seen) - Dave's father is apparently disabled, although Jim has implied on occasion that he believes he is faking it to avoid work (the irony being that Jim avoids work at every opportunity and even claims the dole). Dave's mum is a less well known character, although she did buy a suit from Marks and Spencer for Dave and Denise's wedding which prompted Barbara to buy a more expensive suit so as to “not let the side down”.

The Speakman family:

• Norma Speakman, Barbara's mother, known to everyone as Nana (Liz Smith). Norma features in most episodes, in the few in which she is absent, she is a major topic of conversation. Norma and Jim share a mutual dislike and are not afraid to show it. Nana has an irritating habit of constantly discussing death and recounting trivial anecdotes from her past and is fond of a drink, a fact which she unconvincingly tries to hide. She lives in a flat on the other side of town with best friend Elsie (never seen), and her constant hints to move into the Royle household are politely ignored.

The Carrols:

• Mary and Joe Carroll (Doreen Keogh and Peter Martin), the Royles' next-door neighbours. Mary, of Irish descent, is constantly cheery and provides a stark contrast to her husband Joe, who is extraordinarily dull and boring, except when he is drunk. Joe's monotone personality always saps Jim's usually cheery nature.

• Cheryl Carroll (Jessica Stevenson), one of Denise's (apparently few) friends, and daughter of Mary and Joe. Plump Cheryl is constantly dieting and constantly failing to stick to her diet, ensuring that she is in a perpetual state of despondency about her figure. Cheryl is frequently the butt of Jim's (and occasionally even her father's) jibes.

Occasional characters include Antony's best friend Darren (Andrew Whyment), wealthy girlfriend Emma (Sheridan Smith), the never-seen Duckers (the local hard-man) and Jim's best friend Twiggy (Geoffrey Hughes). The character Beverly Macker (passing mention is also made of her elder brother Tony, a friend of Dave's) is repeatedly mentioned but never seen — all that is known of her is that she had two children before the age of 18, is attractive, and was a one-time girlfriend of Dave. Denise is extremely jealous of Beverly and she and Dave frequently argue about her when drunk.

Only 4 characters appear just once in the series. 2 in 'The Christening' episode viz. piss-stinking pensioner PJ (who he is exactly is never explained), and Michelle, Twiggy's loudmouthed, unpleasant, working-class girlfriend.

2 more appear in the 'Christmas Special', Emma's father Roger and his wife Valerie.

Examples of humour

• Jim Royle: These underpants cost me a quid, and I've got about fifty pence worth stuck up my arse.

• (it's Christmas day and Emma and her parents have been invited to the house - Jim is telling Roger about his career prospects])
  • Jim Royle: I've joined the dance.
  • Roger Kavanagh: What dance is that, Jim?
  • Jim Royle: The REDUNdance.

• Antony Royle: Who's stunk that toilet out?
• Barbara Royle: Who d'ya think?
• Jim Royle: Well that's what its for isn't it, where d'you expect me to shit? You'd have something to complain about if I crapped in the kitchen.

• Denise Royle: Dad! Your fly hole's all undone.
• Jim Royle: Ah, the cage might be open, but the beast is asleep.
• Barbara Royle: Beast my arse.

• (Dave has just changed baby David and has put his nappy in a nappy bag. Barbara has asked Antony to take it to the bins with Darren.])
  • Darren: Ay' Ant, Bag of Shite!

• Jim Royle: It's good to talk my arse...

• Barbara (To Denise): Your Dad will go and pick Nana up on Sunday
• Jim Royle: Why can't she get the bus on her own?
• Barbara: She's eighty-two
• Jim Royle: Well, then, she should know the way by now.

• Norma: May god forgive you Jim Royle for speaking ill of the dead like that!
• Jim: I wasn't talking about the dead. I was talking about you: the living bloody dead!

• Anthony: Hey Denise I told Duckers about the baby, he's well made up.
• Denise (shocked): Why are you telling people about my baby? Mum, will you tell him.
• Barbara: Stop telling people will you Anthony.
• Anthony: I only told Duckers.
• Denise: Oh so Duckers knows about it before Nana.
• Jim: The only bloody thing you're bloody Nana's more bloody interested in is bloody Coronation bloody street than the baby.
• Barbara: How many bloods was that Jim?

Miscellany

Unlike most sitcoms the show is filmed in 16mm using a single camera. Multi-camera videotape is standard for UK sitcoms.

Each episode appears to take place in real time. However, the passage of time as indicated by the changing programmes on the Royles' TV sometimes suggests that the action has been compressed.

All of the action takes place in the Royles' house. The camera never leaves the house. If the Royles look out of the window the camera looks at them and not what they are looking at. The only images from outside are glimpses of programmes on the Royles' TV.

The show was made famous by Jim ending many sentences with the catchphrase "My arse".

The show's theme tune is "Half the World Away" by Oasis. The song can be found as the B-Side to "Whatever" and on the album The Masterplan.

Each series appeared to lead up to an event. The first led to Denise and Dave's wedding; the second saw Denise now pregnant with their child and led up to the birth (Denise went into labour in the Christmas special) and the third saw the addition of Baby David and the run-up to his christening and his first birthday on Christmas Day. Jim also received Sky Digital as a present.

The name The Royle Family is a pun on Britain's Royal Family. The rude manners of the Royles are in contrast with the supposed refined manners of the Queen and her family. The joke was taken to its conclusion by impressionist Alistair McGowan on his television show, with a series of sketches featuring the Royal Family as the Royle Family. The Duke of Edinburgh character played Jim, with Queen Elizabeth II as Barbara, The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles as Dave and Denise and The Duke of York as Anthony, wearing the top half of a Royal Navy uniform along with a pair of tracksuit trousers.

Also notable is the pairing of Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson as husband and wife, as the two were well known for playing another married couple, Bobby and Sheila Grant, on Channel 4's long-running soap opera Brookside. Similarly, Ralf Little and Sheridan Smith also went on to reprise their roles as an onscreen couple, Johnny and Janet, in the later sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.

The English sitcom Spaced parodied the show's intro sequence on the final episode (Leaves) of its second series. This sequence featured Spaced actors Simon Pegg, Nick Frost et al playing out the actions of the Royles. Also, Jessica Stevenson co-wrote and starred in Spaced after her success in The Royle Family.

Return

The Royle Family will return to the BBC for a one-off special on BBC One in October 2006. Caroline Aherne has written the episode with Craig Cash and Phil Mealey. All the cast will return.

External links

• BBC's page on the Royle Family
• imdb entry